WASHINGTON THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS AND OWNERS ASSOCIATION
 
Gate-to-Wire Newsletter
News from the WTBOA
September 7


LIBERTY GOLD returns to
West Coast Training Center
for 2013 breeding season.
Sire of Gr. 3 SP SW JEBRICA and
2012 SW MIKE MAN'S GOLD, etc. Contact Keith Swagerty,
(206) 714-6515.


Calendar

 

Monday, September 9 - Sunday, September 23, 2012
KEENELAND SEPTEMBER YEARLING SALE
Lexington, KY  

(800) 456-3412; keeneland.com

 

Friday, September 14, 2012
WASHINGTON HORSE RACING COMMISSION MEETING
Auburn City Council Chambers

25 W. Main St., Auburn, WA
(360) 459-6462

 

Friday, September 28, 2012

WTBOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING 

253-288-7878;

[email protected]

 

Friday, October 12, 2012
WASHINGTON HORSE RACING COMMISSION MEETING
Auburn City Council Chambers
25 W. Main St., Auburn, WA
(360) 459-6462

 

Monday, October 14, 2012
BREEDERS' CUP FOAL NOMINATION DEADLINE
Lexington, KY
(800) 722-3287; [email protected]

 

Friday, November 2 - Saturday, November 3, 2012
BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, CA
(800) 722-3287 or (859) 514-9423  

 

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2012 WTBOA Sale Draws Mixed Results
2012 WTBOA Sale Topper
Sale Topper - Hip 112
(Wayne Nagai Photo)  
   Horsemen from California, Oregon, Arizona, British Columbia and Alberta gathered with Washingtonians on a lovely late summer day for the 46th annual Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale. The September 4 sale drew 142 entries, led by 131 yearlings. After having nine horses withdraw (including eight yearlings), 133 went through the sales ring at the Morris J. Alhadeff Sales Pavilion located at Emerald Downs in Auburn.
  Four yearlings brought $50,000 or more including Hip 112, a full brother to two-time Washington horse of the year Noosa Beach, who was purchased for a sale-topping $55,000 by Doris Harwood from the consignment of Pam and Neal Christopherson's
Hermiston, Oregon-based Bar C Racing Stables Inc. Harwood and her husband Jeff bred Noosa Beach, and the son of Harbor the Gold-Julia Rose raced in Jeff's colors and was trained by Doris, who also trains another full brother to Noosa Beach, the 2012 stakes-placed two-year-old (and 2011 WTBOA sale graduate) Music of My Soul.
  The Christophersons also consigned Hip 44, a full brother to three Harbor the Gold-sired stakes horses, who was purchased by John and Janene Maryanski for $41,000; and Hip 72, another Harbor the Gold colt, who was purchased by Jody Peetz for $40,000. The Christophersons were the leading consignors at the sale, selling seven yearlings and two mares in their own names for a $164,600 total and three other yearlings and one mare as
agent for $60,400.
  Terry and Mary Lou Griffin's Griffin Place LLC sold three of the top seven yearlings, either for themselves or as agents. Top colt from the Buckley nursery's consignment was Hip 27, a full brother to Washington champion Spanish Highway and stakes winner Ashby Hill, who was purchased by Californian Patrick Sheeley for $50,000. The colt is from the final crop of prominent Washington sire Cahill Road. Griffin Place LLC, as agent for Stormy Hull's Critter Creek Farm, also sold Hip 76, a daughter of Harbor the Gold and
stakes-placed Carrie's a Jewel and one of two $50,000 fillies sold to Glen Todd of British Columbia.
  Nina and Ron Hagen's El Dorado Farms LLC sold the other $50,000 filly, a striking daughter of Bluegrass Cat-Reinfree who was purchased by the Manson, Washington-based Winfield Farms.
  Overall, 74 summer sale yearlings sold, one less than the 2011 sale, with the average dipping 2.1 percent from $12,347 to $12,084. The median dropped 12.3 percent from $5,700 a year ago, to $5,000. Of the 23 horses from the mixed session which went through the ring, 14 sold for $16,200 gross (down 45.54 percent) and a $1,157 average (down 36.88 percent). The number of RNAs, 37 in the summer yearling session and eight in the mixed session, for a 45 horse total or 33.83 percent from those offered.

Highest Priced Yearlings (Hip, Sex, Sire-Dam, Consignor, Buyer, Price)
112, C., Harbor the Gold-Julia Rose, Bar C Racing Stable Inc., Doris Harwood, $55,000
27, C., Cahill Road-Prado's Joy, Griffin Place LLC, Patrick Sheeley, $50,000
30, F., Bluegrass Cat-Reinfree, El Dorado Farms LLC, Winfield Farm, $50,000
76, F., Harbor the Gold-Carrie's a Jewel, Griffin Place LLC, Agt for Critter Creek Farm, Glen Todd, $50,000
32, C., City Zip-Rollette, Griffin Place LLC, Agt, Grasshopper Racing Stable, $43,000
44, C., Harbor the Gold-Silver City Lilly, Bar C Racing Stables Inc., John & Janene Maryanski, $41,000
72, C., Harbor the Gold-Bluledo, Bar C Racing Stables Inc., Jody Peetz, $40,000
100, F., Kodiak Kowboy-Gold Mirage, Castlegate Farm, Kathy Walsh, $40,000

City to City Runs Second in Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon
  2012 WTBOA sales catalog "cover girl" and four-time Grade 2 stakes winner City to City added her 14th stakes-placement, of which nine have been in graded stakes, after the five-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of City Zip-Stormbow, by Storm Cat, finished second to Halo Dolly, in the $250,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2) run at Del Mar on September 3.

  Purchased from Nina and Ron Hagen's El Dorado Farms LLC's consignment at the 2008 Washington sale for $50,000 by Dr. Mark Dedomenico, City to City has earned $729,726 in her 30 starts for Dedomenico and partner and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who also trains Halo Dolly.

  According to Hollendorfer, who was pleased with both distaffers, "Mike (Smith) on City to City had some trouble getting out until late, but then came running."

  City to City's breeder, Kentucky veterinarian Dr. Michael Carvey Jr. - who also bred 2010 national juvenile champion Uncle Mo - was profiled in the August 25, 2012, issue of The Blood-Horse in their "Winner's Circle" column titled City Vet.  
Other WTBOA Sales Graduates in the News

  Two-year-old Little Jack, a 2011 summer sale graduate from the Halvorson Bloodstock Services LLC consignment, finished third in his first start, a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race at Del Mar on September 3 for Lester Ellenz and trainer Tim McCanna. Little Jack is a California-bred gelding sired by Tribal Rule out of Spring Festival, by Bertrando.

  Two WTBOA September yearling graduates were among the six stakes winners at Portland Meadows on Labor Day. Two-year-old Midnight Maggie earned her maiden victory in the $10,000 Catalina Harbor Invitational Handicap. The daughter of El Dorado Farms LLC's Matty G is out of $193,730 stakes-placed Magarita Midnight, by Slewdledo, a full sister to Washington horse of the year Snipledo. Midnight Maggie was bred by Jean M. G. Welch (Tall Cedars Farm) and races for Welch and Linda Northam, who also trains the filly. Anne Sanguinetti was aboard the filly for her nose victory. Two races later, 2010 WTBOA alumni Quinnette, ridden by J. Torres, had her sixth win in 13 starts when the California-bred daughter of Stormy Creek took the $10,000 mile Silver Patrona Invitational Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths. Bred and consigned by Petra Lewin's Rainbow Meadows Farm, Quinnette is out of the stakes-winning Far Out East mare Unaflame. The new stakes winner, who has earned $43,722, is owned by NW �lite Racing and is trained by Jonathan Nance.

  2011 WTBOA mixed session graduate Murphy Creek, one of the final runners bred by the late Oregon horseman Don Jackson, broke his maiden in his first try, a 5 1/2-furlong claimer at Portland Meadows on September 5, by 9 1/4 lengths. The five-year-old Oregon-bred son of Swiss Yodeler-Lightning Lupe, by Wolf Power (SAf), races for Lynda Gober, is trained by Chris Nunnally and was ridden by Rocco Bowen. 

Deacon Speakin' Takes Portland Mile for Second Straight Year
  Paul A. Hagermann's homebred Deacon Speakin' has shown an infinity for Portland Meadows. In his two starts at the Rose City track, Deacon Speakin' has won Portland Meadows' top feature twice. He won the 2011 Portland Mile Handicap, then a March race, by 7 3/4 lengths and returned to Portland on September 3 to win the 2012 $35,000 handicap by three-quarters of a length.

  Longshot See Ya Later Slew led the eight-horse field through the first six furlongs. Meanwhile six-year-old Deacon Speakin', ridden by J. Torres, stalked from the outside before making his move in the stretch to take the race in 1:37.08. J C Racing Stable's When We Met - the even-money favorite -- a six-year-old Maria's Mon gelding finished next, 13 1/2 lengths the better of Gordon Cooper and Ron Stevens' six-year-old Lesson in Deceit, by Roaring Fever.

  A Washington-bred son of former Oregon stallion Timber Legend out of Hail the Minister, by Mane Minister, Deacon Speakin' is trained by Steve Fisher and has earned $188,204 in 52 starts. 
Ben's Cat Goes Over Million Mark

  2011 Maryland horse of the year and multiple state champion Ben's Cat squeaked by 2010 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) winner Chamberlain Bridge in the final yards over a soft turf to take the Grade 3 Turf Monster Handicap for the second year in a row and earn a "Win and You're In" spot in the 2012 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) to be held at Santa Anita on November 2 and 3.

  A son of 2011-12 Washington leading sire Parker's Storm Cat - who went over the million mark in 2012 progeny earnings with his son's win - six-year-old Ben's Cat earned $210,000 for his head victory in the five-furlong turf sprint run at Parx Racing on September 3 and also hit the million mark, with $1,161,090 to be precise. Great Mills finished only a nose back in third in the blanket finish.

  Bred, raced and trained by Maryland training legend King Leatherbury, Ben's Cat began his race career as a four-year-old with a win in a $25,000 maiden claiming race at Pimlico. Since that tally in 2010, he has won 16 additional races, including a dozen stakes in 26 lifetime starts.

  A stakes winner on both the grass and dirt, the versatile gelding out of Twofox, by Thirty Eight Paces has wins at five, five and a half, six and nine furlongs. 
Freshman Sire Bound to Be M V P Has First Winner and Stakes Winner
  Freshman sire Bound to Be M V P, who earned $173,802 while racing for his owner/breeder Charles Bradley Case, has three foals in his initial crop. On September 3, he officially became a sire when his first-time starter, Bound to Win, drew off to take the $10,000 Ex Mountain Cop Invitational Stakes run at Portland Meadows by 5 1/4 lengths for breeder/owner/trainer Cliff Balcom.

  Bound to Be M V P, a speedy 2003 Washington-bred son of former state sire Snowbound, is out of the Chisos mare Blue Boy's Janet.

  Washington-bred Bound to Win, who was ridden by Marijo Terleski, is the second foal and winner out of $37,172 stakes-placed Wings Are the Way, a daughter of Ihtimam. 
Delineator Pensioned
   Woodstead Farm announced that they have pensioned successful longtime Washington sire Delineator. One of the first stakes winners sired by two-time national leader Storm Cat, Delineator earned $263,225 while racing for Emerald Downs president Ron Crockett. Among Delineator's four stakes placements, all on the California circuit, were victories in the Grade 3 Generous Stakes at Hollywood Park and the Leland Stanford Stakes at Bay Meadows. Delineator was produced out of the winning *Grey Dawn II mare Mountain Climber and is from the female line of champions Castle Forbes and Ruffian and stakes winners and successful sires Irish Castle, Coronado's Quest, Icecapade and Buckfinder.

  Delineator entered stud in 1995 at the Woods' family Woodstead Farm. Among the 16 stakes winners (seven percent) he sired were five Washington champions, which includes three graded stakes winners: 2001 horse of the year and champion two-year-old Talisluckybusride, who won the Oak Leaf Stakes (G1) and earned $245,160; champion three-year-old and grass horse Fast Parade, who won the Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes and was his sire's top earner with $508,373; and champion older horse and Longacres Mile (G3) winner Edneator, who earned $273,785.

  As of September 4, Delineator ranks eighth on the 2012 Washington sire list with 20 winners and $231,530 in earnings and includes two stakes-placed runners. Overall, his first 14 crops have had over 150 winners of more than $7-million. The now 21-year-old stallion was Washington's top two-year-old sire in 2001 and has ranked consistently among the state's leading sires. 

Multiple Stakes Producer Chasseur Dame Foals Forestry Filly
  Chasseur Dame produced her 12th foal for former Montana State Senator and longtime horseman Dale Mahlum on April 11, 2012, and was returned to four-time Washington leading sire Matty G. The Washington-bred filly is a daughter of Grade 1 winner and major sire Forestry.
  A $110,406 stakes-winning 1992 daughter of French Legionaire, Chasseur Dame has produced all but her first foal - winner Lethal Justice - for Mahlum, who purchased her privately in 1999 while carrying her second foal, future Washington champion Marva Jean, a daughter of West by West who won a trio of stakes and earned $144250. Her next foal was also a stakes winner. Washington-bred Melba Jewel, a daughter Cahill Road, who the 2003 Angie C. Stakes and placed in four other stakes. Chasseur Dame's third stakes winner was two-time stakes-placed Sax Notes, a son of Helmsman who earned $159,391 and was followed the next year by stakes-placed juvenile filly Frank N Lloyd, a daughter of Swiss Yodeler. The mare's sixth foal to live for Mahlum was the stakes-placed Yonaguska gelding Zagreus, who has six wins, including three in 2012, and earnings of $84,117. Chasseur Dame had her sixth stakes horse this past August when five-year-old Salty Le Mousee, a son of Salt Lake, won the Norm Goeringer Memorial Stakes at White Pines Racing. The mare's 10th named foal, the two-year-old El Corredor filly El Bella Dame, is unraced.
 
Equine Land Conservation Resource Has Articles Available for Reproduction
  David O'Connor, President of the US Equestrian Federation and Eventing Gold medalist in the 2000 Olympic Games, has acknowledged the loss of land for horse-related activities as the greatest threat to horse sport and recreation in the United States. The Equine Land Conservation Resource (ELCR) is an educational and networking resource for horse people and communities. The organization is concerned with a broad range of horse land issues, asking the important question "Where will you ride, drive, compete, race, raise foals and grow hay in the future?"  The ELCR addresses land use issues faced by all horsemen and women regardless of their equine breed or discipline affiliation.

  Since all land is saved locally, ELCR provides the information and education horse people need to help them understand the issues and take action in order to protect horse lands, trails and equine venues in their own communities. Toward that objective, ELCR has made available topical articles, addressing these important issues, for equine organizations to include in their publications. They range from introductory topics to more advanced material and fall into the following primary and secondary issues categories addressed by ELCR. 

 

ELCR Primary Issues

Community Land Use Planning

Farmland Protection

Trail Access & Stewardship

 

ELCR Secondary Issues

Farm & Ranch Land Stewardship & Best Management Practices

Equine Economic Development

Liability Issues

 

  Please contact Holley Groshek at 859-455-8383 or [email protected]  for details on accessing and reproducing ELCR articles. 

West Nile Virus: Still a Threat
August 28, 2012 -- Yakima County Horse Falls Victim to West Nile

  The Washington State Department of Agriculture has confirmed that West Nile virus (WNV) was found in a Yakima County horse. The two-year-old gelding has been euthanized.

  The horse, which was pastured near Grandview, had no history of travel out of the area and was not vaccinated for WNV. The Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Pullman reported the positive test results to the State Veterinarian's office.

  No human cases of WNV have been confirmed in Washington in 2012. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,118 human cases have been reported in 38 states this year.

  Washington led the nation with 72 WNV cases in horses in 2009 and 2008 (41 cases), but no cases were detected in Washington horses in the past two years. Washington's state veterinarian continues to urge owners to vaccinate their horses against the disease.

 

August 22, 2012 -- State Veterinarian: Make Sure Horses are Vaccinated for West Nile Virus

  West Nile virus is still a threat and Washington's state veterinarian wants to ensure horse owners take precautions, including getting vaccinations or booster shots for their horses.
  Although no cases of equine WNV have been reported for the past two years in Washington, August and September are the most vulnerable months and will remain a risk until there is a frost, according to Dr. Leonard Eldridge. In early August, the Washington State Department of Health was notified by Benton County Mosquito Control District of a mosquito sample that tested positive for WNV in Yakima County. More samples have tested positive since then. Earlier, surveillance detected a positive mosquito sample in Franklin County.
  "While the best time may be to get your horses vaccinated in the spring, mosquitoes favor long stretches of warm weather," Eldridge said. "Now would be a good time to act as our neighboring states just this week reported equine cases of West Nile virus."
  WNV is spread by mosquitoes that have fed on an infected wild bird. The disease can sicken people, horses, many types of birds and other animals. Infected horses do not spread the disease to other horses or animals.
Eldridge said that the majority of WNV cases in horses are preventable with vaccination. Vaccinating a horse or getting the proper booster injections is the best way to help protect the animal and prevent greater expense from treating a horse infected by the disease. Infected horses that do become ill show a loss of coordination, loss of appetite, confusion, fever, stiffness and muscle weakness, particularly in the hindquarters.
  "I urge horse owners to consult with their private veterinarian for recommendations on a complete immunization and animal health program," Eldridge said. Eldridge also recommends that horse owners take measures to reduce mosquito populations. Recommendations include:

  • Removing standing water from yards and barns
  • Removing old tires and garbage that may be rain soaked
  • Changing water at least weekly in troughs or bird baths
  • Keep horses in stalls or screened areas during the early morning and evening hours when mosquitoes are the most active and feeding.
  Veterinarians who learn of potential WNV cases in horses or other animals should contact the State Veterinarian's Office at (360) 902-1881.
  State and local health departments, mosquito control districts, other state agencies and volunteers work together on environmental monitoring and prevention measures for the virus. Additional information on WNV can be found at the state Department of Health website
(www.doh.wa.gov/WNV).
Note: The U S Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service maintains a website showing states with
West Nile virus equine cases in 2011 and earlier years. The 2012 map is not available.
Other News
  Mark Dedomenico LLC and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's four-year-old filly Cathy's Crunches took her fourth stakes tally in the $85,000 Adoration Stakes at Del Mar on September 2. The Florida-bred daughter of West Acre-Miss Atticus, by Atticus, has won six races and earned $284,660 in her 17 starts.

  Al and Sandee Kirkwood's homebred two-year-old Sacred Delight took a seven-furlong maiden special weight race on the closing day of Del Mar's 2012 meet, September 4. The California-bred daughter of Mutakddim is out of $220,695 stakes winner Barbara O'Brien, by Eltish.

  Six-year-old Ham and Eggs, a stakes-placed son of St. Hilaire Thoroughbreds' Polish Miner, won a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance at Laurel Park on September 5. It was the seventh win for the Maryland-bred gelding out of Two From the Blues, by Kyle's Our Man. Ham and Eggs went over the $200,000 mark with his latest victory to $200,525.