Twenty horses, breeders, trainers and jockeys, four in each category, have been named as finalists for the 2012 Washington Racing Hall of Fame. The induction ceremonies will be held on August 18, the evening before the 77th running of the Longacres Mile (G3).
  There are nine first-timers on this year's ballot: male horses Handy N Bold and Hilco Scamper; mares Bix's Bet, Flag de Lune and Rings a Chime; jockey Basil Frazier; trainers Howard Belvoir and Bob McMeans; and breeder Maurice McGrath.

  The complete list of 2012 Washington Racing Hall of Fame finalists are: male horse: Handy N Bold, Hilco Scamper, Sirde and Travel Or; female horse: Bix's Bet, Flag de Lune, Rings a Chime and Whang Bang; jockey: Gary Boulanger, Basil Frazier, Paul Frey and Merlin Volzke; trainer: Howard Belvoir, Wayne Branch, Ben Harris and Bob McMeans; and pre-1970 breeder: John Carlson, Maurice McGrath, George Newell and Penney Farms.
  Introduced in 2003, the Washington Racing Hall of Fame was created to honor and showcase Washington's Thoroughbred industry elite. The inaugural class featured three inductees in each category, while subsequent classes have been limited to a single member in each category.  
  A 16-member committee composed of media, track officials, WTBOA and HBPA will determine one winner from each category.
  Eligibility requirements: Any Washington-bred or any horse that has raced at least twice in Washington shall be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame. Any jockey or trainer born in Washington shall be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame, or any jockey or trainer who has competed in at least five years in Washington shall be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame. The breeding category alternates yearly between pre-and-post 1970. A category for female horses was added in 2011.

  King Leatherbury's homebred Ben's Cat, a son of Gibson Thoroughbred Farm's 2011 Washington leading sire Parker's Storm Cat, swept three Maryland divisional categories - older male, turf horse and sprinter - and was named 2011 Maryland horse of the year. The now six-year-old gelding, who didn't start racing until his four year-old season, won six of 11 starts and earned $588,250 to top all other Maryland-breds running in 2011.

  Ben's Cat won six stakes races last year, including victories in the $350,000 Grade 3 Turf Monster Handicap, $200,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Handicap and $100,000 Maryland Sprint Handicap. In his 20 lifetime starts, the gelding out of Twofox has won 14 races with two seconds and one third place finish and has earned $800,230.Overall, Ben's Cat has won nine stakes races and placed in three other added money events.

  Grade 1-placed Coast Guard will enter stud at Nina and Ron Hagen's El Dorado Farms LLC this spring. A son of leading sire Stormy Atlantic, Coast Guard is out of the winning Royal Academy mare Vassar.

  Purchased for $300,000 as a yearling at the 2006 Keeneland September sale, Coast Guard was the second highest selling yearling among the 82 Stormy Atlantic yearlings cataloged that year and way above the $42,176 average.

  After finishing second in his first two starts - both two-year-old maiden special weight races - Coast Guard won a mile maiden allowance at Santa Anita Park by 2 1/2 lengths to finish out his juvenile campaign.

  Coast Guard made his three-year-old debut in the 1 1/16-mile Robert S. Lewis Stakes (G2) at the Arcadia track and finished second to Crown of Thorns.

  In April, Coast Guard, who ran throughout his career for Amerman Racing LLC and was trained by David Hofmans, finished third in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1), only 1 1/2 lengths behind winner Colonel John in the nine-furlong race.

  Coast Guard finished his career with a fourth place effort in a Hollywood Park allowance and a record of 1-3-1 from seven stars and with earnings of $182,180.

  Stormy Atlantic, one of over 175 stakes winners sired by leading sire and noted sire-of-sires Storm Cat, stands for a 2012 stud fee of $40,000. He is one of two stakes winners out of Santa Anita Oaks (G1) winner Hail Atlantis, a daughter of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew out of the well-named stakes winner Flippers, who is by Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Coastal and out of Horse of the Year Moccasin.

  Champion juvenile sire Stormy Atlantic has sired 65 stakes winners - 23 which are graded winners - including Canadian champion juvenile Leonnatus Anteas and three-time Grade 1 winner Get Stormy (who took the 2012 Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap). Offspring of Stormy Atlantic, who ranks as the fifth leading North American sire (through 2/10/12) this year, have earned over $50-million.

  Coast Guard is one of four winners from five foals produced out of Vassar, who also is the dam of $177,811 stakes-placed Garifine. Vassar is out of Remington Park Oaks winner Dixie Fine, by L'Emigrant. This is also the family of champions and/or highweights Henrythenavigator (an English classic winner of over $2.7-million), Dolphin Street, Saffron Walden, Listen and Sequoyah (Ire), all Group 1 winners, and additional Group 1 winners Insight and Beethoven.

  Coast Guard will stand for $1,000 live foal.

  WTBOA staffer Joe Pirone and family's Swiss Lightning took a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race by six lengths at Portland Meadows on February 13. The four-year-old California-bred gelding by Swiss Yodeler-Martha My Dear, by Regal and Royal, is trained by Mary Pirone and was ridden by Jose Zunino.

  Among other recent maiden special weight winners at Portland are Washington-breds Expenses Paid, a three-year-old son of Timber Legend-Wings Are the Way, by Ihtimam, who won on February 22 was bred and is raced by Cliff Balcom; and Alan Bozell' s homebred four-year-old Cheeza Kay, a daughter of Don Munger Farm's Nacheezmo out of Skylar May, by Santiago Peak, who won her first outing by 3 1/4 lengths on February 27.

  Karl C. Kreig II's homebred Absolutely Cool just missed winning the $75,000 Phoenix Gold Cup on February 19, losing by just a nose to Derive. The 2007 multiple stakes-placed Washington-bred gelding by Absolute Harmony-Coup de Foudre, by Basket Weave, who is trained by Valorie Lund, now sports a record of 4-5-2 from 15 starts and has earned $72,722.

  On January 31, four-year-old Washington-bred Love Maker, a Makors Mark-sired half-sister to Absolutely Cool running for the same connections, won a mile allowance race at Turf Paradise and improved her record to 3-3-2 from a dozen outings and has earned $38,974.

  Kreig's Makors Finale, a full brother to Love Maker, finished second in the $75,000 Turf ParadiseDerby on February 25. From six starts, the Lund trainee has two wins and three thirds and has earned $38,092.

  Gary Hughes' 2010 Emerald Downs Derby winner Saratoga Boot finished third in the $75,000 Phoenix Gold Cup run on February 18 and improved his record to 4-3-5 from 22 starts. The Arkansas-bred son of Storm Boot, who is trained by Mike Chambers, has earned $161,242.

  Three-year-old Pearlz Girl, a daughter of Pulse Ranches' Preachinatthebar, won her first outing, a maiden/$30,000 optional claiming race at Turf Paradise on February 18. The Texas-bred filly out of Pearls O'Plenty, by Wild Rush, led at all calls to win the six-furlong race by one length.

  $190,210 stakes winner Double Shuffle, who most recently finished third in the $35,000 Turf Paradise Handicap on February 19 - ridden by Vicky Baze - is out of $265,419 Washington-bred stakes winner Late Sailing, by Capt. Don. The six-year-old runner is a son of Repent.

  Mini Chat, an unraced daughter of Deputy Minister and Herman Sarkowsky's national champion Phone Chatter, who has already produced Grade 1 winner Dixie Chatter and 2012 stakes winner Rumor, foaled a filly by Indian Charlie on February 4 and will be bred back to Medaglia d'Oro.

  Heidi Nelson's D'Honorable One made an impressive return to racing after being away from the starting gate since last August. The three-year-old Florida-bred colt took a six-furlong allowance/$30,000 optional claiming race by 11/2 lengths at Golden Gate Fields on February 12. Ridden by Leslie Mawing, the Blaine Wright-trained runner, a son of D'Wildcat-Silver Shannon, by Pentielicus, has won half of his four starts, and finished third in the other two races, to earn $37,240.

  Ken and Jan Heidt, who race and bred under K & J Farm, had their three-year-old homebred Tribal Tribute, a California-bred son of Tribal Rule-Clarify, by Eastern Echo, win his first start by 3 1/2 lengths in a 5 1/2-furlong $20,000 maiden claiming race at Golden Gate Fields on February 24. The new winner is trained by Tim McCann.

  Three-year-old Queen of the Hill, a daughter of Salt Lake-Quarry Hill, by Relaunch, won her first start, a 5 1/2-furlong race at Santa Anita, on February 19. The filly is a half-sister to 2001 Washington champion older filly Gemstone Rush and stakes-placed Stonington.

  Dr. George Todaro owns $71,955 stakes winner Cell Line Forever, a five-year-old daughter of Globalize who finished third in the $35,000 Sun City Handicap at Turf Paradise on February 18.

  he January-February 2012 edition of Pedlines in the Pedigree Profile titled "Tough Guys, featured Washington champion Military Hawk as one of three geldings profiled.

  Jeff and Doris Harwood and their two-time Washington horse of the year Noosa Beach were the subjects of an article titled "Life's a Beach" in the February 11, 2012, edition of The Blood-Horse.

AAEP Biosecurity Guidelines to Reduce Risk of Infectious Disease Transmission during Breeding Season

  The American Association of Equine Practitioners urges those involved in the breeding management of mares and stallions to reduce the risk of venereally transmitted diseases by utilizing the association's "Biosecurity Guidelines for Control of Venereally Transmitted Diseases."  Developed in 2011 by the AAEP Infectious Disease Committee, the guidelines focus on controlling the transmission of equine arteritis virus (EAV), contagious equine metritis (CEM), and equine herpesvirus-3 (EHV-3).

  Whether horses are part of a natural breeding program or an artificial insemination program, EAV, CEM and EHV-3 are highly contagious and have been shown to be transmittable between animals by direct horse-to-horse contact, contaminated semen, and also by indirect contact through the use of contaminated equipment and the personnel participating in the semen-collection process.

  The guidelines provide recommendations for developing a biosecurity program for horses at a breeding facility, including the pre-breeding care of stallions and mares and protocols for natural breeding and artificial insemination.

  "The horse industry has experienced a number of serious infectious diseases over the last four years, including an outbreak of contagious equine metritis (CEM)," said Linda Mittel, DVM, MSPH, Infectious Disease Committee chairperson for the AAEP.  "CEM reemerged in late 2008 after being considered eradicated and was a devastating infection for the breeding industry, causing infertility, repeat breedings, as well as trade sanctions for semen and the shipping of horses. Biosecurity procedures are essential for all breeding activities in order to prevent future outbreaks."

  The biosecurity guidelines, along with the AAEP vaccination guidelines, are available at http://www.aaep.org/images/files/BioGuidelinesContofVenTransDis.pdf.

Biosecurity Tool - Does Your Barn get the Green Light?

  With all the breaking news on the importance of biosecurity - Isn't it time to bone up on preventative measures your barn could be taking?   Calculate your horse farm's risks with Equine Guelph's Biosecurity Risk Calculator, a tool designed for horse owners to generate a report that grades them on their biosecurity management practices on their farms.  See if you score a green, amber or red light.

  Live and online at Biosecurity Calculator, the interactive tool is an educational resource of Equine Guelph (University of Guelph) developed in collaboration with Colorado State University and sponsored by the American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation and Vétoquinol Canada Inc.

  "Every horse owner should think about a biosecurity management plan," says Karen Ann Paradis, Equine Product Manager of Vétoquinol. "Having a solid understanding of equine health, infectious disease and disease control is paramount in reducing biosecurity risk in a high-risk industry."

  After taking the ten minute, 42 question Biosecurity Calculator quiz - turn those amber scores green by increasing your knowledge with Equine Guelph's biosecurity workshops this March and two week e-Session April 16 - 29.  The combined feedback from the Biosecurity Calculator and Equine Guelph's upcoming programs will provide you with the best practices for decreasing risk of infectious disease in your horse(s).

  For more information, go to www.EquineGuelph.ca/biosecurity.php.