Louisiana

A federal judge on Thursday opted not to immediately grant the "expedited consideration" restraining order or injunction that opponents of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) alleged was needed to stave off the "irreparable harm" from "illegal rules" that are set to go into effect at midnight Friday. But within several hours of learning June 30 that Judge Terry Doughty of U.S. District Court (Western District of Louisiana) had given HISA and other defendants two weeks to file a response to the restraining order motion, the lead plaintiffs from...

Willie Stuard Hickman, who served in several roles in the Thoroughbred industry in Texas and Louisiana, passed away Mar. 15. Had been hospitalized with pneumonia and was 64 years old. Born in Red Rock, Texas, Hickman at various times trained racehorses and worked in the racing office at Sam Houston Race Park for over two decades. As stall superintendent, jockey room coordinator and most recently, stakes coordinator, Hickman had lasting relationships with horsemen in both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. He also did an excellent job as jockey agent to...

Clear Creek Stud will again be making a $5,000 Scholarship Donation in the name of their clients to a college student with Louisiana-based connections to the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse Breeding and Racing Industry. "We want to help the children who come from these families who put in the long hours and hard work that are essential to keep our industry in operation," says Val Murrell, general manager of Clear Creek Stud. The scholarship recipient will be chosen by the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (LaHBPA) and based on...

GSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Strike Power (Speightstown--Gold d'Oro, by Medaglia d'Oro) was purchased by breeder Nathan Granger in partnership with Jay Adcock's Red River Farm, where he will stand stud in Louisiana. The deal was brokered by Jack Brothers of Hidden Brook Farm. He will stand the 2022 season for $2,000 LFSN. Owned and bred by Don and Donna Adam's Courtlandt Farm, Strike Power retires with a record of 20-4-4-1 and earnings of $497,935. His career was highlighted by a win in the 2018 GIII Swale S.

WinStar stallions Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway--Rebridled Dreams, by Unbridled's Song) and Exaggerator (Curlin--Dawn Raid, by Vindication) have been sold and will take up stud duty in new locations for 2022, the farm announced Thursday. Carpe Diem will be syndicated by a group led by Dawn and Jeff Picard's Picard Racing and David Tillson and he will stand the upcoming breeding season at Acadiana Equine at Copper Crowne in Louisiana. Campaigned by WinStar and Stonestreet Stables, the $1.6 million OBSMAR buy woon the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity in 2014 and the...

A two-phase fix to the allegedly unsafe new lighting system at Delta Downs is underway that could allow the Louisiana track to switch back from afternoon programs to traditional weekend night cards by Nov. 12. The recently installed light-emitting diode (LED) system, which was necessitated by the old lights getting wrecked by a hurricane in August 2020, was only operational for three races on the first night program of the season Oct. 15 before a horse fell at the top of the stretch. Fueled by complaints from some jockeys and...

Half Ours (Unbridled's Song--Zing, by Storm Cat), a four-time leading sire in Louisiana, was euthanized Saturday, July 17, following a paddock accident at Clear Creek Stud. He was 18 years old. "It is a sad day for us all," said Clear Creek's Val Murrell. "Half Ours enriched our breeders' program in Louisiana and beyond, having touched many who bred and raced. He was obviously an integral part of Clear Creek Stud's very existence, like a family member that you saw every day. His loss will be felt by many and...

One day after learning he had been exonerated by split-sample test results that negated an original "ridiculous" finding of three serious drug violations in a single mare who won a Nov. 24 race at Delta Downs, trainer Karl Broberg told TDN that Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) officials turned down his offer to have the mare's hair tested while the case was being adjudicated to prove that no Class 1 and 2 drugs were in the system of Tiz One Fee (Tiz the One). Broberg also said the LSRC has...

Horses often hold a special place in the hearts of their breeders. After all, the breeder is almost like the parent as they are the ones who bring that horse to life and give them their start in the world. But, some horses are a little extra special to their creators for one reason or another and GII San Felipe S. contender The Great One (Nyquist) is one those for his breeders Keith and Ginger Myers of Coteau Grove Farms in Sunset, Louisiana. In 2008, the Myerses started their broodmare...

GSP Aurelius Maximus (Pioneerof the Nile--La Reina, by A.P. Indy) has been retired from racing and will enter stud in 2021 at Jay Adcock's Red River Farm in Coushatta, Louisiana. The deal was brokered by Andrew Cary of Cary Bloodstock. The 5-year-old, who will stand in a partnership between Nathan Granger and Stonestreet Stables/George Bolton/Peter Leidel, will stand for $2,000 live foal, with consideration to approved mares. "Aurelius Maximus is the most exciting horse to retire to Louisiana for many years," said Cary. "His combination of impeccable pedigree, gorgeous conformation...

Take a quick glance at the opening day card at Delta Downs and it might seem like nothing has changed. The fields for Tuesday's races are full, perennial leading trainer Karl Broberg has seven entered and the feature is a $60,000 stakes for Louisiana-breds that has attracted horses from the stables of Tom Amoss and Steve Asmussen. But this will be a meet unlike any other at the track that sits just a few miles east of the Texas-Louisiana border. Delta Downs was directly in the path of Hurricane Laura,...

The Nebraska horse racing industry, which has struggled for years to offer competitive purses, got a major boost Tuesday when voters overwhelmingly approved three constitutional amendments that legalize casinos at the state's racetracks. In other gambling related matters on the ballot across the country Tuesday, Marylanders voted in favor of legalizing sports betting in the state and voters in South Dakota approved sports betting, which would be restricted to the town of Deadwood, which already has a casino. In Louisiana, 55 of 64 parishes approved sports betting, including the four...