“Horse racing set for Aug. 21 at Rock Springs” plus 3 more

Horse racing set for Aug. 21 at Rock Springs
Ky. racing officials may impose horse drug testing
N.J. horse racing enthusiasts react to gaming summit
HORSE RACING / Mare dies of heart attack

Horse racing set for Aug. 21 at Rock Springs

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 07:22 PM PDT

Horse racing set for Aug. 21 at Rock Springs

File photo Don Spencer in the sulky of Sharp Sis, a Lewis Hauber-owned entry, comes into the mix in this photo taken at last year's fair.

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From the horse and buggy days to the modern age, harness racing at the Meigs County Fair has entertained thousands.

Across the United States horse racing is the second most widely attended sport after baseball.

The modern Standard bred or the American Harness Horse had its origins near the end of the 1790s. The first "races" were held on country roads as friendly neighborhood competitions. They quickly moved on to the county fairs where large crowds could gather for the races.

It was around 1865 when horses started competing at the Rock Springs racetrack. This year is no different, in fact more horses have been nominated or scheduled to race than were last year. The number of horses is up by 20 for a total of 134.

Among those eligible are five local horses which were trained at the fairgrounds from last fall through the current season. The three year old colt trotter, Grand Victory, is owned and trained by Michael Swatzel of Little Hocking, and will try to repeat his 2009 Meigs County fair victory .

Fair board member and racing superintendent, Steve Swatzel trains a two year old filly trotter named Skiptomylumydarlin. She is also owned by Michael and Kathy Swatzel. Both horses raced to a third place finish at this year's Jackson County Fair in Wellston.

Longtime horse owner and trainer, Ralph Calvert, Jr. of Pomeroy may race his talented four year old pacer, Our Oops-e-Darn, who has been racing well since starting at the county fair in Washington Court House.

The other two horses are trainees of Don Spencer of Pomeroy. Uncle Billy, a two year old trotter has made it to the winner's circle multiple times and is a potential stakes champion if he continues. Spencer's three year filly trotter, Stars Luckyduck, has had some success against a very tough class of horses.

Missing from this year's trainers list is Brooks Sayre, who has retired after nearly 35 years in the business. Sayre had several successful horses including an Ohio Sires Stakes Champion. Mr. Sayre still holds a Meigs County track record for 4-year-old pacing mares with Noble Choice during the 2003 fair. He said that he still misses training and racing horses but his "vet" suggested giving it up.

Visitors to the fair on Saturday, Aug. 21, can view a full program of exciting harness races including some of the best race horses in the state. The racing gets underway at noon.

(Steve Swatzel is Meigs County Fair Racing Superintendent.)

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Ky. racing officials may impose horse drug testing

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 06:04 PM PDT

by WHAs11 News

WHAS11.com

Posted on August 10, 2010 at 9:04 PM

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- Kentucky racing officials say they want to start administering drug tests to racehorses that are housed outside a racetrack's grounds, even ones out of state. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's equine drug panel discussed the topic Tuesday.

There will be one more meeting before the full commission considers the plan.

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N.J. horse racing enthusiasts react to gaming summit

Posted: 10 Aug 2010 07:14 AM PDT

N.J. horse racing enthusiasts react to gaming summit

Equine industry representatives walk away from first of three sessions with wary optimism

BY JANE MEGGITT Correspondent

Supporters of New Jersey's horse racing industry descended on the first gaming summit in Atlantic City on Aug. 6 with the hope of keeping the sport alive in the state.

On July 21, Gov. Chris Christie's Advisory Commission on New Jersey Gaming, Sports and Entertainment released a report on the future of gaming in the state. Called the Hanson Report, after the commission's chairman, Jon Hanson, the report provides recommendations for horse racing in the state, including privatizing the state-owned Meadowlands and Monmouth Park racetracks, forbidding horse racing venues from installing slot machines, and throwing state support behind Atlantic City gaming.

One option in the report would eliminate harness racing in the state. In reaction to the report, approximately 500 people in the racing industry and other equine enthusiasts made the trek to Atlantic City for the summit. Those from central New Jersey went alone or boarded buses that left from major training centers in the area, such as Showplace Farms in Millstone, Gaitway Farm in Manalapan, and White Birch Farm in Upper Freehold. The summit took place one day before harness racing's biggest annual event — the Hambletonian — at the Meadowlands.

Bob Marks, marketing director of Perretti Farms in Upper Freehold, said the racing industry had a wonderful turnout at the summit to demonstrate solidarity in the call to post.

"Obviously there are many in the northern and central parts of the state who do not agree with the governor's plan to revitalize Atlantic City while ignoring the substantial breeding industry within Monmouth County," Marks said.

Freehold's Ellen Manzi, wife of Hall of Fame driver Catello "Cat" Manzi and a real estate agent with Prudential in Millstone, said horse enthusiasts walked away from the first session of the summit feeling optimistic.

"Will it be that way every time?" Manzi said. "I can't say. But today was a great effort by the racehorse community, considering that it was held the day before our biggest race day of the year."

Manzi said the state's horse racing industry showed the government that it's an indispensable united front. The next step, she said, is for the general public to demonstrate to Christie that the equine economy in the state is closely tied to the general economy.

"The New Jersey horse economy reaches to restaurants, delis, gas stations, school districts, crop growers, fence companies, insurance companies, golf courses, real estate, doctors, dentists, and more," Manzi said. "Stay tuned! The New Jersey equine community is united and solidifying."

Leo McNamara, executive administrator of the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey, said state legislators seem better informed about the state's horse industry than those who served on the Hanson commission.

"They were clear in their thoughts that every job in New Jersey is important and there will be no clear winners and losers like the Hanson report laid out," McNamara said. "Overall, a very good day for the horse industry."

Kim Jessome, of Millstone, said she was pleasantly surprised to hear Sen. Paul Sarlo (36th District) question Atlantic City casino President Mark Juiliano into admitting at the summit that video lottery terminal (VLT) installation at the Meadowlands would not impact casino business in Atlantic City.

"This is a huge statement," she said. "The Democrats are obviously divided on the gaming issue, with what appears to be north versus south [Jersey]."

A Democratic commission hosted the summit, which allowed politicians on both sides of the issue of maintaining horse racing in the state to express their viewpoints.

Jessome said New Jersey racing enthusiasts have just begun to fight and have not given up on converting the Meadowlands into a "racino" — a racetrack casino.

"The jobs that it would not only save but would also create is, in my opinion, one of the many things New Jersey needs to get back going in the right direction," she said.

Jessome said horse enthusiasts have to maintain a presence at all of the sessions of the gaming summit and continue to email and call the governor and legislators with their viewpoints. She also noted that the issue affects New Jersey farmers, businesses, hunting clubs and others who enjoy the open space and farms that horse-related agriculture creates.

"We need to include more people to join in our fight to show the state government just how many taxpayers and ultimately voters are involved in one form or another with the horsemen," Jessome said.

The second session of the summit will be held at the Meadowlands next month.

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HORSE RACING / Mare dies of heart attack

Posted: 09 Aug 2010 05:47 AM PDT

Tuscan Evening, one of trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's star performers with wins in all six of her starts this year in graded stakes events, died Sunday morning of an apparent heart attack after a workout at Del Mar.

"It's been very difficult for us to deal with this today," Hollendorfer said when reached by cell phone. "The barn is pretty devastated. The hard thing for me is that she was on her way to proving she was one of the very best. She got to prove some of what she can do, but we thought she was really blossoming."

When the incident happened, Hollendorfer was on his way to Del Mar after running Skipshot in the West Virginia Derby on Saturday. Hollendorfer's assistant, Dan Ward, works with the Southern California division of the stable.

"She had a good workout today and was coming back to the barn and Dan said she just fell," Hollendorfer said. "We won't know (the official cause of death) until a full autopsy."

Such a procedure for horses is called a necropsy, and one was scheduled for Tuscan Evening at a laboratory in San Bernardino that is affiliated with UC Davis.

Hollendorfer began training the Irish-bred Tuscan Evening in late 2008 after she was purchased by one of his major clients, William de Burgh. Although she had lost all 11 of her starts in England and Ireland, she did come within a head of winning the Group 1 Irish 1,000 Guineas.

Tuscan Evening broke her maiden in her first U.S. start Jan. 22, 2009, and had five more wins that year including two Grade 2 events.

As a 5-year-old mare in 2010, she became perhaps America's best female turf horse, winning at distances from about 6 1/2 furlongs in the Grade 3 Monrovia Handicap to 1 1/4 miles in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes. Her career ended with 12 wins in 27 starts and $1,138,508 in earnings.

A few hours after Tuscan Evening's death, Hollendorfer started another import, New Zealand-bred Late Cuddle, in her U.S. debut, and she won a 1-mile allowance event on grass by 6 1/4 lengths in a fast 1:33.69.

"We were happy to win that race, but the edge was taken off it for sure," Hollendorfer said.

Briefly: Moudez, who hadn't raced since winning the Forerunner Stakes on April 19, 2007, at Keeneland, rallied from last place to take Sunday's $58,500 Joseph T. Grace Handicap at the Sonoma County Fair. ... Jeff Bonde-trained Sway Away finished second in Sunday's Grade 2, $150,000 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar - three-quarters of a length behind three-time stakes-winner J P's Gusto.

This article appeared on page B - 6 of the San Francisco Chronicle

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Horse Racing

Tuesday, August 10, 2010