Have a comment or question about this week's update? Send an e-mail to davidh@texasthoroughbred.com. Read past updates in the Executive Director's Update archive.
TTA HONORS PRINCESS HAYA, HEILIGBRODTS, DIEVERT, OTHER TEXAS CHAMPIONS
The Texas Thoroughbred Association took time last Saturday evening to honor the owners and breeders of the 2009 Texas champions in each racing division, including Texas Horse of the Year Princess Haya. TTA also presented its two most prestigious awards. Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt were honored as recipients of the T. I. “Pops” Harkins Award for their contributions to Texas racing, TTA and for lifetime achievement. Shirley Dievert was awarded the Allen Bogan Memorial Award as TTA Member of the Year.
The Heiligbrodts bought their first Thoroughbred in 1988 after having enjoyed success with Quarter Horses, including 3-time world champion cutter Meradas Little Sue, who was the all-time leading money-winning mare with earnings of more than $750,000 when she retired. Over the years they have exceeded that success with their Thoroughbreds, having raced more than 120 stakes winners, with half of them being graded stakes winners. Last year, Heiligbrodt Racing Stables finished fifth in cumulative earnings in North America. But, as Texans, their hearts and interests are in their native state. As Bill has said, “I’d rather win the TTA Sales Futurity or a Texas Stallion Stakes than the Kentucky Oaks.”
Dievert, who has been an integral part of the Blood-Horse Publications advertising department for nearly 30 years, received permission from Blood-Horse publisher Stacy Bearse last September to help TTA obtain advertising and stallion stat page commitments for TTA’s 2010 Texas Stallion Register. Thanks to her many contacts throughout the Southwest, the publication reached its projected revenue goals. As TTA President Jacquelyn Rich stated, “Without Shirley’s assistance, we would not have had a 2010 edition.”
The honored divisional champions were: Princess Haya, Texas Horse of the Year and older filly/mare, an Eileen Hartis homebred; Camille’s Appeal, 2-year-old filly bred by Stonerside Stable and owned by Millennium Farms; Oak Motte, 2-year-old colt/gelding bred by Bass/Seeligson Partnership, and owned by the same partners plus former TTA president Hugh Fitzsimons; City Tone, 3-year-old filly, a Tom Durant homebred; Valid Stripes, 3-year-old colt/gelding bred by Ed few and owned by Donald W. Erickson; and, Talkin to Mom Roo, older horse bred by former TTA president Larry Smith’s L.T. Smith Enterprises and owned by Jeffrey Sengara.
Hartis received the Blood-Horse Breeder of the Year and also accepted the Broodmare of the Year Award for her Sally Slew, the dam of Princess Haya. The Thoroughbred Times Leading Freshman Sire Award was presented to Ken Carson, manager of Valor Farm, where Wimbledon stands. Uncle Rose, bred by Joe Carothers and currently owned by Danny Pish, was voted the Texas Claimer of the Year.
CHICKASAW REPRESENTATIVE DISCUSSES LONE STAR INTERESTS WITH TTA BOARD
The TTA Board of Directors held a regularly scheduled meeting at Sam Houston Race Park on February 19 and one of several invited speakers represented the Chickasaw Nation and its Global Gaming subsidiary. Board members could not have been more pleased with the presentation of Jim Shearer, whose Austin-based Capital Consultants firm has lobbied on behalf of Chickasaw interests in recent legislative sessions.
Shearer told the Board that he had encouraged the Chickasaws to buy Lone Star Park four or five years ago. While the Chickasaws are in the process of finalizing their acquisition of the Lone Star license, Shearer wanted the Board to know that they were purchasing the interest as a racetrack and wanted to make it the very best track that it could be with the highest quality of racing possible. Shearer also stated that the Chickasaws had opposed expansion of gaming in Texas in recent legislative sessions, but they would be working with industry groups like TTA and Texas Horse Organizations for Racing, Showing and Eventing (Texas HORSE) to make the legislative effort successful in 2011.
COYOTE LEGEND AND TIN TOP CAT DOMINATE TEXAS STALLION STAKES DIVISIONS
Clarence Scharbauer’s Texas homebred Coyote Legend dominated the $125,000 Jim’s Orbit Division of the Texas Stallion Stakes Series at Sam Houston Race Park last Saturday evening winning by 8 ½ lengths over Big Texas Daddy, with April’s Picture 3 ¼ lengths farther back.
Coyote Legend, a 3-year-old gelding by Gold Legend out of the Seeking the Gold mare Coyote Café, proved that he is more adept at racing around two turns and one mile than his Texas champion brother Gold Coyote. Coyote Legend found the distance well within his range of ability as he reached the wire in 1:38 3/5 to add to his Groovy Stakes win on Texas Champions Day in December and a victory in the Genesis Stakes at Delta Downs in January. He may now be ready to show his mettle in open company.
Jerry Durant and Bill Jordan’s Texas homebred Tin Top Cat found running room along the inside in late stretch to capture the $125,000 Two Altazano Division by 1 ¼ lengths over 70-1 She’s a Bond Girl, who was a length and three-quarters in front of 9-10 favorite Camille’s Appeal after negotiating the mile in 1:40 3/5. Tin Top Cat is also on a 3-race win streak having annexed the Bara Lass on Texas Champions Day and the Delta Princess at Delta Downs in her previous two starts. She has now won four of her last five starts and appeared to be an easier winner than the margin of victory suggests.
Coyote Legend and Tin Top Cat were both saddled by Bret Calhoun, who also sent out two other stakes winners at Fair Grounds earlier on Saturday. Jockey Bobby Walker used different tactics to get to the wire first on the victors. He guided Coyote Legend into an immediate striking position from post 11 to be pressing the pace setter before taking over and dominating the Jim’s Orbit from the middle of the last turn to the finish. Tin Top Cat broke very sharply from post 2 to be on the lead, but Walker took a strong hold to get her behind fillies where she remained trapped along the inside until finding running room late.
ESKENDEREYA: BETTER KNOW THE NAME ORIGIN OF THIS TRIPLE CROWN HOPEFUL
If you saw Eskendereya’s eye-popping 8 ½-length romp in Gulfstream Park’s Fountain of Youth Stakes last Saturday, you may have stopped to wonder about the origin of the name. Curiosity caused Steven Crist, publisher and columnist for Daily Racing Form, to do some research. He reported as follows in a February 21 posting on the drf.com website: “Eskendereya, by Giant’s Causeway and the Seattle Slew mare Aldebaran Light, races for Cairo-born Ahmed Zayat, and is apparently named for an Egyptian dance. According to ‘Keti Sharif’s Bellydance Glossary of Middle Eastern Dance Terminologies,’ an eskendereya is a ‘dance from the city of Alexandria in Northern Egypt. Flirty Alexandrian dance with a milaya, or heavy veil, formerly used as a fashion accessory in the 40s. Dancer wears a bourka – netted face veil, and a frilly mid-knee length dress.”
As Eskendereya progresses into more prominence on the Triple Crown trail, you’ll now have the answer to questions about the origin of this promising 3-year-old’s name.
Fast furlongs...The Fasig-Tipton Texas 2-Year-Olds In Training sales catalogs arrived in the TTA office this week with 223 juveniles catalogued...The New York Racing Association is making preliminary plans to eliminate the race-day detention barn holding area requirement that had been implemented to enhance integrity and also may close the Aqueduct stable area with both moves designed to cut expenditures...The Ohio Derby will be renewed on July 31 in 2010, but at a distance of 1 1/16 miles, one-sixteenth shorter than past renewals and with a $100,000 purse well below the former $300,000 offered...The auction date for Magna Entertainment Corporation-owned Maryland Jockey Club tracks, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, has been postponed to March 25...Hawaiian legislators are considering the legalization of gaming in the island state, which, if approved, would leave Utah as the only state without legal gaming...San Luis Rey Downs may continue to operate past the announced March 15 closing if Magna agrees to leasing the facility to Leigh Ann Howard, a well-known Southern California horsewoman...The Cherokee Nation has no plans to reopen Blue Ribbon Downs as a racetrack in Sallisaw, OK, according to the tribe’s chief, Chad Smith...Lone Star will be open for ship-in and ship-out paid works at $20 per horse on March 3, 6, 10 and 13th from 7 to 10:30am with the barn area officially opening for stabling on March 15...TTA President Jacquelyn Rich presented Hal Wiggins, Rachel Alexandra’s original trainer, with a Lifetime Member certificate at the outset of the Awards Dinner last Saturday, and the retired conditioner told the audience that he planned to play an active role in efforts to improve Texas racing now that he and his wife, Renee, have moved into their new home in Houston. Wiggins has also joined Legacy Bloodstock to assist with recruitment of owners and client relations.