Louisiana

LA-Breds To Race For Nearly $6m In Stakes Purses This Year

The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association will have a nearly $6,000,000 stakes schedule this year the LTBA announced Tuesday. Offered over 67 stakes races, of which 33 will offer a purse of over $100,000, the purses are part of a continuing program to support accredited Louisiana-breds along with incentives for breeders and stallion owners. "We are proud to offer a dynamic stakes program that provides a year-round schedule for Accredited Louisiana breds," said LTBA secretary-treasurer Roger Heitzmann III. "Our owners and trainers have found this to be a tremendous benefit, and...

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Sixth Circuit: No Rehearing On HISA Constitutionality Decision

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled Thursday that it will not grant a full-court rehearing to the losing plaintiffs who contested a three-judge panel's Mar. 3 decision to uphold the constitutionality of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). The case is one of five anti-HISA constitutionality lawsuits currently active in the federal court system. Led by the states of Oklahoma, West Virginia and Louisiana, the plaintiffs collectively petitioned Apr. 17 for a rarely granted "en banc" procedure that asked for a rehearing before...

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HISA Authority: Plaintiffs In La Lawsuit Have 'No Right' to Add New Parties

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority reiterated to a judge on Monday a belief that the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit spearheaded by the state of Louisiana have "no right" to expand the scope of their complaint by letting new entities join the nine-month-old case in United States District Court (Western District of Louisiana). "Plaintiffs characterize their joinder of new parties as a 'routine amendment,'" the Apr. 3 court filing stated. "But they do not dispute that the purpose of their amendment is to transform the preliminary injunction...

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Landry To Deliver Keynote Address at National HBPA Conference

Edited Press Release Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry will be the keynote speaker at the National HBPA's annual conference Mar. 6-10 at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans' historic French Quarter, the horsemen's organization announced. The conference, being hosted by the Louisiana HPBA, takes place in conjunction with the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) Annual Meeting and Racing Integrity Conference. Landry's keynote address is to be delivered Mar. 7. He has been at the forefront of states challenging the constitutionality of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and...

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Cupid Colt Tops LTBA Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana 2022 Yearling Sale

The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association's Breeders Sales of Louisiana held its 2022 Yearling Sale followed by mixed session Oct. 1 at the Equine Sales Facility in Opelousas and it was topped by a $63,000 Cupid colt (Hip 60). He was consigned by Brehon Farm. A total of 101 yearlings sold for a gross of $1,690,600 and an average of $16,739 and a median of $10,000. There were 19 RNAs. Three weanlings sold for a gross of $20,000 and an average of $6,667. One horse of racing age sold for $7,000...

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Breaking Lucky Returns to Blue Star

GSW & MGISP Breaking Lucky (Lookin At Lucky--Shooting Party, by Sky Classic) has returned to Blue Star Racing in Louisiana for the 2023 breeding season. After beginning his stallion career at Blue Star Racing, he moved to Florida for the 2021 and 2022 breeding seasons. "After many breeder's requests, we're excited to bring Breaking Lucky back to the bayou state," said Dex Comardelle of Blue Star Racing. "It's no secret Louisiana is one of the most lucrative breeding programs in the country, and with the recent passage of sports betting...

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Goldstein Honored by HRWS

Jane Goldstein will be recognized with a special award at the inaugural edition of the Horse Racing Women's Summit (HRWS) at its luncheon Thursday, Sept. 29. The presentation will honor Goldstein for her role as a groundbreaking leader and inspirational example to women in racing. A native of New Orleans, Goldstein had an early introduction to the racetrack through her father, a writer and reporter with the Times-Picayune newspaper. She attended the University of Kentucky and Louisiana State University. Following graduation, she was hired to work in the publicity department...

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In Advance of HISA Appeals, Court Date, Two Sides Hone Arguments

In advance of oral arguments scheduled Aug. 30 in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the two sides involved in the injunction appeal brought by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Authority (HISA) have filed legal briefs that they hope will sway the court to their side of the case. Both HISA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are defendants in an underlying lawsuit led by the states of Louisiana and West Virginia, plus the Jockeys' Guild, that alleges unconstitutionality and federal rulemaking procedure violations regarding...

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Mr. Money Relocated to Louisiana

MGSW & GISP Mr. Money (Goldencents--Plenty O'Toole, by Tiznow) will relocate from Florida to Louisiana's Clear Creek Stud. Spendthrift Farm also is a partner in Mr. Money with owner Chester Thomas. "I just really like the way the Louisiana program is heading," said Thomas. "I think Mr. Money has everything it takes to be a successful sire, and I believe having him at a top farm in a growing regional market gives him the best chance to show what he can do. Most of my horses race in New Orleans...

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Op/Ed: Robert M. Beck, Jr.

During one of the most politically polarizing times in our country's history, Congress passed the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 (HISA) with bipartisan support. What did this rare display of unity say about the health of the Thoroughbred racing industry? To say it kindly: the industry needed help. HISA handed over the reins for regulating Thoroughbred safety and anti-doping and medication control matters to a private, self-regulatory organization named the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (Authority). Before HISA, Thoroughbred racing in the United States was regulated by a...

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HISA Seeks Stay After Louisiana, West Virginia Ruling

Just six days after Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) opponents won a round in court in which a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction that halted implementation of HISA rules going into effect in Louisiana and West Virginia, HISA and the Federal Trade Commission were back in court Monday filing an emergency motion for a stay pending appeal. The motion was filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The filing from HISA maintains that when granting the preliminary injunction, the court erred in...

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Restraining Order Denied In HISA Lawsuit

A federal judge has denied a motion for a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit designed to keep the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) rules from going into effect. The order, dated June 30 but posted to the court docket on the morning of July 1, the effective date for HISA's implementation, was handed down in the aftermath of a 35-minute Thursday afternoon conference call that was hastily arranged at the urgent request of lead plaintiffs from the states of Louisiana and West Virginia in their suit against HISA...

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