washington

The 56th annual WTBOA Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale was held Tuesday, Aug. 22 at the WTBOA Sales Pavilion located at Emerald Downs racetrack in Auburn, Washington. After seven outs, 75 yearlings went through the sales ring. Topping this year's venue was Hip 71, a colt by first-year stallion Barkley (Munnings), winner of the 2018 GIII Longacres Mile before retiring to Nina and Ron Hagen's El Dorado Farms in Enumclaw. The colt sold for $55,000. The Hagens bred the saletopper, who was one of a trio of yearlings purchased by...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association is seeking current students or recent graduates for its internship program in Washington, D.C. The NTRA's new Washington office is located on Capitol Hill under the operation of former U.S. Congressman Tom Rooney, the President and CEO of the NTRA. "With the new Congress in January and everything in Washington reopening after COVID, we are very eager to welcome interns into our D.C. office," Rooney said. "The dynamic work environment of Capitol Hill is great for young people, and we hope to bring students with...

A colt by Sir Prancealot (Hip 80) topped the 55th WTBOA Summer Sale when purchased by the PT Syndicate for $80,000. The sale's leading consignor, Terry and Mary Lou Griffin's Griffin Place LLC, also sold Hip 46, a Midshipman colt out of Washington champion Bella Mia for $76,000, and Hip 34, a son of Sharp Azteca, was a $70,000 purchase. Both colts went to Dave Staudacher. A total of 76 yearlings went through the sales ring with 68 selling for a $1,219,700 gross. The $17,677 average was up from 2021's...

Emerald Downs will raise overnight purses by 10% for the 2022 racing season, the second consecutive year for such an increase. After not being able to attend the races in 2020, fans have returned to the Emerald grandstand this year and revenues have exceeded expectations. "Our race fans came out to enjoy the beautiful weather, great racing, and popular promotions," said track president Phil Ziegler. "Revenue from admissions, food & beverages, and wagering were all better than projected. That enables us to put more money towards purses in 2022." The...

   Chris Heyde is the founder of Blue Marble Strategy, LLC, a government affairs firm in Washington, D.C., which is the country's leading animal protection lobbyist. Heyde has been working towards passing a ban on horse slaughter in the United States for almost 20 years, serving as head of government and legal affairs for 17 years for the Animal Welfare Institute, the nation's oldest federal animal protection legislation program. Before entering the animal protection field, Chris was vice president of a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm that represented clients from health...

The Legislative Action Committee of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) attracted voluntary contributions in 2019 of $750,000, the highest amount contributed to the campaign since the pre-recession year of 2008. The NTRA LAC is a program that supports the breeding and racing industry's federal legislative efforts in Washington, D.C. More than 5,000 individuals and farms support the program and the funds are raised primarily through the NTRA's voluntary check-off program supported by buyers and consignors at Thoroughbred auctions equal to one-quarter of one percent of the prices of horses...

The Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association Summer Sale of yearlings is slated for Aug. 18 at the WTBOA Sales Pavilion at Emerald Downs. For nomination/entry information, contact Susan van Dyke at (253) 288-7896 or sue@washingtonthoroughbred.com. Cost-saving early bird yearling nominations close March 27 with late nominations available until April 24.