TOBA TO GIVE AWARD TO…TOBA?
(Note to readers: To quote funnyman Dave Barry, I swear I am not making this up. The following press release from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announces that the TOBA is giving itself an Industry Service Award for the work of the Sales Integrity Task Force that it formed in 2004. We sincerely hope no one at TOBA is injured patting him or herself on the back! — Ray Paulick)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
TOBA Honors the Sales Integrity Task Force with Industry Service Award
Contact: Erin Halliwell
Director of Marketing and Communications
(859) 276-2291
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) announced today that the Sales Integrity Task Force is the recipient of the 2008 Industry Service Award. The award will be presented at the TOBA National Awards Dinner, Saturday, September 6 at the Lexington Center, in Lexington, Ky.
The Sales Integrity Task Force reconvened in 2007 to develop industry consensus on licensing of bloodstock agents and consignors, transparency in ownership in the sales arena and transparency in medication in the sales arena. The task force recommended a bloodstock agent code of conduct be added to the conditions of sale, voluntary ownership disclosure in an ownership registry, updated prohibited practices and exogenous anabolic steroid testing at the buyer’s discretion. All of these recommendations have been adopted by sales companies Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton. .jpg)
Members of the 2007 Task Force receiving the special honor include: John Adger (Stonerside Stables); Mike Akers (Dapple Bloodstock); Headley Bell (Nicoma Bloodstock); Jimmy Bell (Darley USA); Reynolds Bell, Jr. (Reynolds Bell Thoroughbred Services); Wayne Boyd (Western Kentucky Horse Sales); Bill Casner (WinStar Farm); Robert Clay (Three Chimneys); Joe Costa (Tattersalls Sales); Charles “Redd” Crabtree (Crabtree Farms); Bruce Crowe (United Mountain Horse Association); Bill Farish (Lane’s End); Bill Heiligbrodt (Heiligbrodt Racing Stable); Jess Jackson (Stonestreet Farm); Ken Jackson (Kentuckiana Farms); Bill Landes (Hermitage Farm); Norman Luba (Kentucky Quarter Horse Association); Tom Ludt (Vinery); Reiley McDonald (Eaton Sales); Martha Jane Mulholland (Mulholland Springs Farm); Nick Nicholson (Keeneland Association); Denny Nunnelley (Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association); Frank Penn (Pennbrook Farm); Walt Robertson (Fasig-Tipton); Earl Rogers (Kentucky Walking Horse Association); Geoffrey Russell (Keeneland Association); Dermot Ryan (Ashford Stud); Satish Sanan (Padua Stables); Fred Sarver (American Saddlebred Horse Association); Fred Seitz (Thoroughbred trainer/Brookdale Farm); John Sikura (Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms); Mark Taylor (Taylor Made Farm); D.G. Van Clief (Fasig-Tipton); John Ward (Thoroughbred trainer); Jack Wolf (Starlight Stables); and Bayne Welker (Mill Ridge Farm). Alex Waldrop, president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, was the moderator for the task force.
“The individual and collective contributions from all members of the Sales Integrity Task Force must be recognized for their selfless giving of time as well as their expertise,” said Dan Metzger, president of TOBA. “Our industry was facing a daunting challenge and we responded with an unwavering commitment to integrity. The united and overwhelming support
for the task force’s recommendations demonstrated that we can improve our industry by working together.”
TOBA manages the Sales Integrity Program which implements the task force’s findings, provides public education to sales participants and manages programmatic communications. More information is available at www.salesintegrity.org.
TOBA, based in Lexington, Ky., was formed in 1961 and is a national trade organization of Thoroughbred horse breeders and owners. TOBA’s mission is to “improve the economics, integrity and pleasure of the sport on behalf of Thoroughbred owners and breeders.” Projects managed by TOBA include the American Graded Stakes Committee, The Racing Game, Sales Integrity Program and Claiming Crown. TOBA is the owner of The Blood-Horse Inc., and is represented on the Board of Directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association as a founding member. For more information on TOBA and the National Awards Dinner, call 859.276.2291.
Tags: TOBA
August 26th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
The headline of this story is great “TOBA gives award to TOBA” but then the entire story is a word-for-word copy of the TOBA press release.
Disclosure of medical procedures on sales horses is the subject this task force continues to ignore.
I expect more from the Paulick Report!
August 26th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Who was the genius who came up with this idea? Talk about home cooking. Are you sure this isn’t an April Fool’s Day in August prank. Say it ain’t so Ray.
August 26th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Oh Ray, you’re so funny…what a goofy joke.
Wasn’t TOBA the very group who got pulled kicking and screaming into the real and honest world. As the first rebuttal points out, without the “disclosure of medical procedures on sales horses, ” too.
Ain’t life grand?
Dave Johnson
August 26th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Note to Bilbobaggins. I think the press release speaks for itself.
Unfortunately, just when you thought the industry couldn’t be more leadership challenged, they pull another bone-head, insular move like this. The only hope for this event is the possibiity of Jesse Jackson grabbing the microphone for extemporaneous remarks. Apart from the Stakes races, TOBA is an organization in search of a mission.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Dear Bilbobaggins…I’m sorry the press release was originally posted as written without any introduction or commentary. When I received the press release today from the TOBA I was speechless…or was waiting for the punchline, which never arrived. I reckon they are serious about giving themselves this award.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
With apologies to Dave Barry, you can’t make up stuff like this or the dysfunctionalism of the Thoroughbred industry leadership
August 26th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Or with apologies to Sir Winston Churchill:
Never in the field of human conflict has so little been owed by so few to so many.
August 26th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
For goodness sakes. It might have been better for TOBA to let sleeping dogs lie. The Task Force’s largely cosmetic accomplishments were neither a profile in courage nor a Herculean effort As Neil Armstrong might have put it — one miniscule step for man, more rearranging of the deck chairs for the. horse industry.
August 26th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
A better headline would have been
“Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to give award to…Thoroughbred owners and breeders”
August 26th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Stage Door Johhny, I’ll take your headline and raise you one — “TOBA gives award to …TOBA Chairman.”
August 26th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
This could only happen in the horse business. The very worst offenders are on this committee and the people who have done the most to stop any progress. The sales next month will be the same as last year, hidden ownership, phony buyers, and fake sales to boost sire averages, most of which will conducted by members of the integity committee.
August 27th, 2008 at 12:04 am
Ray, you are so naive, darling. You have fallen for the oldest trick in the book, the fictitious press release. All I had to do was look at the T.O.B.A’s own magazine to learn that you were duped.
Someone is pulling your leg, kiddo. But you have to admit, it was a good one! A pat on the back to whoever fooled you! Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling…
August 27th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Dear Elsie Griffin…You had me scared there for a minute!
Until you pointed it out this morning, I hadn’t realized that the TOBA-owned Bloodhorse didn’t publish news of TOBA giving its Industry Service Award to TOBA, which would give it the official seal of authenticity.
That deed was done this morning ( http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/46768.htm?id=46768 ) almost 24 hours after the press release was distributed, so turns out it’’s the real deal.
Case closed.
August 27th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
OF COURSE IT’S THE REAL DEAL…….IN ORDER TO PULL A PRANK, THEY’D HAVE TO HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF SELF DEPRECATING HUMOR….THAT’LL BE THE DAY!!!
August 27th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Letter Sent to The Organization:
May I recommend that you allow the award recipients, at the same ceremony, to then award the awarders with an equivalent honor?
In fact, let’s line up every executive from both teams. And then, in a mass ceremony, the ones on the left can step forward and award the ones on the right.
While playing minuet music (heard in the background while the horsy set members discuss the latest developments in the 21st century at dinner at The Wishing Well), repeat the ceremony with the ones on the left being honored by their compatriot executives on the right.
Then the left rises in a standing ovation!
Not to be outdone, the right rises in a complimentary ovation!
(If there aren’t enough individuals available, have them all line up on one side - facing a full-length mirror - and then commence the medal awards.)
What a photo op!
Headline on the cover of your monthly newsletter:
“Awarders/Awardees Worthiness Dead Heat; Photo Cannot Resolve Finish!”
October 30th, 2008 at 9:10 am
This is a great subject (TOBA TO GIVE AWARD TO…TOBA?) with good data so well done on your success and interesting topic it should be discussed. Did you totally agree with the top half of this? I wonder about Horse Stables For Sale. The rest was fine and informative. Ill check back soon for any added comments, thanks.