The Breeder's Flock Logo for Hollywood Park

Happy New Year! Time is of the essence as we try to save the iconic Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, CA -- see news release below. Join legendary horse trainer Jack Van Berg, famed "horse whisperer" Monty Roberts, television personality and jockey Chantal Sutherland, trainers Tom Proctor and Doug O'Neill, and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith in signing our petition at bit.ly/SaveHollywoodParkDuring its heyday,
Hollywood Park played host to some of the nation's greatest owners, trainers, jockeys, and horses, including the famed Seabiscuit, Citation, Seattle Slew, and more recently, Zenyatta. It's the oldest and widest turf track course in the country -- and one of the safest for horses. It's our hope that we can gain strength in numbers to preserve a rare bit of history -- and turn Hollywood Park into a mega entertainment and sports center of the West, while providing horse wellness programs for military veterans and others in need. Thank you for your support! 
 
Best, 
Allison Booth-Babcock
President and CEO

American Association of Equine Sports Preservation
C: +1 305 216 6252
E. [email protected]

www.AAESP.org

www.savetheflamingos.com

 

Follow us on Twitter  Like us on Facebook  View our profile on LinkedIn  View our videos on YouTube  Visit our blog  

 


On December 22, 2013, Hollywood Park 
held its last race. (Photo: Benoit Photo)


Join us at the 10th Dubai International 
Horse Fair!
For equestrian equipment, services & care products


 

When: March 20-22, 2014
Where: Dubai World Trade Center

Join the 10th anniversary celebrations at the Dubai International Horse Fair! The fair is an equestrian extravaganza -- featuring prime networking, the latest in sport and leisure activities, previews of next season's styles and accessories, art and sculpture, the best in equine care and equipment, and hundreds of products from suppliers from more than 20 countries.

The Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship also features many of the world's current great champion horses who compete for top honors and a $4 million prize pool. There is also a jumping competition, a dressage performance, and a live Arabian Horse auction. 

If you are a professional rider, the owner of Arabian horses, stables, clubs or just an enthusiast, the Dubai International Horse Fair is the place for you. 

Contact Allison Booth at
or 305.216.6252 for information about different packages available for small and large companies. 
 
2014 Rare Life Eagle Award Nomination
 
Thank you to everyone who voted for me for the 2014 Rare Life Eagle Award. Voting has finished but I am still getting to know my fellow nominees and am humbled to be in the same company of so many good people who are overcoming adversity in their lives to do something meaningful for the greater good. 

We are all working toward the same goal of helping others. I've made new friends and it just goes to show when you feel badly or have a trauma in your life, focusing one's energy on helping others seems to be an effective way to cope, to give your life meaning, and to make lemonade out of lemons. I think the following is true -- that if you feel down or bad, go and help someone else and you will feel good. Read my story at eaglerarelife.com/node/617.
 
In this Issue
 
Check out exciting videos from famed Hollywood Park Races!
 
Zenyatta wins the Lady's Secret Stakes in 2010 at Hollywood Park
Zenyatta (19) Lady's Secret Stakes 2010 - Hollywood  Park


Seabiscuit wins the Inaugural Hollywood Gold Cup in 1938
Seabiscuit wins the inaugural Hollywood Gold Cup (1938)
Sign the Petition! 

 

Join the petition to Save Hollywood Park and list it as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2014 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Take action now. Sign the petition at: bit.ly/SaveHollywoodPark.


UPDATE: Since our January 3rd news release (below), one of the two remaining beautiful pink flamingos at Hollywood Park Racetrack has died. There was an apparent effort to catch these wild flamingos upon the closing of the track. Now one has perished and the other is all alone on the lake. Flamingos, like wild geese, mate for life and live in flocks. It is very possible that the perished flamingo died of the stress from being separated from his or her mate and trying to elude capture.
Key Introductions to Camel Market









 
 
 
The Camel Market in the Middle East is very profitable for vendors who traditionally work with horses. We can help arrange key introductions with the world's leading camel trainers and help create a bridge to new revenue streams by arranging clinical trials with camels, and meetings and introductions to key customers in the Middle East. For more information, please contact me at 305.216.6252 or email [email protected].
 
Learn more about AAESP
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Friday, January 3, 2014

  

The American Association of Equine Sports Preservation Makes Continued Push 

to Save Hollywood Park Racetrack 

 

and its allies in the U.S. horse racing industry, including legendary horse trainer Jack Van Berg, famed "horse whisperer" Monty Roberts, television personality and jockey Chantal Sutherland, trainers Tom Proctor and Doug O'Neill, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, and prominent California residents and horse fans worldwide, are requesting help from California Governor Jerry Brown to keep Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, CA open as a world-class entertainment complex, international horse training park and premier center for horse wellness programs benefiting U.S. military veterans and children with autism and special needs. The racetrack held its final race on December 22, 2013 and stops all training on the track in January 2014.

   

"We would like to join forces with you to help showcase California's entertainment industry while continuing to provide billions of dollars in tax revenue to the state and providing much-needed jobs," stated Allison Booth, president and founder of AAESP, in a January 3, 2014 letter to Governor Brown. "Saving Hollywood Park  would be a tremendous boost for California's economy, especially for Inglewood, CA, which has a 13.5% unemployment rate. We feel Hollywood Park could indeed be preserved, as well as support a new string of restaurants, retail shops, and an entertainment center to feature Broadway shows from New York and other cities - becoming a 'Madison Square Garden of the West.' Hollywood Park is also suited to host a state-of-the-art sports stadium for a Los Angeles NFL team while also addressing some of our society's great challenges."

  

In 1991, the track underwent a $20 million reconstruction project, which included the construction of six handicapped-equipped barns. In all, there are 18 barns with 1,950 stalls, 619 tack rooms, and 216 feed rooms. In 2006, a new cushion track racing surface was installed, making the track soft and safe for horses. Hollywood Park is also the state's most centrally-located track, located just minutes from downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles International Airport, beach cities and three major highways.

  

Booth said the AAESP proposes the creation of public-private partnerships to support the funding of military wellness programs, as well as the construction of a world-class entertainment facility.

  

"We as an industry fully embrace the opportunity to lend our expertise and other resources to support programs that help humans heal while giving retired racing horses (and their owners) new careers," she wrote, noting that approximately 20% of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are diagnosed with PTSD, and suicide among veterans now averages one every hour, accounting for 20% of all U.S. suicides. Science proves that interacting with horses can be an effective method to help people heal from trauma. 

  

Veterans with PTSD often do not get the proper treatment due to budget cuts and general misunderstandings about the condition. However, programs by famed "horse whisperer," 

Monty Roberts, and others have proven to be particularly effective for military veterans 

and others suffering from psychological or physical trauma. A documentary called "Horse Sense and Soldiers" produced by the Military Channel recently highlighted Robert's program

and its healing abilities. Another program recently featured on Horse TV called Saratoga WarHorse in New York has created a unique three-day program that pairs retired race horses and veterans suffering from war trauma and depression. Both programs have won many national accolades and the support of AAESP.

  

Booth also requested a meeting with Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), who represents Hollywood Park in the state's 43rd congressional district, to brief her on the issue. Booth called upon Waters to hold a series of public hearings to discuss other uses for the track, which has the ideal infrastructure to support the proposed conversion. Booth said a new law that went into effect on January 1, 2014 would give Hollywood Park Casino a three-year extension.

 

Booth, the chief organizer of the meetings, said she and her allies do not want Hollywood Park to suffer the same plight as Bay Meadows Park which was demolished and then sat empty for five years, losing millions in revenue to the state of California. "When developers destroyed Bay Meadows and extinguished its 74 year history, they made promises of development that, with the exception of a few custom-built homes, have not materialized. What stands is a devastating reminder of lost history, lost jobs, and millions of dollars in lost tax revenue to the city and state," she wrote.

  

Booth is currently leading a major petition drive to save Hollywood Park. The petition has received support from many influential figures in the horse racing industry, including celebrity endorsements from television personality and jockey, Chantal Sutherland, Hall of Fame trainers Jack Van Berg and Bill Mott, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, and others. AAESP also made a splash at Hollywood Park's final track meet on December 22, 2013 and at the Breeder's Cup World Championships in early November, gathering signatures from famed trainers, jockeys, and owners for the petition. AAESP also had a major presence at The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Annual Convention in Nashville, TN in early December. Guests at the convention included veterinarians, AAEP officers, board members and honorees, horse owners, exhibitors, education partners and friends of the AAEP Foundation.

  

Said Booth, "Hollywood Park is an iconic racing park that is uniquely positioned to meet the training needs of international horse trainers while becoming a model for the nation in providing healing for our military veterans. It also would make the perfect home for a professional football team, which Los Angeles deserves, and has what it takes to become a world-class and glamorous entertainment center, drawing New York Broadway shows to the West Coast." 

  

Booth said Hollywood Park also houses a flock of rare pink flamingos that originate from "The Breeder's Flock" in Hialeah, FL - which is the only fertile flock of flamingos in the U.S. "We are also working to preserve the wildlife sanctuary on the infield of the park. Last month, all but two flamingos were captured and removed from the park. We are encouraging Audubon members to get involved to protect these magnificent wild fragile creatures," said Booth. 

 

Booth has nearly 3,000 signatures for her petition to save Hollywood Park. She hopes to have 10,000 signatures by early March 2014 to list the park as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Booth noted that the first ever Breeder's Cup was held at the track in 1984 and many of America's greatest horses, trainers, and owners lived and raced at the park - including Seabiscuit, and more recently, Zenyatta, Horse of the Year 2010 - two of the greatest racehorses ever. To sign the petition, go to: http://bit.ly/SaveHollywoodPark

  

"I look forward to working with the state's top political, business and horse industry leaders to achieve our ultimate goals of providing jobs for people and horses, while helping military veterans, children with autism, and others, get healthy through the magical healing power of horses," said Booth.

  

The mission of AAESP is to protect the historical, cultural and economic value of equestrian sports, and related industries, throughout the world in recognition of the innumerable contributions of horses to mankind over centuries. Learn more at aaesp.org.


CONTACT: Allison Booth (AAESP), 305.216.6252, [email protected]