Texas

Facing a United States Court of Appeals decision from the Fifth Circuit that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is unconstitutional and battling three similar lawsuits in various stages within the federal court system, the HISA Authority and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) were informed Monday that a U.S. District Court judge in Texas won't grant those defendants a requested stay that would halt the briefing schedule in that case pending a final resolution of the Fifth Circuit order. "No Good Cause Exists to Stay This Action," wrote U.S....

A group of entities associated with various racing-related industries in Texas, including the owners of Lone Star Park, has filed a new lawsuit against the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) in which declaratory and injunctive relief is sought along with a request for a preliminary injunction, according to court filing dated July 29. Submitted to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division, the suit focuses on the relative power of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority--the umbrella non-profit established by the Act--to implement...

How poignant that, in this of all weeks, the two most breathtaking winners on Belmont day should both have prompted comparisons with Ghostzapper, whose GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Lone Star Park in 2004 was surely the greatest Thoroughbred performance ever on Texan soil. Because while the whole racing world came to Dallas that day, it appears that there will be no reciprocal embrace when it comes to the standards sought—not just federally, but internationally—to give American horseracing credibility in the contest for public engagement in the 21st Century. It's...

Lone Star Park celebrates its 25th anniversary season this year with the continued optimism that has permeated Texas racing since passage of the 2019 legislation that channeled a portion of sales tax on horse feed and supplies into purses. The Grand Prairie meet runs April 28 through July 24, most Thursdays through Sundays, plus Memorial Day May 30 and July 4. There is no racing on Thursdays May 5 and 26, June 2 and 30 and July 7. Marquee stakes days include the Lone Star Million Day on Memorial Day,...

SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas — The head trainer is the guy who prepared 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra to be a racehorse. He and his two assistant trainers combine for more than 100 years of experience and the development of more than 300 stakes horses. Yearlings and weanlings romp in undulating pastures. Two-year-olds learning the fundamentals and older horses coming off layoffs gallop and work over a traditional training track as well as lope up a 1 3/8-mile turf gallop. The spacious barns have vaulted ceilings featuring skylights that...

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...

Last Friday, on the same day that Bob Baffert's New York Racing Association (NYRA) suspension hearing was ending in New York, the Texas attorney general filed a motion in a Texas federal court to join the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (National HBPA), et al., in arguing that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), enacted late last year, was unconstitutional. Baffert had challenged his suspension, which was summarily instituted by NYRA without a hearing May 17 after the Baffert-trained Medina Spirit (Protonico) had tested positive for betamethasone in...

GISW Poseidon's Warrior (Speightstown--Poised To Pounce, by Smarten), sire of Grade I winner and multi-millionaire Firenze Fire, is relocating from Pennsylvania to Century Acres in Hempstead, Texas, for the upcoming breeding season in a deal brokered by Jamie LaMonica and Brenden Heeney. He will stand the 2022 season for $3,500 S&N. In addition to Firenze Fire, Poseidon's Warrior is also represented in 2021 by stakes winners Warrior's Pride and Navy Commander.

Grade I winner Mr Speaker (Pulpit--Salute, by Unbridled) has been purchased by Lori and Mark Collinsworth and will be relocating to their Forks of the Paluxy Farm in Bluff Dale, Texas for the 2022 Breeding Season. He will stand for $5,000. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to stand a horse of Mr Speaker's caliber in Texas," said Mark Collinsworth. "He was a very talented racehorse, and he is off to a great start in his stallion career with a number of stakes horses already to his credit. With...

The 25th season of Thoroughbred racing at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie just outside of Dallas concluded July 11 with handle figures their largest since 2006. The figures do not include last year's pandemic season. Daily merged (i.e. live, on-track plus export) handle totaled $1,693,866 for the 48-day meet, while a daily average of $1,459,096 in export handle. On-track fans wagered $234,770 daily, the most since 2018. Average daily attendance on weekends and holidays for the meet was just over 4,000 per day, just a 4% decline from 2019....

Officials at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie have announced that all overnight purses will be raised across the board by 20%, beginning with Friday's live racing program. Purses that ranged from $12,000 for bottom-level claimers to $39,000 for open allowance races will now carry prize money between $14,400 and $46,800. The Thoroughbred meeting at Lone Star Park continues through Sunday, July 11.

When lifelong owner and breeder Nathan Granger picked up a filly by his late stallion Bind, bred by his partner Jay Adcock, for just $13,000 at the ESLA September Sale, he knew right away that she was something special. So special in fact, that he gave her a name of the highest honor in the Granger family, WUPKAR, which stands for Wake Up, Pray, Kick Ass, Repeat. This was the slogan of Granger's son Ross, who was diagnosed with an astrocytoma in his brain stem shortly after his high school...