Breeding News

4/1/08 - LTBA Announces 2007 Champions

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW A .PDF WITH PHOTOS OF THE CHAMPS

The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association has announced the 2007 Accredited Louisiana Bred Champions.

Champion Two-Year-Filly is Superior Storm, who concluded the year with 3 wins including an impressive victory in the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie. She is bred by Jack Dickerson and owned by Jac Mac Stable, LLC.

Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Star Guitar, broke his maiden first out and followed it up with a Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile win for Evelyn and Maurice Benoit’s Brittlyn Stable, who both bred and own the colt.

Ahead of Her Time ran first or second in each of her six starts for the year, including stakes wins in the Fantasia S., Frank Abadie Memorial S., Camelia S., and Louisiana Champions Day Ladies, to earn Champion Three-Year-Old Filly honors for Owner Heiligbrodt Racing Stable. Unfortunately, she had to be euthanized after a training accident. Ahead of Her Time was bred by the late Jackie D. Huckabay M.D.

Champion Three-Year-Old Colt, St. Zarb, was in the winners circle in six of his eight starts for the year, three of those stakes wins. Bred by Foxwood Plantation, he is owned by Cyril Hicks.

Raspberry Wine takes home the Champion Four-Year-Old and Up Filly or Mare title. She earned the honors for owners Sport of Kings Racing LLC, by winning five stakes races and nearly $300,000 for the year. She was bred by Phyllis Wood. Last year’s Three-Year-Old Champion Male,

Costa Rising, came back to win 2007 Champion Four-Old and Up Male. He won four stakes races, set a track record in the Evangeline Mile Handicap, and finished the Louisiana Champions Day Classic 15 1/2 lengths ahead of the competition. Bred by Double Dam Farms, Costa Rising is owned by Charles A. Castille, Jr.

Stallion of the Year was once again Leestown who stands at Adcock’s Red River Farm in Coushatta.

Broodmare of the Year was also a repeat winner, with Joseph Adcock and Neal McFadden’s Tortuga Band taking the honors.

Bill and Pat Boorhem’s Foxwood Plantation was once again named Breeder of The Year. This is the sixth consecutive year they have received this honor.

3/5/08 - Senator B.B. “Sixty” Rayburn, who served as President of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association from 1966 until 1998 died on March 5 at St. Tammany Parish Hospital after a brief illness.

He was 91 years old. Sixty spend five decades in the Louisiana Legislature and was instrumental in passing every major piece of legislation concerning horse racing and breeding during his tenure there. In 1963 he was approached by Sheriff Andrew L. “Red” Erwin about passing legislation establishing the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association and setting up an incentive program for breeding thoroughbred horses in Louisiana. He is responsible for the three Louisiana bred races offered at each track in Louisiana every day and the purse supplements for accredited Louisiana bred races. Other legislation he passed was Off Track Betting, Video Poker at the race tracks, the Horseman Benevolent and Protective Association’s insurance program for backstretch employees and other various pieces of legislation beneficial to the horsemen of Louisiana. He also lobbied for the passage of the Slots at the Race Tracks bill that was passed in 1998 while working as a lobbyist for the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association

A wake will be held at Poole Funeral Home in Bogalusa, La. on Friday, March 7 from 9:00 A.M. until 9:00 P.M. with the funeral scheduled for Saturday, March 8 at 11:00 A.M. at Palestine Baptist Church in Bogalusa.

1/18/08 - (New Orleans, LA) – The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association (LTBA) has created a financially rewarding incentive program for thoroughbred breeders both in state and out-of-state. The program has grown tremendously through the efforts of the board of directors, staff, Louisiana breeders and the state legislature.

“We are poised for continued growth in the thoroughbred horse industry,” said Lora Pitre, LTBA board of director’s member and owner of Peach Lane Farms in Opelousas, Louisiana. “Our members do a good job following the rules and helping out-of-state breeders understand what they need to do to participate in our program. We are always looking for better ways to ensure that our members and breeders have confidence in our program.”

Already in place are teams of inspectors who visit thoroughbred breeding operations throughout the state. In addition to that program, LTBA members can now call a toll free number to report infractions pertaining to the domicile of mares in the state of Louisiana. A call is handled anonymously by an independent answering service and the caller will not be asked for a name or contact number.  When the answering service receives a complaint, an inspector will be notified and an independent investigation will be conducted.  Any infractions will be reported to the Board of Directors.  The LTBA Anonymous Complaint Line number is 1-866-854-3773.

12/03/07 - The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association Accredited Program has gotten national attention with the new money available to state-breds and racing in our state. As part of Louisiana Champions Day at the New Orleans Fair Grounds, a silent auction will be held on December 7, 2007. Stallion seasons were donated to help fund 10 - $1000 scholarships for college students with an interest in horseracing, a program to place retired racehorses for new careers in adoption homes and the costs of this event.  The auction is to be held at the Gala in conjunction with the Champions Day Festival.

List of STALLION SEASON DONATIONS SO FAR:Announce  (Ryder)                       
Blazonry (Hopewell)                  
Blue Sunday                           
                             Donated by Linda and Butch Sebastien
Capitalimprovement                  
                             Donated by Marcia & Maximo Lamarche.
Catastrophe (Horse of Course) 
Champali (Glencrest)                 
Choosing Choice                       
                          Donated by Stefan Tolin
Count the Time  (LeMesa)        
Crowning Decision  (All Star) 
Daring Bid (Author’s)              
David Copperfield (Hopewell) 
Dayjur (Shadwell)                  
Deguerin x’s 2(Circle H)          
Desert Darby                              
                             Donated by Q6 Ranch and Marcy Reeves.
Dow Jones (Horse of Course)   
El Amante x’s 2 (Circle H)        
Etbauer (Gerald Averett, Sr.)    
Excellent Secret                 
                             Donated by Jessie Wimberley
Forty Won                                
                             Donated by Gerald Averett, Sr.
Full Moon Arisin                       
                             Donated by Gerald Averett, Sr.
Golden Slew (All Star)              
Honorable Pic                              
                             Donated by Gerald Averett, Sr.Ide Donated by the Ide Group

In A Walk                                   
                             Donated by Gerald Averett, Sr.
Jaunatxo (Author’s)                
King Kiowa x’s 2 (Circle H)
King Zonic  x’s 2 (Circle H) 
Lake Austin                             
                             Donated by George & Katherine Ackel
                             Mare must stay until pronounced in foal.
                             After booking, no substitutions, unless 1st mare
                                      dies.
Lampedusa                           
                             Donated by Marcy Reeves and Lora Pitre.
Littlebitlively x’s 2 (Circle H)
Lion Tamer Donated by the Lion Tamer Group
Lone Star Sky (Le Mesa)     
Lunarpal (Le Mesa)              
Mr. John (Le Mesa)              
Najran (Hopewell)               
Offlee Wild (Darley)            
Parting Guest (Author’s)     
Planet Earth                        
                             Donated by Merrill Scherer.
Political Whit     
                             Donated by Mike and Renee Whitler.
Puck (Peach Lane Farms) 
Rain Maker (All Star)     
Ruler’s Court               
                             Donated by Dr. Hewlett.
Satchmo’s Band (Author’s )
Shrubs (Author’s)                
Skip Away (Hopewell)        
Sun King (Darby Dan)        
The Cliff’s Edge (Vinery)   
Toolighttoquit (Ryder)        
United Spirit (All Star)        
Upping the Ante                  
                             Donated by Tom and Sue Ball.
Valiant Halory x’s 2           
                             Donated by Tom Ackerman
War Eagle (All Star)    
Whiff of Indy Donated by Homer Bourque and the Whiff of Indy
Syndicate   
Wild West x’s 2 (Circle H) 
Yonaguska (Vinery)            

Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana will be conducting its Annual Yearling Sale followed by a mixed session on October 15 and 16 at the Ike Hamilton Expo Center in West Monroe.5/22/07 - SMITTY'S SUNSHINE. Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana graduate, Smitty's Sunshine made it four stakes wins in a row when she won the Mamzelle Stakes at Churchill Downs in the week leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Smitty's Sunshine, who was bred by Jay Adcock and Neal McFadden was sold at the 2004 Breeders Sales Company of Louisiana Sale as a yearling for $21,000. She began her stakes streak with a win in November in Churchill Down's Pent Up Kiss Stakes, returning to her home state for the Fair Grounds meet she added the A.B. Leggio Memorial Stakes and the Bienville Handicap before returning to Churchill Downs for the Mamzelle. Smitty's Sunshine is out of the Premiership dam, Dandy's Sunshine, who also produced stakes winner Fuse It. She is by Seeking The Gold's son Seeking A Home. With her win in the Mamzelle she improved her record to six wins from ten starts and earnings of $311,070.4/17/07 - The Board of Directors recently voted to increase the Breeders Awards rate to 22% across the board and increase the stallion fund from $750,000 to $1,000,000. In addition, the previous cap on paid races was raised from $150,000 to $200,000, a fund was created to pay an additional award to any breeder affected by the cap and finally, breeders awards will now be paid to horses finishing 4th in stakes races.3/27/07 - Stewart Madison’s Grade 1 winner Happy Ticket was voted Louisiana’s champion older filly or mare for 2006, the third straight year the Anet mare was honored as one of the state’s champions by the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association.Happy Ticket, out of Love and Happiness, by Septieme Ciel, won two of seven starts in 2006, including the Fleur de Lis Handicap (G2) on June 17 at Churchill Downs. Happy Ticket finished second four times in 2006, including a runner-up finish in the Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) to close her career.Happy Ticket won 12 of 20 lifetime starts and earned $1,688,838, the by a Louisiana-bred in the state’s history. Trained by Andrew Leggio and bred by Madison, Happy Ticket won her first nine races and retired with ten stakes victories.Bill and Pat Boorhem’s Foxwood Plantation was named breeder of the year for the fifth straight year. Based in Belcher, Foxwood’s top earner of 2006 was stakes winner Our Love. By the Foxwood stallion Combat Ready, Our Love won four of six starts, including the Walmac Farm Matchmaker Stakes and the Majorette Handicap, both at Louisiana Downs, and earned $149,820 in 2006.Leestown, a 13-year-old Seattle Slew horse who stands at Jay and Terry Adcock’s Red River Farm in Coushatta, was named stallion of the year with state-bred earnings of $2,218,920.Karla Balensiefen’s undefeated Tortuga Straits was named champion two-year-old male. The Gold Tribute colt won all five of his races in 2006, including four stakes, and earned $288,000. Tortuga Straits was bred by Joseph Adcock and Neal McFadden and trained by Ralph Irwin.Charles A. Castille Jr.’s Costa Rising, a six-time stakes winner in 2006, was named champion three-year-old male. Bred by Double Dan Farm and trained by Joseph Stanley Boxie, Costa Rising won eight of 13 starts and earned $400,626 last year. He won stakes at all four Louisiana tracks.Tortuga Band, the dam of Tortuga Straits, was named broodmare of the year. The 12-year-old Dixieland Band mare also produced Louisiana’s 2005 champion two-year-old filly Tortuga Flats, a multiple stakes winner and earner of $245,660.Other divisional champions, with (sire), owner, breeder, and trainer:Two-year-old filly: Princess Deelite (Afternoon Deelites), Valene Farms, Clear Creek Stud, Troy YoungThree-year-old filly: Grand Facile (Zuppardo’s Prince), Southern Legacy Thoroughbreds, Val Murrell, James E. HodgesChampion older male: Meteor Impact (Belek), Charlene Touzet Thorson, Charlene Touzet Thorson, Connie Tassistro3/7//07 - Louisiana’s 2002 Broodmare of the Year Run Prissy Run, died of an apparent heart attack on March 5, 2007 at Clear Creek Stud LLC in Folsom, Louisiana. The un-raced daughter Bayou Hebert out of the Tudor Grey mare Jannis Jan, was 16-years-old. Run Prissy Run was bred by Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association Secretary-Treasurer Tom Early of Folsom, Louisiana. She was sold by Early as a yearling in 1992 for $8,500 to Murray Valene of New Orleans, Louisiana. With a promising racing future, Run Prissy Run contacted equine viral arteritis (EVA), which lead to her removal from training.Run Prissy Run produced eight foals, seven runners - all winners. Her first foal, Auto Be a Runner, by Autocracy was a stakes winner at two taking the restricted Bayouland Sales Stakes at Evangeline Downs in 1997. Doctor Mike, also by Autocracy, is her most accomplished runner with earnings of $503,799 winning seven stakes races, including the Sport of Kings Futurity at two. Doctor Mike is now standing stud at Clear Creek Stud, and his first foals are yearlings of 2007. Run Prissy Run’s runners have accumulated nearly $1-million in purse earnings.“It was just terrible news,” said Murray Valene. “I went out to see her this morning at the farm, and by the time I made it down to my office in New Orleans I got the bad news. I sold a half interest of her to Val Murrell-general manager of Clear Creek Stud-after she produced her third foal. It’s so sad to see her leave us, but her last foal that she produced in 2005, Auto’s Last Girl (by Autocracy) is a full-sister to Doctor Mike, and she looks very promising. She may be the best of the bunch.”Run Prissy Run will be laid to rest in the infield at Clear Creek Stud.

2005 Horse of the Year Results