Posts Tagged ‘carma’

By Ray Paulick
I was feeling pretty good about Santa Anita’s opening day program on Saturday, the day after Christmas. There was a lot to like about this 75th anniversary of Thoroughbred racing at Southern California’s Great Race Place: two Grade 1 races, full fields, a curtain call by Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Zenyatta, the unveiling of the John Henry statue, the annual wall calendar giveaway, and the presentation of $260,000 to retirement and rescue operations from CARMA, the organization funded by California owners.

It was a big day, with more than 35,000 fans in attendance and total handle of almost $15 million, nearly one third of that on-track.

Then, on Sunday morning, I got a press release from the Japan Racing Association about their final program of the year from Nakayama Race Course in Tokyo, where more than 115,000 fans turned out in chilly weather to watch the season-ending Arima Kinen horse race. Those fans, along with others at OTBs or watching at home, wagered a total of $550 million on the day’s program.

The wagering total is three times higher than American racing’s biggest day of all time, the 2006 Kentucky Derby, when $175 million was bet. The 2009 Breeders’ Cup, a two-day affair, just topped $150 million in total handle.

So the JRA handled more than half a billion dollars on one program. Of that total, $440 million was wagered on the Arima Kinen, an invitational race where the starting field is selected by a popular vote of racing fans. It was a very big day for Japanese racing, even though the year’s biggest star, reigning Horse of the Year Vodka, the probable favorite to repeat in that role, was unable to run because she bled in the Japan Cup in late November.

So what’s the point of this comparison between American and Japanese racing? I think we’ve got some upside. There has been and will continue to be retraction in the number of tracks and races run here each year, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing in the long run. If major players in this industry can somehow create a better structure for the sport and develop a national strategy, I am convinced we can be stronger and secure a better future. And, no, this isn’t an early April Fool’s Day column. Saturday’s opening day program at Santa Anita showed what a compelling and great sport horse racing can be. If only we can get our act together.

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

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By Ray Paulick
The California Horse Racing Board has taken a lot of heat in the last several years for some of their actions, but they deserve a great deal of credit for approving a unique program in December 2007 allowing horse owners to give a small portion of the purse money they earn to the California Retirement Management Account (or CARMA), a fund-raising organization that contributes to retirement, adoption and retraining operations for retired California Thoroughbreds.

It’s doubtful the program would have gotten off the ground were it not for the efforts of Madeline Auerbach, who is passionate about many facets of the Thoroughbred industry, particularly animal welfare issues. “This is an idea whose time had come,” she said

CARMA is unique in that it is an opt-out program, meaning that CARMA will receive three-tenths of one percent from purses unless the owner instructs the racetrack paymaster that he does not want to participate. Some other programs that have raised money for retirement homes have done it on an opt-in basis, meaning you have to try and recruit people to contribute.

As a result, Auerbach said CARMA has roughly 80% participation from California owners. “It’s staggering,” she said.

“A lot of people were pushing to make this opt-in,” said Auerbach. “I knew people wouldn’t participate. I said it’s either opt out or we won’t do it.”

With a $200,000 endowment contribution from the Jan, Mace and Samantha Siegel Foundation, CARMA was off and running in 2008. A fund-raiser made $150,000, and the owner’s contributions could be right around $200,000 annually. CARMA made its first group of grants of $150,000 last year.

Auerbach, who chairs the 501(c)3 organization, said CARMA will be focusing more on programs that place ex-racehorses with new owners or retrain them for second careers.

“We have a great process,” she said. “We look at the financials and fundraising efforts of the organizations applying for grants. We also go look at the facilities.”

CARMA relies on volunteers for many of those duties. Lucinda Mandella, who shares her time working for Thoroughbred Owners of California, is CARMA’s only paid staffer.

The program is making a difference, Auerbach believes. “We make surprise visits to the farms,” she said. “We’re seeing improvements in the condition of the horses. Their teeth are getting floated and they are receiving more veterinary care.”

Auerbach is also riding high on the success of Unusual Heat, currently second in the California sire list by progeny earnings after leading that list in 2008 with record earnings for a California stallion and getting 16 stakes winners.

The son of Nureyev stands at Old English Rancho in Sanger, Calif. He raced for Auerbach and her late husband, James, after being claimed by them for $80,000. They didn’t have much luck with Unusual Heat on the racetrack and tried to sell him for $50,000 after he bowed a tendon. No one was interested so Unusual Heat was bred to some of the Auerbachs’ mares in 1998. He had 11 winners from 15 foals, and has only gotten better since.

Auerbach, however, says she deserves no credit for Unusual Heat’s success. “It was pure luck,” she said.

Auerbach races many of Unusual Heat’s offspring with her longtime trainer Barry Abrams. She recently decided to package a group of six Unusual Heat 2-year-olds in a syndicate that will be sold through Billy Koch’s Little Red Feather Racing, which will manage marketing and client relations. Auerbach and Abrams will make the racing decisions. Fifteen shares are being offered for the group at a price of $90,000 per share. CARMA will get a portion  of proceeds from the sale.

“I’m trying to get people excited,” Auerbach said. “I want more people to come to the races and have as much fun as I do.”

Auerbach is spending a lot of time this month preparing for CARMA’s annual fundraiser, a Texas Hold ‘em poker tournament called “Gitty Up, Belly Up & Pony Up.” It is being held at the Del Mar Hilton on Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. The early bird registration fee of $200 ended Aug. 6; the price is $225 at the door. TVG/Betfair is sponsor of the event, which also includes a silent auction plus food and drinks.

For more information on CARMA, click here.

Liberation Farm celebrates the many horsemen and horsewomen who strive each day to make things better for horses and those who work with them.  To learn more about Liberation Farm, click here.

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

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