Effinex 2015 NY-Bred Horse of the Year; Eklektikos Stable top breeder

Effinex Wins Clark Handicap (Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography}

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Effinex Wins G1 Clark Handicap (Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography}

By Sarah Mace

Grade 1 winner and $2.2 million-earner Effinex, bred by Dr. Russell Cohen and campaigned by his family racing operation Tri-Bone Stables, has been voted New York’s 2015 Horse of the Year. Mark Vondrasek’s Eklektikos Stable LLC, breeder of La Verdad and Hot City Girl, was named the state’s top breeder. Their dam Noble Fire was selected as the Champion Broodmare.

The honors were announced at the annual Awards Banquet of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) held on April 4, 2015 at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs, New York. The event, sponsored by the New York Breeding and Development Fund, was emceed by Richard Migliore, former leading New York jockey and currently a broadcast analyst for the New York Racing Association, Inc. The New York-bred divisional champions and horse of the year were chosen by a ballot of New York turf writers, handicappers, chart callers and racing analysts conducted by NYTB.

In addition to being voted Horse of the Year, Effinex picked up the hardware for Champion Older Dirt Male. The other multiple honoree of the night was Eclipse champion female sprinter La Verdad, who was voted Champion Female Sprinter and Champion Older Dirt Female. Repeat honorees were Lubash in the male turf division and Palace as Champion Male Sprinter. Upstart, voted top New York-bred juvenile in 2014, won the 3-year-old male division in 2015.

Linda Rice was the top-earning trainer of New York-breds for the third year in a row, while the hot-handed Jose Ortiz repeated as the top jockey for state-breds by earnings.

The evening’s program was kicked off this year by two special presentations: a Lifetime Achievement Award to past NYTB President Barry Ostrager and a Thoroughbred Charities Award of Merit to ReRun, Inc.

A complete list of New York’s 2015 equine and human honorees follows:

Horse of the Year, Champion Older Dirt Male: Effinex
DK B/, H, foaled April 15, 2011 (Mineshaft – What a Pear, by E Dubai)
Breeder: Dr. Russell S. Cohen
Owner: Tri-Bone Stables
Trainer: James A. Jerkens

Champion Female Sprinter, Champion Older Dirt Female: La Verdad
B, M, foaled April 29, 2010 (Yes It’s True – Noble Fire, by Hook and Ladder)
Breeder: Eklektikos Stable LLC
Owner: Lady Sheila Stable
Trainer: Linda Rice

Champion Two-Year-Old Male: Flexibility
B, C, foaled February 26, 2013 (Bluegrass Cat – Santa Vindi, by Vindication)
Breeder: WinStar Farm, LLC
Owner: Klaravich Stables, Inc. and William H. Lawrence
Trainer: Chad C. Brown

Champion Two-Year-Old Filly: Frosty Margarita
DK B/, F, foaled April 25, 2013 (Frost Giant – Mango Margarita, by Not For Love)
Breeder/Owner: Gabrielle Farm
Trainer: Rudy R. Rodriguez

Champion Three-Year-Old Male: Upstart
DK B/, R, foaled April 13, 2012 (Flatter – Party Silks, by Touch Gold)
Breeder: Mrs. Gerald A. Nielsen
Owner: Ralph M. Evans and WinStar Farm LLC
Trainer: Richard A. Violette, Jr.

Champion Three-Year-Old Filly: Hot City Girl
CH, F, foaled March 2, 2012 (City Zip – Noble Fire, by Hook and Ladder)
Breeder: Eklektikos Stable LLC
Owner: Lady Sheila Stable
Trainer: Linda Rice

Champion Turf Male: Lubash
B, H, foaled February 24, 2007 (Freud – Nasty Cure, by Cure the Blues)
Breeder: Aliyuee Ben J Stable Inc.
Owner: Aliyu Ben J Stables
Trainer: Christophe Clement

Champion Turf Female: Invading Humor
DK B/, M, foaled March 28, 2010 (Invasor (ARG) – Very Funny, by Distorted Humor)
Breeder: Dr. James Randall Mcglinn
Owner: Bloodlines Racing Partnerships
Trainer: Bruce N. Levine

Champion Male Sprinter: Palace
B, H, foaled April 1, 2009 (City Zip – Receivership, by End Sweep)
Breeder: The Peter J. Callahan Revocable Trust Dated 2/28/02
Owner: Antonino Miuccio
Trainer: Linda Rice

Broodmare of the Year: Noble Fire (Hook and Ladder), dam of La Verdad/Hot City Girl

Breeder of the Year: Eklektikos Stable LLC
Trainer of the Year: Linda Rice
Jockey of the Year: Jose Ortiz

Lifetime Achievement Award: Barry Ostrager
Thoroughbred Charities of America Award of Merit: ReRun, Inc.

Endnotes:

[Image]: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Effinex-Wins-Clark-Handicap-finish.jpg

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2016/04/04/effinex-2015-hoy-eklektikos-stable-top-breeder/

Opinion: Finger Lakes is Critical to NY

Bloodhorse.com April 3[1]: The following letter is from Jeff Cannizzo, New York Thoroughbred Breeders executive director, regarding the New York state budget, which took effect in April and excludes a hold-harmless provision for purses at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack, located 30 miles from a new Lago Resort and Casino that will open in 2017.

This is extremely disappointing and nauseating news because a healthy racing program at Finger Lakes is critically important to Thoroughbred breeders. Just look at the statistics. In 2015, NY-breds were responsible for 70% of total starts at Finger Lakes and earned 73% of all purse money distributed. Furthermore, races at Finger Lakes generated 52% of the number of breeder awards paid by the Fund.

NYTB pursued all available avenues to protect the Finger Lakes Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the Fund for over a year from the competing Lago casino, from Delaware North, and even the state. The gaming tax relief helps only the bottom line of Delaware North, which made $16 million in profit last year. The budget assures it making the same profit. The FLHBPA formally supported Delaware North receiving this relief. In addition, Delaware North is not required to give anything to purses from this bail out—unfathomable as it runs the racetrack. It’s as unfathomable that Lago doesn’t have to follow the same rules as the rest of the state’s casinos.

NYTB will now pursue protection for the FLHBPA and the Fund through stand-alone legislation in the upcoming session. Passing these matching Senate and Assembly bills on purse protection will be an uphill battle. Although the Governor’s office, Senate, and Assembly have committed verbally to working on the problem, the obstacles thwarting our earlier efforts remain. Governments only seem to react to a crisis, and it’s apparent it feels that crisis is a year away.

Every 10% decrease of video lottery terminals revenue reduces the Finger Lakes purses by $1.1 million and 65% of purses come from VLT revenue. Finger Lakes purses are likely to be somewhere between $12-14 million next year after accounting for losses from the Lago casino. On-track live handle at Finger Lakes is down more than 50% in the last decade, export to NY OTBs is down more than 70%. When the daily live handle is less than $50,000, it accelerates purse declines because the live handle contributes up to five times more than export. We must ensure that racing is viable at Finger Lakes, which plays an essential role in New York’s racing industry. NYTB has routinely requested Delaware North investigate the installation of a turf course, which would help field size and the population. NYTB even identified funding. These discussions all have resulted in no action. Perhaps now these types of long-term strategies can happen to better racing. It’s a must for New York.

Endnotes:

Bloodhorse.com April 3: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/98801/opinion-finger-lakes-is-critical-to-ny

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2016/04/04/opinion-finger-lakes-is-critical-to-ny/