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Horse Racing Positive for Georgia/South Carolina Education

FROM: Atlanta Journal Constitution

BY: James Young

As president of the Georgia-South Carolina Horse Racing committee, I am very concerned about Georgia education funding. I strongly support the efforts of the Consortium for Adequate School Funding.

Although Georgia is seeking to have the consortium’s lawsuit dismissed, most career groups, professional educators and school superintendents throughout the state, as well as many Georgia legislators, agree that education funding in this state is inadequate.

The solution will likely be an increase in property taxes. Some counties are contemplating ending school-tax exemptions for senior citizens. Let’s face it: Senior citizens are the least capable of coping with added taxation.

There is a resource other than added taxation. Georgia horses represent almost 30 percent of the total livestock and agricultural value in this state. Horses rank as the fifth-largest agricultural commodity in this state. Why then is there a reluctance to capitalize on this source of funds?

If the Georgia Lottery can bring funds to the state, then horse racing could only be a bonanza.

The equine industry can help not only our school systems but also our overall government. We are currently experiencing budget shortfalls, which do not seem to be lessening but growing with each changing season.

Our committee has a two-pronged objective:

• To continue developing an equine curriculum for secondary, technical and college-level schools/institutions in Georgia;

• To petition concerned laypersons and institutions to use their influence and means to promote the equine industry, including parimutuel horse wagering in Georgia.

Macrovision moves forward on plans to sell TVG

FROM: Thoroughbred Times

BY: Frank Angst

In a conference call with investment analysts on Thursday, Macrovision Solutions Corp. officials said the company is continuing efforts to sell Television Games Network.

Macrovision said multiple buyers have expressed interest in TVG, an advance-deposit wagering provider and horse racing television channel. Macrovision has moved into a second phase of working toward a sale that allows suitors diligence and hopes to complete a sale before year’s end. This week, Youbet.com officials acknowledged interest in TVG.

Despite second-quarter drops in revenue at TVG, Macrovision believes the expansion of the TVG horse racing television station, which surpassed 30-million homes in the second quarter, makes TVG an attractive purchase for a company willing to market the company.

Second-quarter revenue declined for TVG compared with the same three months last year. Macrovision reported revenue dropped 11.3% for TVG to $13,007,000 compared with last year’s second quarter. For the first six months of the year, TVG revenue is down 17.3% to $21,588,000.

Macrovision, a home entertainment company, became owner of TVG in May when it acquired Gemstar-TV Guide.

Montana Farm Bureau Express Serious Concerns about Equine Industry, Processing Legislation

FROM: Ag News Weekly

BOZMEN, Mont. - The Montana Farm Bureau Federation is expressing serious concern about a bill introduced by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., that would make it a federal criminal offense to knowingly move, sell, purchase or transport a horse for human consumption. That bill was introduced via the House Judiciary Committee’s Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee last week.

“Although it’s called the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, it would actually work against the welfare of horses in the U.S.,” Bob Hanson, vice president of MFBF, said in a press release this week. “For many horse owners, taking a horse to an auction is the only recourse, and many times you don’t know where that horse will end up. Why should anyone who transports or sells horses for what is considered “human consumption” be punished? We first need to address the growing problem of abandoned horses before causing more unintended consequences by further restricting how horse owners may dispose of unwanted animals.”

In a letter addressed to the Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee, the Farm Animal Welfare Coalition (including the American Farm Bureau) said, “If the intent of this legislation is to prevent cruelty, how humane is it to abandon 60,000-80,000 horses to starvation, predation and disease? In the case of conviction, the bill actually assigns to the Attorney General the responsibility to ‘provide for the humane placement or other humane disposition of any horse seized … .’”

Even the animal-rights movement acknowledges there are too few “sanctuaries” to assimilate these animals. This means in the first year alone, the United States would need a minimum additional 2,700 such facilities, according to the American Association of Equine Practitioners. At the same time, care standards at existing facilities are not set by USDA and are lower than those at dog and cat shelters.

This leaves euthanasia as the only “humane” disposition of these animals. It is ironic that USDA-regulated slaughter is “cruel,” but Department of Justice-regulated euthanasia is acceptable to the animal rights movement, Hanson said.

In light of the strong concern about the epidemic of abandoned horses, the new Horse Welfare Committee that emerged from a recent forum on horse welfare hosted by USDA is going to document incidents of unwanted horses in the United States and determine if the trend is directly related to the closure of U.S. horse-slaughter plants. MFBF members Kail Mantle & Renee Daniels-Mantle were appointed to serve on this committee and are involved in the information collecting process.

“Reports of unwanted horses are widespread and many, but until now, not adequately documented or verified,” according to a news release from the committee. “The committee recognizes this is a highly emotional issue for many, but is urging people to fully explore the issue in terms of facts and logic before coming to a conclusion.”

Farm Bureau members with information about unwanted and abandoned horses are urged to report it on the submission form on the Web site and/or by e-mailing the committee at info@horsewelfarecommittee.com.

With only 16 days left in Congress after their August recess, it’s unlikely there will be imminent action on the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, the press release stated.

The Montana Farm Bureau is the state’s largest agriculture organization representing over 13,000 member families. Farm Bureau is the voice of agricultural producers at all levels.

Two Ohio Programs Receive AQHA Recognition

FROM: Press Release

The American Quarter Horse Foundation is proud to announce the 2008 America’s Horse Cares grant recipients. America’s Horse Cares is a program of the Foundation that funds therapeutic riding centers.

In order to receive funding through America’s Horse Cares, the center must be certified as a North American Riding for the Handicapped Association-approved facility or have at least one NARHA certified instructor on staff. Each applicant center is scored based upon their financial need, services available, horse care, project scope and budget. The centers receiving funding were selected from 130 applicants by a group of experienced selection committee members.

American Quarter Horse Association Corporate Partner Farnam is a large supporter of America’s Horse Cares. Farnam is the official grooming and conditioning product supplier and official dewormer supplier of AQHA.

“We are very pleased to partner with Farnam to give these great therapeutic riding centers a leg up to help those with disabilities,” said Gary Carpenter, Executive Director of the American Quarter Horse Foundation. “Our horses give their best every day at these centers and we’re happy to help facilitate these services.”

Thanks to Farnam’s support, the following centers will receive funding assistance in 2008:

2008 America’s Horse Cares Grants

* Agape Therapeutic Riding Resources Inc., Cicero, Ind.
* Cincinnati Therapeutic Riding & Horsemanship, Milford, Ohio
* Equine Assisted Therapy Inc., Centerburg, Ohio
* Free SPIRIT Riders Inc., Fond du Lac, Wisc.
* Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Petaluma, Calif.
* Hearts Adaptive Riding Center, Santa Barbara, Calif.
* Helen Woodward Animal Center, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
* Horses of Hope Riding Center, Baxter Springs, Kan.
* Jackson Hole Therapeutic Riding Association, Teton Village, Wyo.
* J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
* Mephibosheth Farms Angelic Riders Inc., Marshville, N.C.
* Ride On St. Louis Inc., Kimmswick, Mo.
* Rocking Horse Ranch Therapeutic Riding Program Inc., Greenville, N.C.
* Spirit Horse Therapeutic Center, Corinth, Texas
* Therapeutic Riding of Tucson, Tucson, Ariz.
* Windridge Therapeutic Equestrian Center of East Texas Inc., Longview, Texas

America’s Horse Cares - Arizona Fund

* Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz.
* Horses Help Therapeutic Riding Center, Phoenix, Ariz.

To learn more about America’s Horse Cares and how you can contribute or benefit from this unique program, please call 806/378-5029 or visit www.AQHA.com/Foundation.

Maryland: Stakes Cut, Barns Shuttered

FROM: Blood Horse

BY: Staff Reports

Major stakes will be scrapped and the Pimlico Race Course barn area closed until next year’s spring meet under changes announced Aug. 6.

Officials at the Maryland Jockey Club said Pimlico, home of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), will be closed for training and stabling effective Aug. 31. Racing secretary Georganne Hale will relocate trainers to barns at Laurel Park and the Bowie Training Center. Horses that are assigned stalls at Laurel or Bowie will be shipped to those facilities at the expense of the MJC.

“We understand this is an inconvenience to the horsemen, and we will work with them to ensure a smooth and fluid transition,” MJC president and chief operating officer Tom Chuckas said in a statement. “This was a business decision based on the revenue stream.”

Pimlico will remain open for year-round simulcasting. It’s next live meet doesn’t begin until April 2009.

Meanwhile, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and MJC agreed to an $850,000 cut in the Laurel stakes schedule for the track’s fall. meet. Gone will be the grade I Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, one of three grade I events in Maryland each year. Other races scrapped for this year are the Laurel Futurity and Selima Stakes for 2-year-olds, and the grade III Safely Kept Stakes.

The only stakes on the calendar will be state-bred or state-sired events headlined by the 23rd running of the Maryland Million Oct. 4.

“This is terribly disappointing, but these are serious times,” Chuckas said. “We remain hopeful that the playing field between Maryland and our neighbors to the west, north, and east will be leveled, and that we will be able to resume running this prominent race in the future.”

“Even with all the cuts, we’ll still be from $500,000 to $1 million in the red,” Maryland THA executive secretary Wayne Wright told the Baltimore Sun, which first reported the cuts Aug. 6. “The purse money we have will be used to fund the overnight purses for live racing.”

Wright told the newspaper the Maryland THA also can’t afford to pay track owner Magna Entertainment Corp. to keep open the Pimlico barn area.

The 17-week fall meet at Laurel runs from Sept. 4-Dec. 27 on a four-day a week schedule (Wednesdays through Saturdays, and Columbus Day, a Monday). Track officials said an official announcement of the stakes schedule for the 65-day meet will be made after the Aug. 19 Maryland Racing Commission meeting.

In July, Rosecroft Raceway, a Maryland harness track, announced it wouldn’t offer live racing for perhaps two years because of financial problems. Rosecroft and the Maryland Jockey Club tracks are awaiting a November referendum on slot machines in Maryland. No tracks are guaranteed slots, but the racing industry is expected to get a portion of the revenue.

The 10-day summer meet at Laurel commences Aug. 8. It will be followed by the Maryland State Fair meet at Timonium, which races through Labor Day, Sept. 1.

Casino closer to state vote

FROM: Cincinnati Enquirer

BY: Jon Craig

COLUMBUS - Developers of a proposed $600 million casino-resort in Clinton County are expected to file nearly double the 402,225 voters’ signatures needed today to place a statewide ballot initiative before Ohio voters on Nov. 4. They want to build the state’s first casino in near Wilmington, off Interstate 71 just beyond the Warren County line.
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The “My Ohio Now” pro-casino campaign is entirely paid for by a Minnesota company, according to finance reports filed with the Secretary of State’s Office last week. My Ohio Now listed contributions of $2.66 million, and about the same level of expenses, on its latest campaign finance report.

Bradford A. Pressman and Rick Lertzman, co-founders of My Ohio Now, propose a 1,500-room hotel, restaurants, bars, retail stores and casino with 5,000 slot machines. Lertzman said he’s comfortable that there are enough extra signatures in case invalid signatures are rejected by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner or various county boards of elections. Signatures are needed from 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties. My Ohio Now collected signatures in 80 counties, Lertzman said.

My Ohio Now plans a news conference in Columbus today.

If approved by a majority of voters Nov. 4, the casino could open about 18 months later, Lertzman said. Ohio voters have rejected casinos three times since 1990.

All the proceeds for the pro-casino campaign came from Lakes Entertainment INCC of Minnetonka, Minn., which operates Indian-owned casinos.

Lyle Berman is chief executive officer of Lakes Entertainment, and invented the televised World Poker Tour. Berman has called it a great project, and his company would operate the new Ohio casino, according to Lertzman.

Most of My Ohio Now’s expenses have been for signature-gathering on petitions to put the issue on the fall ballot, according to the latest campaign finance report. About $611,000 went to Arno Political Consulting based in Rancho Cordova, Calif., to gather signatures. Another $272,000 went to National Petition Management in Brighton, Minn., also for signature-gathering.

Vote No Casinos, the group opposed to gambling, filed a campaign finance report with a balance of $3,046. There was no new fundraising total reported since the last filing period, according to the latest report.

“This has been an exciting opportunity to reach out to Ohio voters in all 88 counties,” Lertzman said. “The response has been overwhelmingly favorable. … The prospect of up to 5,000 new jobs is a bright spot in a year in which we have faced so much financial adversity and challenges.” DHL recently announced it was closing its Wilmington-area operation, laying off perhaps as many as 10,000 workers.

Pressman pointed out that there are 38 states with some form of casino gambling.

“It’s time to keep those dollars within our state borders and attract tourism dollars back to Ohio,” Pressman said.

The full text of the ballot initiative can be found at www.MyOhioNow.com.

Equine Rabies Case Confirmed in Kentucky

FROM: The Horse

BY: Pat Raia

Kentucky Public Health officials have confirmed a case of rabies in a horse in Pulaski County. According to Michael Auslander, DVM, MSPH, state public health veterinarian with the Kentucky Department for Public Health, the infected horse probably contracted the disease from a skunk.

Auslander is reminding owners to vaccinate their horses annually.

Rabies vaccines can be administered at any time, Auslander said, but it takes about 30 days after vaccination for horses to build immune response.

“Rabies is always a 100 percent fatal disease,” Auslander said. “The only way to prevent it is to vaccinate.”

The Horse will be hosting a free Webinar on Understanding Equine Rabies at 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 25. Steve Reed, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., will host the presentation and will be available to answer viewers’ questions live.

Monitoring and Preventing Equine Herpesvirus Abortions

FROM: The Horse

BY: Dr. David G. Powell, Equine Disease Quarterly

The monitoring of abortions attributable to equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) initiated in 1957 among the Thoroughbred mare population of Central Kentucky has continued annually for the past 51 years. The number of EHV-1 abortions per 1,000 pregnant mares has remained below five since 1977 despite a doubling in size of the mare population (as illustrated in Figure 2 below). This number is based on accessions to the University of Kentucky Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center (LDDC) and confirmed by laboratory diagnosis, and it is considered an accurate reflection of the field incidence. This accurate number is due to the diligence of farm managers and attending veterinarians ensuring that all fetuses and neonatal foal losses are submitted for examination.

To read the rest of the story, click here.

World-Class Equine Science Facility to Open at Otterbein in 2009

FROM: News Release

(Westerville, OH) - It was a day of hard hats and horses as Otterbein College broke ground on its new Patrick and Jill McCuan Center for Equine Studies, Friday, June 13 at 800 N. Spring Road.

The facility will be the first of its kind - combining horses, stables, pastures and education in a suburban setting. Westerville neighbors and City Council members have embraced the idea and what it brings to the community. “We will host numerous events at this 75 acre site that will draw guests throughout the United States and Canada,” said Bruce Mandeville, Department Chair of Equine Sciences. “In addition, the new and expanded facility will attract students from various states to come to Otterbein and bring their horses. Together, we look forward to working with the community and the schools on equine education and riding.”

The new world-class facility promises to build upon the academic strength that has been the hallmark of the Equine Science program for over 25 years. The $4.92 million project will be the envy of the equine industry employing best practices while situated in a pristine setting. Thanks to a generous gift of $1.5 million from the McCuans and their development expertise, the Center is slated for completion in Spring 2009.

Guests attending the ceremony included donors Pat, Jill and Meghan McCuan, Maryland Senator Allan Kittleman, Rob Burke Executive Director of the Maryland Horse Industry Board, Westerville City Manager David Collinsworth, Westerville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Dan Good, Otterbein President Brent DeVore, Otterbein Vice President for Institutional Advancement Rick Dorman as well as many neighbors of the property and Equine students.

“I think that Otterbein College is an extraordinary institution of higher learning and provides one of the best academically-oriented equine programs in the country,” Pat McCuan said. “With this facility, Otterbein will achieve a world-class venue for equine education. I think Otterbein is an up-and-coming school.”

The new facility will allow the Equine Science program to expand its program offerings and to admit more students. Fifty-two stalls, as opposed to the current 25 stalls, will allow the enrollment to double from 75 to 150 students over the next 10 years. It will replace the buildings and pastures leased for the past 25 years about five miles north of Westerville.

The plans for the new state-of-the-art facility also call for improved indoor and outdoor riding arenas, as well as pastures, classrooms, a riding trail and housing for a full-time stable manager.
For more information about the facility, contact Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement Donna Burtch at (614) 823-1953.

Keno Starts with some Hiccups

FROM: Cleveland Plain Dealer

BY: Staff Reporters

Keno, the latest Ohio Lottery game, broke out of the starting gate Monday morning on wobbly legs as some merchants struggled to get the game on line.

Marie Kilbane, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Lottery Commission, said most of the 717 venues had no problem, though a 1-800 help line had taken 51 calls by midday.

The game is in bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, clubs and other establishments throughout the state, with a goal of 2,000 locations by December. Keno allows patrons to bet up to $20 a game by picking up to 10 numbers. Results are posted right after each game ends, and will be on the lottery Web Site, www.ohiolottery.com, the day after each game.

Keno is supposed to be available from 11:04 a.m. to 1:44 a.m. every day. But at the appointed moment Monday morning, the Westpark Village Tavern on Lorain Avenue still was without service, and a technician was working on it at 3 p.m., a bartender said.

Just up the street at P.J. McIntyre’s, the game was not working, said Tim Sammon, chef and kitchen manager. “I heard a lot of places were having trouble,” he said.

Kilbane said some of the help line calls were as minimal as “Omigosh, what’s my password.” Some businesses weren’t online Monday because paperwork was not complete.

Parnell Egan, co-owner of the landmark West End Tavern in Lakewood, said he has contacted the lottery about the game, but has not heard back.

At the Quaker Steak & Lube Restaurant in Sheffield, owner Larry Campana said 80 people were waiting at the front door when the restaurant opened at 11. “They were anxious to get in and play the first game,” he said.

Jim McGuire and John Weekley, both 73, of Elyria, had already been playing at the restaurant nearly three hours by 4 p.m. “We came to find out what’s like” said McGuire. “It was OK, but I prefer slots. We just kept losing money all day.”

Bob Bennett, 48, of Elyria, is a regular at the Little Brown Jug there. “I did pretty well. I started with two bucks, I won four bucks and kept playing for a half hour until I won $280.”

The mood at Shooters on the Water was festive with employees, and even the owner, giving Keno a try.

Bookkeeper Debbie Greenhill turned a dollar bet into a $10 profit. Owner Roger Loecy wasn’t having much luck.

Loecy is making Keno available at his restaurant in Cleveland’s Flats with the hope of generating more business. “What I really want is a casino down here, but in the meantime we have Keno,” he said.

At some downtown Cleveland restaurants and bars, Keno screens were dark.

An offline printer at the Nauti Mermaid meant no Keno. Owner Michael Graham said it wasn’t the lottery’s fault. He hadn’t called them to get it fixed.

Customers at Sixth Street Market Pizzeria could play, but only by using autopick tickets. The machine wouldn’t take tickets with numbers chosen manually.

At Thistledown, the new game competed with the Sport of Kings, and it took horse track regulars a while to catch on to the lottery’s every-four-minutes numbers game.

“I don’t even know how this thing works,” said Tony Cortese, 82, of Cleveland, who spends about $20 a day on simulcast racing bets and $2 on two Pick-3 lotto tickets.

When live racing began early in the afternoon, Cortese was one of only a few Keno players. As the afternoon progressed, gamblers got interested in the two flat screens, set up away from the track, in front of a few lines of hard, plastic, waiting-room-style seats. But there were few players. Keno lacked the big payouts and the skill involved in race track betting.

By 4:30 p.m., Kilbane said 20,110 Keno bets had been placed statewide, totaling $88,000. There had been 5,720 winners, claiming $5,000 in all.