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LONE STAR PARK SALE TO CHICKASAW NATION APPROVED BY BANKRUPTCY JUDGE
No hiccups this time!
The Chickasaw Nation moved a long stride closer to becoming the new owner of Lone Star Park this past Wednesday when a Delaware bankruptcy judge approved the sale for $47.8 million after a second auction. The Chickasaws thought they had the Magna Entertainment-owned property within their grasp after bidding $27 million in the first auction and being declared the sole legitimate bidder. But Penn National Gaming Inc., which had been declared ineligible to participate on a legal technicality, protested to the bankruptcy court and stated it was ready to bid $40 million and that led to the second auction.
The Chickasaw Nation is acquiring Lone Star Park through a subsidiary, Global Gaming Group, which must meet the statutory requirement of 51 percent ownership by Texas residents to be approved by the Texas Racing Commission. Completion of Department of Public Safety background information checks of the new ownership, Texas Racing Commission staff review of the license applicant and a hearing before the TRC make the timeframe for the issuance of a new racetrack license likely to be at least six months.
The Chickasaws own 15 gaming facilities, including the WinStar World Casino, the fifth largest in the world. It is located in Thackerville, OK, just over the Texas border about one hour north of Dallas. The Chickasaws will add a 16th gaming location when they are approved for licensing as owners of Remington Park, which is expected to occur in mid-November. The Chickasaws are vested in several other businesses and operate in numerous states.
RETAMA’S $100,000 STAKES LAUNCH RAMSEY JUVENILES TO BREEDERS’ CUP STARTS
Retama Park has never been a known launching pad to a start in the Breeders’ Cup. But after the Ken and Sarah Ramsey homebreds Lisa’s Kitten and Kera’s Kitten won last Saturday night’s two $100,000 stakes for 2-year-olds, the M2Technology La Senorita and the Skyy El Joven respectfully, Ramsey confirmed that they were destined for the 2009 Breeders’ Cup.
Lisa’s Kitten and Kera’s Kitten, both from the first crop of 2004 Turf champion Kitten’s Joy and trained by Mike Maker, have been pre-entered in the one-mile $1,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf offerings for their respective divisions. Lisa’s Kitten will run on Friday, November 6, and Kera’s Kitten will go the following day.
The late-running Lisa’s Kitten overcame trouble on the backstretch, then found running room along the inside under jockey Julien Leparoux to win the La Senorita by one length over Larry Hirsch and Wayne Sanders’ Winning Tale, who finished a neck in front of Seasoned.
Kera’s Kitten used pace-pressing tactics to win the El Joven running in company with two rivals until the far turn where he began to assert himself eventually winning by five lengths. Richard Hessee’s B’wanagoldmine closed to be second by 1 ¼ lengths over the Allen Milligan-trained Prince Eddington.
KENTUCKY TRACKS REDUCE 2010 RACING DATES REQUESTS BY 25% FROM 2008
Kentucky owners and breeders surely have a better understanding how their counterparts in Texas feel about the competition from racino operations in neighboring states now that 2010 racing dates have been issued. The 206 live dates approved for next year for Kentucky’s five Thoroughbred tracks reflect a 25 percent decline from the 273 total dates allocated for 2009 by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, but only 239 days will be run this year due to cutbacks in live racing by most tracks in the Bluegrass State due to the competition coupled with the downturn in the economy.
Only Keeneland requested the same 32-day schedule in 2010 as in 2009. Churchill Downs will run 62 days in 2010, four less than 2009 after being okayed for 73. Turfway was granted 81 days, 33 less than the 114 approved and raced in 2009. Ellis Park actually increases 4 days in 2010 to 27, but was originally granted 48 days in 2009. Kentucky Downs, granted 6 days in 2009, ran 5, and will have only 4 2010 days.
In related news, Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and the Kentucky Division of the HBPA have struck an agreement whereby Churchill will provide a $1.5 million purse supplement over the next three years to keep the track’s purses nationally competitive.
Fast furlongs...The American Association of Equine Practitioners’ “Ask the Vet” online discussion topic in November will be the health of the racehorse and horse owners can pose their questions by visiting www.aaep.org/horseowner and clicking the “Ask the Vet” link...Congratulations to Rose Mary Chandler, the owner-breeder of Texas-bred Lydia’s Last Step, winner of Zia Park’s $60,360 Governor’s Cup Stakes at 59-1 last Sunday...In a down economy, you don’t raise prices, but California does things differently and enacted a new law allowing state tracks to raise wagering takeout rates for any bet to 25 percent...Terry Meyocks, former president of the New York Racing Association and now a racing consultant and national manager of the Jockeys’ Guild, has announced his intention to run for a Senate seat in Kentucky...The Oak Tree race meet at Santa Anita, host of this year’s Breeders’ Cup, has experienced handle declines from all sources necessitating a 10 percent cut in purses...Hialeah Park, shuttered since 2001 after offering the best Thoroughbred racing in the winter in the late 1960s, will re-open for a 40-day Quarter Horse meet starting November 28, with long range plans to add Thoroughbred racing...A Kentucky Horse Racing Commission committee recommendation to amend rules and close betting at post time will be the subject of a public discussion after Kentucky track operators voiced their opposition during the dates meeting...Jim Mulvihill, the very capable former media relations associate at Lone Star Park, is the new communications and pari-mutuel marketing manager at Fair Grounds in his native New Orleans...The New York State Racing and Wagering Board is planning to tighten its owner and authorized agent licensing procedures in the wake of the horse abuse scandal at Ernie Paragallo’s Center Brook Farm...The California Horse Racing Board may have opened the proverbial can of worms in moving to amend claiming rules to require stewards to void the claim of a horse that is unable to return to the designated unsaddling area due to injury or distress...A new timetable for the sale of Magna Entertainment Corporation-owned Santa Anita Park calls for initial bids to be due by February 10, the lead or stalking horse bid be established by February 17 and an auction to take place on February 25 with the sale finalized the next day...Ellis Park will close its simulcasting operations after this year’s Breeders’ Cup but reopen April 1 well in advance of the start of the live race meeting in July...Fasig-Tipton Company offered something new in the way of information at its Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale by making announcements requested by two consignors that a horse’s stem cells had been collected and stored and new owners could gain access to them, if necessary, for a fee...The estate of the late Allaire duPont, who raced 5-time Horse of the Year Kelso in her Bohemia Stable colors, will disperse 13 broodmares and weanlings in the next three months at sales in Kentucky and Timonium...A county fair committee, appointed by TTA President Dr. Jackie Rich, held a productive meeting at Retama Park this past Thursday and plans to reconvene in mid-November to consider the most likely viable locations...TTA Director Bill Tracy, longtime manager of Oak Tree Ranch in Bandera, has accepted a similar position at Jim Helzer’s JEH Stallion Station New Mexico operation about 25 miles from Ruidoso Downs.