WTBOA Sales Graduates in the News

   2012 Washington champion E Z Kitty, who races for trainer Mike Chambers and partners John Xitco and Dan Agnew,finished second to Jaws n' Paws in the $35,000 Mesa Handicap at Turf Paradise on March 9. Karl Krieg's homebred Love Makor - the five-year-old full sister to Krieg's 2012 Washington horse of the year Makors Finale - finished third in the 6 1/2 -furlong race. E Z Kitty, a five-year-old daughter of He's Tops-Envision the Cat bred by Jerry and Peggy Woods, has run in four stakes at the Arizona track this year with a record of 2-1-1 and earned $52,857. Her lifetime totals are $151,173 from a record of 9-1-2 from 15 starts. Love Makor, a Washington-bred daughter of pensioned Washington champion Makors Mark out of 2012 Washington broodmare of the year Coup de Foudre, has earned $67,468.

Other News

   Also entered in a stakes on Saturday is Northwest Farms LLC-bred graded stakes-winning three-year-old Super Ninety Nine, who races from the 11 slot in the $600,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park.

   Among those note in the celebration of 2012 California champions in the March 2012 issue of California Thoroughbred were Rod and Lorrain Rodriguez, whose Halo Dotty got the nod for older filly honors. The couple was also featured in an article in the same issue titled "Rod & Lorraine Rodriquez: A Thoroughbred Fever Worth Getting." The Cottonwood, California, couple had purchased Halo Dotty's granddam Coiner out of the 505 Farm dispersal held in conjunction with the 2000 WTBOA summer sale.

   Former Washington trainer Dr. Mikel Harrington and his wife Patricia were also pictured, as their homebred Tilde was named two-year-old filly champion.

Another with his photo taken was former Washington bloodstock agent Rick Taylor.

   Gibson Thoroughbred Farm's two-time leading Washington sire Parker's Storm Cat was listed in 39th place, with an average per starter of 16.70 on the 2012 and fifth annual Sires by Lifetime Starts per Starter list published by the Durability Committee of the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summits. Concorde's Tune again topped the listing with an average 24.11 starts per starter. The statistics were featured in firs edition of Research Today, a publication of the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation Inc.

   Parker's Storm Cat's leading earner Ben's Cat, shown romping in the snow, was featured on the cover of the March 2013 Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, as well as in the lead story in the Maryland Horse section of the same issue. Ben's Cat is currently the 11th ranked runner on the list of Maryland-bred earners.

   Al and Sandee Kirkwood's homebred Sacred Delight, who has scored a maiden special weight win atDel Mar last summer, won for the second time on February 22 when the three-year-old California-bred daughter of Mutakddim-Barbara O'Brien, by Eltish, took a $40,000 claiming race at Santa Anita with Tyler Baze in the saddle and pushed her earnings to $89,360 in six starts.

   After finishing fourth in two maiden special weight races at Santa Anita in January 2013, Rick Pasko's three-year-old filly Mark of a Gem won her third lifetime start in a race of the same caliber and at the same track on February 24. The California-bred daughter of Benchmark went gate-to-wire with Mike Smith in the saddle to score a three-quarter length win in the about 6 1/2-furlong turf race.

   Pearlz Girl, a four-year-old Texas-bred daughter of Pulse Ranches' Preachinatthebar, won for the third time in five starts after she took an allowance/$25-$20,000 claiming (N) race at Turf Paradise on March 2. It was her first outing since finishing fourth at Betfair Hollywood Park last July. The filly out of Pearls O'Plenty, by Wild Rush, has earned $27,466.

   The March 2, 2013, Las Virgenes Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park was taken in good fashion by 2012 champion two-year-old filly Beholder. It marked the fourth win in seven starts for the daughter of Henny Hughes whose third dam, One Last Bird, last three foals were Washington-breds, including $231,152 stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Melanyhsathepapers. Meanwhile on the same day at Aqueduct, Beholder's half-brother, Into Mischief, had the winner of the $400,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) in Vyjack.

   Dave Breiwick's homebred Tale Spinner won a maiden/$30,000 optional claiming (N) race at Turf Paradise on March 5 by one length. The Joe Toye-trained runner is a three-year-old Washington-bred gelding by El Dorado Farms LLC's Raise the Bluff out of six-race winner Summer Straw, by Basket Weave.

   Dr. George Todaro, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and partners had a trio of California-bred winners on March 7 and 8. On the Thursday card at Santa Anita, four-year-old Cherry On the Cake, a daughter of Yes It's True, took a $20,000 maiden claiming race by 4 1/4 lengths in the fourth race and was followed two races later by the 3 1/4-length win of Church Avenue, a six-year-old daughter of Vicar. On Friday, three-year-old French Alps, by Swiss Yodeler, who was ridden by Russell Baze, won a mile $12,500 claimer by 4 1/2 lengths at Golden Gate.

   Edward and Theresa DeNike's eight-year-old gelding Hexbreaker scored his 12thvictory on March 8 in a $32,000 claiming race. Ridden by Russell Baze, the California-bred son of Trickey Creek has earned $296,125.

   Billie Klokstad and Helen Sherry's homebred filly Special Summer took her first outing, a $32,000 maiden claiming race at Golden Gate on March 8, by 6 1/2 lengths over Remmah Racing Inc.'s Anita Marie. Trained by Tim McCanna, three-year-old Special Summer is a Washington-bred daughter of Lucky Acres' Free At Last out of Summer Sails, by In Excess (Ire).

   Mark Dedomenico LLC and Hollendorfer's multiple stakes winner Cathy's Crunches, a five-year-old daughter of West Acre, ran third in the $50,000 Camilla Urso Stakes at Golden Gate on March 9 to increase her earnings to $295,540.

   Two-time stakes winner Rumor, a five-year-old daughter of Indian Charlie, took her first graded stakes tally after coming in first in the Las Flores Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita on March 10. The half-sister to Grade 1 stakes winner Dixie Chatter improved her record to 6-4-1 from 14 starts and has earnings of $384,438. Both Rumor and Dixie Chatter are out of the Deputy Minister mare Mini Chat, a daughter of Herman Sarkowsky's Eclipse Award winning two-year-old filly Phone Chatter, who stems from Washington broodmare of the year Beadah.

   The Paulick Report's Three Chimneys Presents Good News Friday of February 22, 2013, was titled "Holding Court at the Track" and highlighted Emerald Downs inaugural EmD3-On-3 basketball tournament scheduled for this summer on August 10 and 11.

   California-based Barretts Equine Limited, which held its first sale in March 1990, and Fairplex Park Racing, which held its original race meeting in 1933, announced on February 27, 2013, that they have combined forces to form Barretts Sales & Racing. The September meet at the Pomona Fairgrounds will now be referred to as Barretts Race Meet at Fairplex.

   The February 23, 2013 issue of The Blood-Horse included an article entitled "Not in the Same Ballpark," by Frank Angst, which featured several quotes by Ron Crockett and a photo of Emerald Downs.

   Stormy Hull and Ginger Sample's Cielo Dulce, by Cahill Road, produced a filly by Tribal Rule on January 22, 2013, while in California to be bred to Stormin Fever. The $80,335 earner's first foal was 2011 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes winner Sweet Saga.

   Keith and Jan Swagerty's homebred multiple stakes winner No Flies On Doodle - a half-sister to 2012 stakes-winning juvenile Mike Man's Gold - foaled her first offspring, a filly by Rocky Bar, on March 2.

   Elttaes Stable and Mr. and Mrs. William T. Griffin's stakes-winning mare Silver Screen Girl, the first Thoroughbred mare bred to multiple champion Atta Boy Roy, has been checked in foal to the Grade 2 stakes winner.

   First crop stallion Rallying Cry's initial foals were dropped in February. A filly out of the Matricule mare Baker Girl (owned by Allaire Farms) was born on February 3 and a colt out of Jillybell, by Peterhof (owned by Wilwin Stables), followed on February 17.

   Per their announcement on March 5, 2013, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will now accept applications - which will include an on-site inspection - for TAA accreditation for Thoroughbred aftercare organization. Accreditation will make a facility eligible to receive financial support for the ongoing care of retired Thoroughbreds.
   A code of four standards must be met by each facility: they must possess 501 (c)(3) tax exempt status; the facility must have been operational for at least three years; their resident horse population (of at least five horses) must at a minimum consist of 50 percent Thoroughbreds; and their euthanasia policy has to be consistent with that of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). The complete TAA Code of Standards for aftercare facilities and the accreditation application are available at http://www.thoroughbredaftercare.org/.
   In order to be eligible for consideration of grants in 2013 and 2014, applications must be submitted by a June 1, 2013, deadline.
"Our guiding principle in the creation of all of these documents was to make the welfare of retired Thoroughbreds our top priority," said TAA executive director Mike Ziegler.

  "The AAEP has worked in partnership with the TAA on the development of its code of standards, best practices, and application and site inspector documents and supports its efforts to improve the care of Thoroughbreds at rescue and retirement facilities throughout North America," said AAEP President and veterinarian Ann Dwyer.

Equine Tax Parity Act Introduced

  On March 6, 2013, Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY) introduced the Equine Tax Parity Act (HR 998), which would make horses eligible for capital gains treatment after 12 months, rather than 24, similar to other business assets.

  "The legislation I have introduced would finally eliminate a 44-year-old tax provision that discourages investment in the equine industry, bringing much needed relief to an economic sector that supports 1.4 million full-time jobs," said Barr. 

  Under the current federal tax code, gains from sales by individuals of property used in a trade or business, including horses, qualify for long-term capital gains and are subject to the maximum capital gains tax rate of 15 percent for taxpayers earning less than $450,000 or 20 percent for those earning more.  Since the individual tax rate can go as high as 39.6 percent, the lower rate is a real advantage. 

  "Horses held for breeding, racing, showing or draft purposes qualify for the capital gains rates only if they are held for 24 months.  All other business assets (except cattle) qualify if held for 12 months," said American Horse Council President Jay Hickey. 

  "We believe this is unfair to the horse industry and there is no reason why we should not be treated the same as all other businesses." 

  The Equine Tax Parity Act would end this discriminatory treatment of horses under the tax code and allow horse owners to enjoy the reduced rate upon sale after holding a horse for 12 months. For most owners and breeders shortening the capital gains holding period to 12 should be a benefit.  Reducing the holding period by half would give many horse owners and breeders more flexibility to sell and market their horses.  It would mean that every sale of a horse which is held for at least 12 months will qualify as a capital gain or loss unless that horse is held primarily for sale.  

   Horsemen and other industry participants are encouraged to contact their national legislators to support this bill.

News from The Jockey Club

The Jockey Club Releases Update from Equine Injury Database

   On March 8, 2013, The Jockey Club y released an updated North American fatality rate for Thoroughbreds that includes four years' worth of data collected in the Equine Injury Database^TM, the North American database for racing injuries.

   Based on an analysis of 1,532,418 starts collected during the four-year period January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2012, the prevalence of race-related fatal injury was 1.92 per 1,000 starts. For individual years, the prevalence of fatal injury per 1,000 starts was 2.00 for 2009, 1.88 for 2010, 1.88 for 2011 and 1.92 for 2012.

   "The causes of racing injuries are often very complex and involve multiple factors interacting together over time," said Dr. Tim Parkin, a veterinarian and epidemiologist from the University of Glasgow, who serves as a consultant on the Equine Injury Database and performed the analysis.

   "While the fatality rate has remained fairly static over the course of the past four years, the real significance today is that, with 1.5 million starts in the database, we have now established a baseline and we can begin to analyze the relationships between each of the individual factors. In the future, we will be able to design interventions based on these data and recommend actions that will reduce injuries and fatalities."

   Only injuries that result in fatality within 72 hours or less from the date of race are included in the national figures. It should also be noted that statistics from previous years are sometimes updated due to the addition of tracks or corrections in the EID fatality data originally submitted by participating racetracks.

   Parkin's analysis also found that:

• There continues to be a reduction in the risk of fatality on synthetic surfaces.
• The risk of fatality on synthetic surfaces was significantly lower than the risk of fatality on turf surfaces, which was significantly lower than the risk of fatality on dirt surfaces.
• Female horses were at no greater risk of fatality when racing against males than they are when racing against other females.
• Two-year-olds were at significantly reduced risk of fatality compared to older horses when racing on dirt.
• Moving a race off the turf onto dirt or synthetic surfaces does not increase the risk of fatality.

   The Equine Injury Database contains a suite of reports for racetracks to analyze data collected at their respective facilities. The Jockey Club also maintains a website that enables racetracks to make public their data in a standard, summary fashion at (jockeyclub.com/initiatives.asp?section=2).

   Summaries of fatality statistics for a participating track include the year, number of race days, number of starts, age of the horse, distance of the race and the surface on which the incident occurred. A list of racetracks that have signed up to participate in the Equine Injury Database, including those who are now reporting their statistics publicly, can be found at jockeyclub.com/initiatives.asp.

In Memoriam

Carl Albert Baze

   Longtime Washington horseman ad industry leader Carl Baze, 83, passed away in Mesa, Arizona, on February 23, 2013. Born on November 22, 1929, he was one of eight children of Bert and Mable (Bunt) Baze and spent his youngest days going from track to track as his parents raced on the Pacific Northwest race circuit. The family settled in Outlook in the mid-1930s.

   Carl served with the Army Signal Corps during the Korean War.

   Among the early directors during the fledgling years of the Northwest division of the HBPA in the early 1970s, Carl was WHBPA president for seven years (1989-91, 1994-97). In 1991 he was named National HBPA man of the year.Later, Baze was hired as the WHBPA Legislative Liaison and testified in Olympia during the simulcast bill era. 

   Carl was the leading trainer by wins (13) at Playfair in 1959 and was fourth in 1971 and fifth in 1972. From 1976 (when figures start on Equibase) until his retirement as a trainer on December 20, 1997, at Yakima Meadows, he had a record of 421-409-417 from 3,528 starters which earned $2,028,554. He also trained at Portland Meadows, Bay Meadows and Exhibition Park.

   Among the stakes winners he trained were: My Problem (1964 William E. Boeing Stakes), Stardust Melody (1964 Fashion Stakes), Prima Exit (1984 Seafair Queen Stakes), Im Portit (1990 Stripling and Washington Stallion stakes, 1991 Tacoma Handicap and 1993 Speed Handicap), Happy Acaroid (1992 Martin Luther King S.), Fleetcraft (1985 Yakima Debutante Stakes) and Georgia Con (1991 Toys for Tots Handicap).

   His son, Washington Racing Hall of Fame rider Gary Baze, is the all-time leading rider, by wins, in the Pacific Northwest and his grandson, Tyler Baze, was the Eclipse Award winning apprentice rider of 2000 and is a major jockey on the Southern California circuit.