Grade I Humana Distaff winner Hystericalady, sold for $3 million, to Sheik Mohammed, ruler of Dubai. Sheik Mohammed also purchased Away, a Dixieland Band mare believed to again be pregnant to Eight Belles' sire, Unbridled's Song for $2.5 million. Results from the first day of the Keeneland Breeding Stock Sale are down from last year. The first day of the sale showed a gross of $48 million which is down from the $109 million for the same 2007 session. The average, $322,089, was down compared to $562,186 in 2007. 92 horses didn't sell at all which is close to twice the number from last year. (Posted November 4, 2008)
CTHS (Alberta Division) members should soon be receiving their ballots and candidate information in the mail for the CTHS (Alberta Division) Board of Directors election. There are 19 candidates running for the 11 member board. Please make sure that you return your ballot by the deadline! (Posted November 5, 2008)
There is an interesting article written by Deirdre Biles posted on www.thehorse.com entitled, "The Plunging Horse Sales Market: The View from the Ring". It discusses the November Keeneland breeding stock sale and what people in attendance are saying regarding the Thoroughbred market in the current economic climate. (Posted November 7, 2008)
Dalyce Holm passed away on November 9, 2008 at the age of 40 years. Dalyce was very involved in breeding thoroughbreds in the Alberta thoroughbred industry over the past twenty years, initially as a trainer and later in the breeding business at Holm-Bred Farm in Redwater, Alberta. Dalyce is survived by her husband, Marvin, and her two sons, Justin and Nicholas and step-son, Brett. She was originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where she is survived by her parents and brothers as well as a large, close extended family. The funeral service for Dalyce will be held on Thursday, November 13 , 2008 at 1:00 PM at First Memorial Riverview Chapel in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Online condolences may be sent to www.mem.com First Memorial Funeral Services - Riverview Chapel (780) 998-9898. (Posted November 12, 2008)
Herb Ollive "took his last ride into the Winners Circle in the sky" at the age of 51 years on November 7, 2008. Herb was a popular jockey, agent, racing official and farms manager. He will be sadly missed by his children, Brandon, Tiana and Kaitlyn and the rest of his family in Alberta, Texas and B.C. A celebration of his life will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, BC in the George Royal Room. There will be a funeral service in Herb's home town of Stettler, Alberta on Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 1:00 PM at the Stettler Community Hall. Please contact Jody at 403-740-9333 for information. (Posted November 12, 2008)
The Associated Press reported today that Curlin will be retired next year and that his fourth place finish at the Breeders' Cup Classic may have been his last race. In a statement issued on Sunday, majority owner Jess Jackson said that he would consider offers from farms in Kentucky before deciding where Curlin will stand at stud. Jackson went on to say that until his future home is selected, Curlin will remain in training for a possible race later this year. (Posted November 17, 2008)
Today's issue of the Edmonton Journal carries a story regarding the February 26 incident where the Alberta SPCA seized 100 surviving horses from a ranch 65 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. According to the report, the two men pleaded guilty in a Vegreville court on Monday and were immediately banned from owning horses, one of them for 50 years. (Posted November 18, 2008)
The Unwanted Horse Commission (UHC) is beginning a nationwide initiative which will look at the problem of unwanted, neglected and abandoned horses in the United States. The first phase of the study is an online survey of people most affected by and involved with the issue of the unwanted horse. There are few documented facts about the accurate number of unwanted horses, their age, sex, breed, recent use, value or what happens to them so the UHC is hoping this survey will provide some of this information. (Posted November 19, 2008)
A number of news agencies are reporting that former race track, Riverside Downs was the site of a fire early this morning in one of the barns. Twenty-seven horses were killed in the blaze including one which had won a race at Churchill Downs on Sunday. Six horses died in January of this year in a fire that also happened at Riverside Downs. The January fire was blamed on a vending machine electrical cord.(Posted November 20, 2008)
Madeleine Pickens, wife of Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, has announced that she plans to create a massive refuge for about 30,000 wild horses and burros to avoid having the U.S. Bureau of Land Management euthanize or sell the animals for slaughter. She is looking to purchase a million acres of land for the horses. About 33,000 wild horses and burros roam the open range in 10 Western states. An additional 33,000 horses have been gathered from public rangelands and are currently awaiting adoption. They are currently being kept in holding pens across the States. (Posted November 21, 2008)
Check out the article posted at www.thehorse.com entitled "Kentucky Horse Tracks Battle Economy, Slots". It's an interesting one that looks at what's happening in racing between a state like Pennsylvania where racing is subsidized by slot machines and video lottery stations and then Kentucky that relies almost entirely on wagering for survival. According to this article, alternative gaming has obviously made an impact in those states that are now using this as a means to increase their purses and supplement their operations. (Posted November 24, 2008)
