April 2012 - Union Rags, Animal Kingdom, Havre de Grace Start the Year with Triumphs When a top-class horse returns to the racetrack it can be a glorious revival or a crushing letdown. Both anticipation and anxiety fill the air. Not to worry. Union Rags, Animal Kingdom and Horse of the Year Havre de Grace all delivered triumphant comebacks in their season debuts. Read full article >>
April 2012 - Work To Ride Repeats National Championship The Cowtown/Work to Ride polo team, based out of Philadelphia, Pa., took home the US Polo Association Open National Interscholastic Championship held March 8-11 at the Virginia Polo Center in Charlottesville, Va., for the second year in a row. The competition featured five of the best high school polo programs from across the map and some of the most talented young polo players. Read full article >>
April 2012 - Lauren Eichstadt Wins AQHA All-Around Amateur Title Lauren Eichstadt of Greenville, Pennsylvania, took home over $15,000 in prizes as the 2011 Farnam All-Around Amateur at the 2011 AQHA World Championship Show. Eichstadt, showing Its My Lucky Detail, was one of 64 contenders for the Farnam All-Around Amateur Award at the 2011 American Quarter Horse Association Bank of America Amateur World Championship Show, held November 5-19 at the Oklahoma City State Fair Park. Read full article >>
April 2012 - Meet Olympic Riders at the 20th Annual Willowdale Steeplechase The Willowdale Steeplechase races offer spectators thrills and spills like other Xtreme sports. In every race, these x-equestrians gallop at up to 40 mph towards four to five feet hedges and solid timber fences on a 3.5 mile course, jockeying for position and the opportunity to take the lead and win. Read full article >>
April 2012 - Cantankerous Hugadragon Begins to Show His Speed Obviously he is his own unique individual, yet Hugadragon, like all the immediate members of his family, shares common personality traits or characteristics based on his genetic composition. Some of which have caused the Burke family, his breeder/owner, a considerable amount of consternation. Read full article >>
March 2012 - “Rescuer” Kelsey Lefever Charged with Sending Thoroughbreds Directly to Slaughter Beau Jaques started 37 races in his short life. The son of Straight Man and Beautiful Beau won less than $124,000 in his career. His track record may have been unremarkable. His death last spring at a Canadian slaughterhouse was a moment of truth for Pennsylvania’s horseracing industry. Read full article >>
March 2012 - Looking Ahead to the Derby – Matz Changed the Way Trainers Prep Back then Matz was buried under a mountain of criticism. After all, for the longest time three-year olds raced four or five times prior to the Kentucky Derby. Lack of racing experience would surely compromise the colt in a full field of 20 horses that impersonates a calvary charge. The pundits howled: not a smart plan. The three-year old colt would be running a daunting mile-and-a-quarter coming off a final prep race a lengthy five weeks prior to the Derby. Read full article >>
March 2012 - Ron Samsel Won the Battle But is Losing His Dream Just over a year ago, Ron Samsel emerged from a Philadelphia courtroom victorious. He had fought the good fight. He had won. And in his victory, he had helped establish a precedent for horse farm owners across Pennsylvania. Today Samsel’s story has taken another dramatic turn, as the recession-battered economy and the downward momentum of the real estate market have nearly crushed him. Once again, Samsel is poised at the brink of disaster. And yet... he remains hopeful. Read full article >>
March 2012 - Corbett Budget Proposal Cuts $72 Million from Race Horse Development Fund In laying out his $27.1 billion budget plan February 7, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett stuck to his campaign pledge to rein in spending and increase no taxes. His budget proposal for the 2012/2013 fiscal year, which begins July 1, reduces corporate taxes, slashes aid to colleges, reduces programs for the poor, elderly, and disabled – and impacts agriculture, including the Pennsylvania horse racing industry. Read full article >>
February 2012 - Retired Racehorse Challenge at Horse World Expo Saves Talented OTTBs Retired racehorses need new jobs, and the Retired Racehorse Trainer Challenge is doing its part to help them find them. The Challenge, which teams three off the track thoroughbreds with three experienced trainers, began at the Maryland Horse World Expo January 20-21, and will conclude at the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo February xx. Between the expos, the trainers will have had five weeks to nudge their horse toward a new career. Read full article >>
February 2012 - Township Tries, Fails to Take Ludwig’s Corner Show Grounds by Eminent Domain Resounding support from horsemen and pressure from the community at large helped the Ludwig's Corner Horse Show Association persuade the West Vincent Township Board of Supervisors rescind a motion that would have condemned the Horse Show Grounds. Read full article >>
February 2012 - Local Horses Win Eclipse Awards - Havre de Grace Joins Fillies Rachael Alexandra and Zenyatta as Horse of the Year As rock musician Meat Loaf once sang: “Two out of three ain’t bad.” Havre de Grace beat the boys once again winning Horse of the Year honors and Kentucky Derby champ Animal Kingdom was voted the 3-year old male champion at the 41st annual Eclipse Awards dinner in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Jan. 16. Chadds Ford Stable’s Union Rags was runner-up to Hansen in the 2-year old champion vote. Read full article >>
February 2012 - Economy Terror Is Best Two Year Old Pacing Filly He loved how she looked and her family tree. But when partner Chris Oakes contacted him about purchasing Economy Terror privately as a yearling, Howard Taylor was not a fan of her name and certainly was not thrilled about her price tag. Read full article >>
February 2012 - Foiled by Paperwork, Steven Hay Selected for, Misses Young Rider Endurance Worlds When Steven Hay was just six years old, he knew that he was in love with horses. He rode horses at his grandmother’s farm, and spent several years taking advantage of all the opportunities available to a young rider, such as showing and 4H. But he was hungry for more. “When I was younger I had showed, and I did 4H and it wasn’t my cup of tea. I didn’t feel like going in the show ring and riding around in a circle. It didn’t test us. It wasn’t enough.” Read full article >>
