Ron Rippey Award for Handicapping Media Announced

Brisnet.com will present the first-ever award for handicapping media at the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters dinner on Wednesday, October 29, at The Derby in Arcadia, Calif.

The inaugural Ron Rippey Handicapping Media Award is open to any article, blog post, or video pertaining to a handicapping topic published (in print or online) this year. Eligible topics include how to handicap/bet a race, post-race trip notes, or general essays on money management or use of speed ratings. The award is open to anyone with published content related to handicapping and offers a $1,000 cash prize plus reasonable accommodation to attend the NTWAB dinner to receive the award.

“Handicapping horse races is both an art and a science, and the ability to produce compelling content about the topic is a specialty that deserves recognition,” said Brisnet.com Director of Marketing Ed DeRosa. “We not only want to acknowledge the good work done in this regard but also encourage people to continue to produce this type of content, and who better to honor than successful handicapper and newspaper columnist Ron Rippey.”

Rippey won the 2006 National Handicapping Championship, was a 10-time qualifier for the prestigious annual event, and a beloved regular on the contest circuit. He also wrote about racing and made picks for the Newark Star-Ledger and contributed Spotlight Selections to Brisnet.com for major race days. Rippey died August 26.

“Ron’s enthusiasm for both playing the game and writing about it was infectious,” DeRosa said. “He wanted to beat you, but he wanted you to have fun while he did it, which is the essence of good handicapping content.”

Steve Byk, Jessica Chapel, and Paul Rolfes will serve as judges for the inaugural award, and the trio brings together a mix of media experiences:

*Byk is host of the long-running ‘At The Races’ on SiriusXM, publisher of DerbyTrail.com, & managing partner of Dee Tee Stables;

*Chapel founded her eponymous JessicaChapel.com—one of the longest-running blogs in racing—in 2004, helped launch Daily Racing Form blogs in 2007, and currently works on BreedersCup.com digital media initiatives; and

*Rolfes is an editor with the Louisville Courier-Journal who writes about horse racing and previously covered & handicapped both breeds for the Columbus Dispatch.

For more information or to submit an entry, e-mail RippeyAward@Brisnet.com by Tuesday, September 30.

Minnesota HBPA Announces Election Results

The Minnesota HBPA election results were announced September 4.

There were four candidates running for two open owner positions on the board of directors.  

Tom Metzen Sr., Owner/Director and current President, was reelected for another three-year term.

Owner Claudia Goebel, new to the board, will also serve three years.

Owner/Trainer Bernell Rhone will serve another term and ran unopposed.

The board elected Tom Metzen Sr. as President and Jack Walsh as Vice President for 2014-2015.

The Interactive, Electronic Edition of The Horsemen's Journal Fall 2014 Issue is Now Available

The interactive, electronic version of The Horsemen's Journal's Fall 2014 issue is now available online. It is an enhanced version of our Fall 2014 issue, which is currently being mailed. To view it, either click here or click on the flipping magazine icon above.
Features in the issue include:

• Meet Me in OKC - Horsemen come together for the NHBPA Summer Convention in Oklahoma City
• Supplying Demand - Steuart Pittman and the Retired Racehorse Project aim to bring back demand for Thoroughbreds in other disciplines
• Wandering Withdrawal Times and the RMTC Model Rules -Time for the RMTC to get “days”
• Prepurchase Exams for the Layman - Evaluating a horse on your own before going ahead with an official veterinary exam can save you money
• Embracing Technology May Improve Racehorse Performance - High-speed treadmills show promise

Much more than a PDF, the interactive electronic edition of The Horsemen's Journal includes the ability to save, print, email, or share content on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Please enjoy this exciting offering from the National HBPA and share it with anyone you think might enjoy it.

All hyperlinks/URLs and email addresses in the electronic edition are working, clickable links. So be sure to click on some of them - especially those in the advertisements to get more information on the great products and services being offered by the companies supporting your horsemen's organization.

Charles Town HBPA Launches Online Newsletter

The Charles Town HBPA has just launched the first edition of its online newsletter titled Beyond the Paddock. According to the first issue, the goal of the newsletter will be to “educate you on horse racing's large impact on the financial well being of our entire community. We will share stories with you about...Real People...Real Jobs...Real Impact!”

The first issue includes a letter from Charles Town HBPA President Randy Funkhouser along with information about the economic impact of horse racing in West Virginia. To find out more or to sign up for the newsletter, visit the Charles Town HBPA website at www.cthbpa.com.

McCarron, Jenkins and Crump to Judge America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Contest

Chris McCarron, Rodney Jenkins, and Diane Crump will team up at Pimlico Race Course on Sunday, October 5 to provide commentary and insight on the performances of ten Thoroughbred ex-racehorses performing in ten equestrian sports during the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover: A Marketplace and National Symposium.

America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Contest is designed to educate the equestrian public about the process of training an ex-racehorse for a second career. The horses are new to their respective disciplines, but their trainers are experts. The public has been watching their progress on the RRP website (RetiredRacehorseProject.org) and will vote for their favorites from September 25 – 28. A second round of voting will take place during the October 5 demonstrations and immediately after.

“We chose these judges not only because they are three of the most accomplished horse people in America, but also because they are three of the most entertaining personalities in racing,” said RRP President Steuart Pittman. The role of the judges is to comment on each performance and question the trainers in a format similar to that of Fox Television’s American Idol. They do not decide the winners but can influence the popular vote with their commentary. The event offers $10,000 in purse money and can be watched live at BloodHorse.com. It will be emceed by Stan Salter of Maryland Horse Radio.

The contestants represent the sports of dressage (Nuno Santos with Now and Then), eventing (Phillip Dutton with Icabad Crane), foxhunting (Christy Clagett with Saba Rock), show jumpers (Armand Leone and New Vocations with Discreet Dancer), show hunters (Bev Strauss and Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue with D’Sauvage), polo (Juan Carlos Gonzalez and Marisa Bianchi with It’s A Little Chilli), ranch work (Dale Simanton with Rikim), barrels and western dressage (Patrick King with Pookie’s Princess), steeplechase (Jazz Napravnik with So Outspoken), Pony Club (Hannah Gilhool with Mad Bomber).

Chris McCarron retired as a jockey in 2002 as America’s all-time leader in earnings. He won two Eclipse Awards, was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame, and later served as General Manager of Santa Anita Park and as a racing analyst for TVG. In 2005, he created the North American Racing Academy to train future exercise riders, jockeys, and horsemen.

Diane Crump, was the first American woman to ride at a major track (Hialeah in 1969), the first woman to win a stakes race, and the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby (1970). She won 228 of her 1682 races as a jockey. After retiring from race riding she created Diane Crump Equine Sales, Inc., a successful business that matches horses and buyers in the sport horse market.

Rodney Jenkins trains a strong barn of some forty racehorses out of Laurel Park, but made history in the horse show world. He not only dominated both the hunter and jumper rings throughout the 70s and 80s, but he did it primarily on Thoroughbreds. His most famous winner was Idle Dice, a Charlestown claimer who won 31 Grand Prix in his career, including two at the age of 21. Rodney is in the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame, the Show Jumping Hall of Fame, and was Maryland’s leading racing trainer in 2004.

The America’s Most Wanted Thoroughbred Contest is a part of the Thoroughbred Makeover: A Marketplace and National Symposium October 4-5 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The weekend includes a Thoroughbred Marketplace sponsored by Thoroughbred Charities of America, seminars about transitioning racehorses to second careers, and demonstrations by top Thoroughbreds in multiple disciplines. Marketplace entries are being accepted at RetiredRacehorseProject.org and the catalogue of horses can be viewed there during the week before the event.

Simulcast Conference Deadline Approaching

“Is Racing Keeping Pace with Technology” will be the theme of the 22nd annual International Simulcast Conference in Delray Beach, Fla., on Sept. 29-Oct. 1. The conference, which will be held at the Marriott Delray Beach, will feature presentations and discussions on available technology and how it can be used to the benefit or detriment of pari-mutuel racing.

As technology continuously exercises increased impact on consumer trends, conference sessions will be devoted to the influence of technology from a competitive perspective, in enhancing the viewing and wagering experience, and what response technology may require for the industry to stay current with consumer demands.

Among the areas to be discussed:
•Mobile device use on-track
•High definition production and home delivery
•Fan and bettor experience

The International Simulcast Conference is co-sponsored by the TRA and Harness Tracks of America, in association with the American Greyhound Track Operators Association. Conference attendance requires registration with the TRA. Hotel rooms are still available and reservations may be made by calling the Marriott Delray Beach at 561-274-3200 and requesting the “International Simulcast Conference” block. The deadline for hotel reservations is September 12. Conference registration deadline is September 19. For more information, including the conference registration process, please visit www.tra-online.com.