The Maryland-Bred Race Fund at 50 Time for a makeover? Created in 1962 by the Maryland General
Assembly, and the fi rst of its kind in the nation, T e Maryland Fund was a radical and creative legislated incentive program enacted to encour- age the improvement of T oroughbred breed- ing and racing through monetary incentives. T e fund receives slightly less than 1% of the total mutuel handle and breakage from Lau- rel and Pimlico (the state’s two major tracks), and receives approximately 1.5% of the mutuel handle and 5% of the breakage at Timonium (the state’s only minor track). T e parimutuel handle is the amount of money returned to the better after the “house” takes its cut (in this case, the house is the state and the track owners).
How the fund is distributed: 1) purse money for races for registered Maryland-breds 2) awards for owners of winning registered Maryland-breds 3) awards for breeders of winning and stakes-placed registered Maryland-breds 4) awards for stallions who sire registered Maryland-bred winners and stakes-placed horses
5) purse premiums for owners of registered Maryland-breds in selected unrestricted stakes
6) bonus awards for the highest-earning two- and three-year-olds shown at the an- nual MHBA yearling show 7) an allocation for purses for Maryland- sired horses
According to the MHBA, which administers the fund: Of the 55 percent designated for purses and own- er awards, 66 2/3 percent is allocated to purses and 33 1/3 percent is allocated to owner awards. T e remaining 45 percent is distributed in the form of breeder awards and stallion awards. (Maryland Million day’s awards are based upon a separate formula.) Owner awards are paid to the owners of all reg-
istered Maryland-breds when they win any race (including all maiden claiming races) other than stakes, starter races or claiming races in which the winner runs for a claiming price of less than $20,000.
Breeder and stallion awards are paid for the
registered Maryland-bred who wins any race or fi nishes second, third or fourth in any stakes race in Maryland. Historically, the breeder award has been approximately twice the amount of the stal- lion award. In stakes races the award is based on the fi rst $100,000 of the gross purse. In order to earn a breeder award, the winning
(or stakes-placed) horse must be registered as a Maryland-bred. In order to earn a stallion award, the winning (or stakes-placed) horse must be reg- istered as a Maryland-bred, and the sire must be registered with the MHBA, in addition to having been standing in Maryland at the time the winner was conceived.
Extreme Fund Makeover? In 2000, the Maryland-bred Fund distributed
over $5 million dollars, but in 2010 it distribut- ed a little over $2 million. Meanwhile, the bred
funds in other states grow, as do race entries. In 2000, the Pennsylvania Breeding Fund distrib- uted a little over $8 million (about a $3 million spread from ours). In 2010, Pennsylvania dis- tributed over $16 million. It begs the question: how can we expect people to want to breed and own Maryland-breds?
Like the showplace kitchen built in the 1960s with harvest gold appliances, avocado walls, knotty pine cabinets and asbestos-lined vinyl fl ooring, maybe it is time to remodel—or at least give the old girl a makeover, if not a com- plete overhaul! Larking Hill’s Christy Clagett (whose uncle Hal C.B. Clagett authored the original Mary- land-bred Fund bill) seems to think so—and she is not alone. “Maryland-breds need the ability to earn more in their own state,” she ex- plains. “T e way to have a Maryland horse earn more is to have restricted races for Maryland- breds at all levels with enhanced purses and fund these from the purse account. In the other races, have 40% purse enhancements at all lev- els for Maryland-bred horses running 1st-6th, again funded from the purse account. T en use the bred fund for breeders, stallion and owner bonuses. T e redirection of existing funds will reward people who invest in Maryland agri- culture, people who breed horses, own farms, provide jobs, and spend and pay taxes in Mary- land! As an added bonus, grasslands (i.e.horse farms) are the best natural protection for the Chesapeake, and this would help to ensure Maryland’s grasslands remain viable.”
Robert Manfuso and Katharine Voss Breed 2012 MHBA Yearling Champion For the second year in a row, the team of Bob Manfuso and Katharine
Voss of West Friendship bred the Maryland Horse Breeders Association Yearling Show Grand Champion. T e show was held at the Timonium Fairgrounds on June 24 with 60 entries making up the four classes. T is year it was the Manfuso/Voss bay colt by T ewayyouare that took home the Foxharbor Farm Challenge Trophy. T e colt is out of Tanca,
who is by Polish Numbers. Judge Al Stall, Jr. said, “He looks like he has everything he needs to be a nice horse—scope, balance, athleticism, and he seems to have handled this with the proper attitude.” T is colt won Class II, which is for colts and geldings foaled in Maryland by stallions outside of the state. If the Manfuso/Voss team wins again in 2013, they will take permanent possession of the trophy for three consecutive wins. Carol Kaye of Woodbine owns and bred the Reserve Grand Champion, a bay colt by Great Notion out of Love Me Twice (by Not for Love). Stall said of the yearling, “…should be a better horse too as he goes along. He’s going to fi ll in and he’s got the right frame to do it, and he seemed to have a nice attitude about every- thing.” Kaye’s colt was also the winner of Class I, which is for colts and geldings foaled in Maryland and by Maryland sires. A dark bay fi lly by Rock Slide, owned and bred by Bill Shook
Chanceland Farm’s Class II-winning colt with A.J. Hesketh-Tutton at his head, took home the Grand Champion prizes, which Katy Voss (center) needed extra arms to hold. Joining in the celebration (from second left) were Libby Butts and Sally Eck of Chanceland Farm, plus Bill Reightler, who presented the groom’s award for EMO Agency, Mel Moss, Ann Jack- son (holding the Foxharbor Farm Challenge Trophy) and Carl McEntee for trophy sponsor Northview Stallion Station.
32 | THE EQUIERY | AUGUST 2012
of New Hampshire, won Class III (fi llies foaled in Maryland by mares covered in Maryland). T e fi lly is out of Haveyouheard, who is by Oh Say. Dark Hollow Farm bred and owned the Class IV winning fi l-
ly (fi llies foaled in Maryland by stallions from other states). T e chestnut fi lly is by Pure Prize and out of Bamba, who is by Not For Love. T e leading Maryland sire of the show was Great Notion.
800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
Barrie Reightler
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