APRIL 16 - WTBOA Summer Yearling Session "Early Bird" Nominations Due
 ($125 per yearling; nomination fee increases to $150 per yearling after April 16.) - CLICK HERE 

APRIL 16 - Northwest Race Series Stallion Nominations Due - 
CLICK HERE

APRIL 16 - Northwest Race Series Extended Nominations for 2YOs of 2012
 ($3,500. If you miss the April deadline, one final nomination opportunity of $5,000 will be available until May 31.) - CLICK HERE

  For the second year in a row, the WTBOA e-newsletter, Gate-to-Wire, has been named a "2011 All Star Award" winner by Constant Comment Inc., which provides our e-mail service.

  According to their press release, only ten percent of Constant Contact customers receive the All Star status each year and that Gate-to-Wire has been named in consecutive years puts us "in an even more elite class," which makes the accomplishment even more noteworthy.

  Among the criteria for the award are: consistently high open rates (greater than 25 percent); using social tools to share and promote content or events; and regular contact with our audience.

  Currently over 500,000 organizations use Constant Contact.

  Four-year-old B B's Quick Action, a 2011 WTBOA paddock sale graduate, won the final race of the 2011-12 Portland Meadows season in style. The Washington-bred daughter of Quick Action-Bertrando Bride, by Bertrando, went gate-to-wire to score an 11 1/4-length victory in her first lifetime outing. Bred by York Equine II LLC, the new winner races for Re Run Stables and is trained by Felimon Alvarado.

  WTBOA poster boy Smiling Tiger has returned to the workout tabs with a handy half-mile in :48 3/5 at Hollywood Park on March 14. The 2008 WTBOA summer sale graduate, who has not raced since finishing fourth in the August 28, 2011, Pat O'Brien Stakes (G1), has earned over $1.2-million, which includes three Grade 1 tallies. The five-year-old stallion by Hold That Tiger-Shandra Smiles, by Cahill Road, was bred in Kentucky by Dr. Rodney Orr and races for Alan Klein and Philip Lebherz. Trainer Jeff Bonde hopes to have the runner ready for the spring/summer Hollywood Park meet.

  2008 WTBOA Summer Yearling Sale graduate Appealing Resume, in her first start back since last October, won a six-panel claiming race at Golden Gate for Horseplayers Racing Club. The Kentucky-bred mare, a daughter of Successful Appeal-Strong Credentials, by Carson City, who was bred and consigned by Northwest Farms LLC, improved her record to 8-1-3 from 21 starts and the Ed Moger Jr. trained mare has earned $78,66.

  Three-year-old Cruzin the Harbor, a full brother to 2010 Washington champion Hollywood Harbor, won his first start, a 51/2-furlong maiden special weight race at Golden Gate, by four lengths on March 24. The son of Harbor the Gold-Miss Slewette, by Slewdledo, was bred in Washington by Bar C Racing Stables and races for Frank L. Gaunt, who had purchased him for $57,000 out of the 2010 WTBOA September sale. Frank Lucarelli trains the winning gelding.

  Grade 1 stakes-placed Right to Vote, a three-year-old gelded son of Political Force, won a 61/2-furlong allowance at Gulfstream Park on March 24. He is the fifth winner out of stakes winner and 1991 WTBOA summer graduate What a Knight, by Tough Knight, who is also the dam of Grade 2 stakes winner What a Song. Right to Vote has now earned $99,400 from his record of 2-1-1 in four starts.

  As in 2011, the Washington Horse Racing Commission has granted six days of racing for the Class C racetrack Sun Downs in Kennewick. The dates will fall over three weekends: April 21 and 22; April 28 and 29; and May 5 (Kentucky Derby Saturday) and 6.

  Thelma Lynn, President of the Backstretch Chaplaincy, requests your help with new and/or gently-used items to aid the backstretch community. Some of the items that they are in need of are:

• Used coats, especially early in the season
• Used clothes, especially for men
• Like-new stuffed animals
• Bags of candy for Easter baskets

  Donated items may be left with Sally Steiner at the Quarter Chute Cafe or you may contact Chaplain Bryan Kahue at chaplain@emeralddowns.com.

  Lynn is also seeking recipes for a cookbook to be sold as a fundraiser. Recipes may be sent to her at thelmaly@aol.com.

  For the first time since its inception, Breeders' Cup is allowing horses that weren't nominated to the Breeders' Cup as weanlings to nominate at a special discount price. If you are interested in purchasing a horse but are having second thoughts because he or she is not Breeders' Cup nominated, then this new program will allow you to buy with confidence. Breeders' Cup has significantly reduced allnomination fees for horses of racing age if you nominate on or before July 15, 2012.

  This one-time payment can make a horse eligible for its entire racing career to the Breeders' Cup. A Breeders' Cup nominated horse is eligible to participate in all racing programs of the Breeders' Cup, including the Breeders' Cup World Championships and the Breeders' Cup Challenge Program.

  A $10,000 nominator award will be given to the nominator of any nominated horse that wins a Breeders' Cup Challenge race or placed first, second or third in a Breeders' Cup World Championships race.

  The early nomination fees (US funds) for racehorse nominations for horses sired by a properly nominated stallion and received on or before July 15th are as follows: Two-year-olds ($12,000; regularly $100,000); three and up Northern Hemisphere-bred ($50,000; regularly $100,000) and three and up Southern Hemisphere-bred ($25,000; regularly $100,000).
  If sired by a non-nominated stallion: Two-year-olds ($18,000; regularly $200,000); three and up Northern Hemisphere-bred ($100,000; regularly $200,000) and three and up Southern Hemisphere-bred ($50,000, normally $200,000).

  All horses must be nominated in order to compete in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. For further information, please contact the Breeders' Cup at (859) 514-9423 or nominate online at www.members.breederscup.com.

  On March 30, 2012 The Jockey Club released an updated version of the Reformed Racing Medication Rules that features a new categorization of medications, more clearly defined regulatory limits and dramatically remodeled penalties. The organization is encouraging all Thoroughbred racing jurisdictions to implement them in order to improve the integrity of the sport and enhance the safety of its athletes.

  The Reformed Racing Medication Rules were introduced at The Jockey Club's Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing in August 2011 after consultation and collaboration with representatives of the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium, the Association of Racing Commissioners International and the International Federations of Horseracing Authorities.

  "We have been refining this document since then and the result is a dramatically streamlined set of regulations that is on par with international standards," said James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club. "It creates a new enforcement scheme with far stiffer penalties and deterrents for repeat offenders. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with industry organizations and national, state and local regulatory agencies to see these rules adopted."

  The new rules feature a cumulative penalty system featuring stronger penalties for repeat violations. Fines, disqualifications and even lifetime suspensions would be possible for those persistently operating outside regulatory limits.

  Among the main tenets of the Reformed Racing Medication Rules:

• Horses should be allowed to compete only when free from the influences of medication
• Medications permitted in the racehorse are subjected to stricter regulatory thresholds with increased recommended withdrawal times
• Furosemide is currently prohibited although this may be effected through a transitional process
• Only RMTC-accredited laboratories are permitted to test samples, with results available to the public
• Medication violations result in points that accumulate to trigger stronger sanctions for repeat violations; up to lifetime suspensions
• Medication histories for all horses available for review
• Contact with a horse within 24 hours of post time of the race shall be subject to surveillance; certain regulations and track ship-in policies may be subject to adjustment
• Reciprocal enforcement of uniform mandatory rest periods among racing regulatory authorities for horses with symptoms of exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage
• Expansion of regulatory authority to include all jurisdictions where official "workouts" are conducted
• Administration and withdrawal guidelines are published for all approved therapeutic medication subject to regulatory control
• Best practices for improved security and monitoring of "in today" horses are provided for guidance to racing associations

  "As we have said many times before, The Jockey Club believes that the overuse of medication endangers our human and equine athletes, threatens the integrity of our sport and erodes consumer confidence in our game," Gagliano said. "Horses should compete only when they are free from the influence of medication, and these reformed rules represent a giant step toward achieving that goal."

  Craig Fravel, president and chief executive officer of Breeders' Cup Limited, said, "Safety and integrity are values that are paramount to the viability of Thoroughbred racing. We must dedicate our efforts to adopting uniform national rules that ensure a level playing field and that ensure those who do not wish to abide by those rules can no longer compete against those who do."

  Dan Metzger, the president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, said, "The Reformed Racing Medication Rules provide a reasonable and common sense approach to achieve uniformity and impose severe penalties on those who repeatedly violate rules. Adoption of these revised rules will provide our industry with necessary, responsible and positive reform."

  Five-year-old Honour the Deputy, who races for Drs. Mark Dedomenico and George Todaro and partners, finished third in the $71,800 Santana Mile Stakes at Santa Anita on March 18. The Florida-bred son of Honour and Glory, who ran 10th in the 2011 Longacres Mile (G3), has earned $190,820. Dedomenico, Hollendorfer and John Carver's three-year-old Hard Spun Secrets, ridden by Russell Baze, won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race at Golden Gate by 2 1/2 lengths on March 25. The new winner is a Kentucky-bred son of Hard Spun out of No Secrets.

  Pinky's Boots, a four-year-old California-bred daughter of Pulse Ranches' Peak a Bootrando, won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race at Rillito on March 17and then added a second win on March 24.

  Karl C. Kreig III's homebred three-year-old Makors Finale finished second in the $35,000 Tempe Handicap run at Turf Paradise. It was the second stakes placement for the Washington-bred son of Makors Mark-Coup de Foudre, by Basket Weave, who is trained by Valorie Lund and improved his record to 2-4-0 from seven starts. Kreig's Absoulutely Cool, a five-year-old half-brother to Makors Finale, earned his third 2012 stakes placement after running third in the $35,000 Coyote Handicap at Turf Paradise on March 24. The Washington-bred son of Absolute Harmony, who is also trained by Lund, improved his record to 4-5-3 from 16 starts and has earned $76,082.

  On March 16, Pete Axmaker's Washington homebred Some Kinda Boy, a four-year-old son of Our Boy Harvey-Somekindoflady, by Taj Alriyadh, won a seven-furlong allowance race by seven lengths at Turf Paradise. In four starts, the Cody Axmaker-trained runner has two wins and two thirds. The race marked the 13th win in 66 starts for the young trainer.

  Rozamund Barclay's three-year-old Commandress, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Master Command-Stylish Mission, won a mile $20,000 maiden claiming race at Golden Gate on March 18. The new winner is trained by Len Kasmerski.

  Art McFadden and Billie Klokstad's Majestic Afleet took his fifth win, and third in his last four starts, when the five-year-old gelding took a six-furlong $32,000 claiming race on March 24 at Golden Gate. The Kentucky-bred son of Northern Afleet-Write Lite, whose trainer Bud Klokstad died just four days later, has earned $127,860.

  Frank L. Gaunt's Stormy Lucy, a three-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Stormy Atlantic, took an allowance/$32,000 optional claiming event at Golden Gate on March 17. It was the third win in seven starts for the Frank Lucarelli-trained mare out of Here Comes Lucinda.

  John Xitco and Dan Agnew's Dunscombe won a mile allowance/$20,000 optional claiming race by 4 1/4 lengths at Turf Paradise on March 26. It marked the 16th win in 53 starts for the stakes-placed eight-year-old Florida-bred son of Graeme Hall. The Mike Chambers' trainee has earned $236,679.

  Eight-year-old Actually, a son of Trail City, won the $3,500 Howard and Charlotte King Memorial Stakes, a 870-yard race open to Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred runners at Rillito, on March 24. It was the 16th victory for the California-bred gelding who has earned $173,853.

  Rico Troiani-bred, -owned and -trained Niccolo's Dancer took a 5 1/2-furlong maiden $20,000 claiming race by 1 1/2 lengths at Turf Paradise on March 25. The five-year-old Washington-bred is a gelded son of

Petersburg-Storm Tempest, by Storm Blast.

  Gallant Gent, a stakes-winning son of Yankee Gentleman out of Washington champion Bonne Nuite, by Knights Choice, took home his fifth win at Santa Anita on March 25. The five-year-old Kentucky-bred has earned $160,710.

  Unraced at two, John and Janene Maryanski and Gerald Schneider's Diamond of Blue scored his third win in four starts as a three-year-old when he came home first in an allowance/$32,000 optional claiming race at Golden Gate on March 24. The Kentucky-bred son of Sharp Humor-Eye'll Be Fine, by

Montbrook, who is trained by Blaine Wright, has earned $42,480.

  Ron Crockett Inc.'s homebred Lo's in the Flow, a four-year-old Washington-bred gelding, won a $20,000 maiden claiming race at Golden Gate on March 29. The son of Woodstead Farm stallion Delineator out of She's a Lolo, by Souvenir Copy, is trained by Frank Lucarelli.

  Three-year-old Summer Hit, a California-bred half-brother to Washington-bred Emerald sprint champion Starbird Road, won for the second time in three outings when he took a six-furlong starter allowance at Golden Gate on March 29. Bred by Ken and Jan Heidt, the son of Bertrando-Mia F Eighteen, by Tough Knight, has earned $22,171.

  In her first start since winning the Grade 2 Falls City Handicap at Churchill Downs in November, five-year-old Arena Elvira increased her winning streak to five after taking the $50,000 Wayward Lass Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on March 17. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Ghostzapper improved her record to 8-3-2 from 13 starts and has earned $421,436. Arena Elvira was bred by Northwest Farms LLC out of multiple graded stakes winner Two Item Limit, a daughter of Twining who earned $1,060,584.

  On March 27, 2012, it was announced that among the 15 finalists for the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame was National and Washington Hall of Famer Russell Baze, who was born in British Columbia.

  Also in late March came the announcement that among those horsemen elected to the 15-member Thoroughbred Owners of California board were several with past or current Washington connections: Mike Pegram, Kathy Walsh, Ed Moger Jr., Dr. Mark Dedomenico, Mike Harrington and Dr. George Todaro.

Bud Klokstad

  Washington Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bud Klokstad, 79, died Wednesday, March 28, 2012, at his home in Richmond, California. He had been in poor health for several months.

  Born in Lando, North Dakota, on March 1, 1933, he began working in the racing industry at age 16 in Roseburg, Oregon, and it was there he met his future wife Billie. For a short time he was a jockey's agent, but in 1955 he took out his trainer's license at Longacres to begin his long and highly successful career.

  Probably his most famous charge was the speedy Chinook Pass, who earned his first Washington horse of the year honors under Klokstad's care in 1982 and who would earn his second horse of the year title, as well as an Eclipse award as the nation's top sprinter, when transferred to California-based Laurie Anderson.

  Inducted into Washington's Racing Hall of Fame in 2005, Klokstad had many top accomplishments during his career. In 1992, he annihilated the previous single season stakes win record of eight at Longacres by winning 14 stakes and setting a single season earnings record ($280,549) with juvenile Staff Rider, who would be named both Washington horse of the year and horse of the meet. The "King of the Juvenile Trainers" also won a record seven Gottstein Futurities.

  Klokstad was the second leading trainer of stakes winners in Longacres history (54) and currently holds the same stakes spot (43) at Emerald Downs. He was also a three-time leader by earnings at Emerald.

  Another under his tutelage to be named Washington horse of the year was multiple champion Peterhof's Patea, who is the top-earning filly of all time in Washington and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

  Among the other Washington champions he trained were: Al Renee, Briar Rose, Bub, Cinderella Liberty, Holy Rascal, Jumron Won (twice), Ladies Excuse Me, Laurel Avenue, Parnu, T. D. Passer and Return Call - who was also bred and raced by the Klokstad.

  From 1996-98 he guided multiple Emerald champion Ropersandwranglers, who raced in Billie's name, to a state record seven consecutive stakes wins at Emerald Downs. Another from his barn was 2002 Emerald Downs horse of the meet Flying Notes, who set a state track record when he won the Emerald Downs Derby.

  Other stakes winners he developed include: Arondight, Baby Chile, Beau Maggie, Cherokee Echo, Corvallis Dee, Elegant Colors, I.M. Bzy, Native Lancer, Neon Queen, New Broom, O. K. Yet (his first Gottstein winner) Perfect Plan (another Klokstad homebred), future four-time champion Reba Is Tops, Silver and Jade, Special Holiday (a 2011 homebred stakes winner, Step Aside Boys, Street War, Swingn' Notes and Time to Pass.

  The best of his four tries in the Longacres Mile was a second with Chinook Pass in 1982.

  From 1971 through March 24, 2012, when Majestic Afleet took the eighth race at Golden Gate Fields, Klokstad had a record of 1,601 wins from 9,267 starts with earnings of $16,677,433. His 2012 stats included six wins from 22 starts. He had been based at Golden Gate Fields since 2008, but had planned to return to Emerald for the upcoming 2012 season.