Final 2022 Pony Conference Standings

The Mystique of Turfway Park

The Mystique of Turfway Park

By Rod Rainier
The Daily Yay
January 12, 2023

Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located just outside the city limits to the north of Florence, Kentucky, about 10 miles south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati. The track conducts live Thoroughbred horse racing during three meets each year—Fall, Holiday, and Winter/Spring—and offers year-round simulcast wagering from tracks across the continent.

In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Of the top Ten, Turfway was ranked #10.

Turfway Park opened in Florence, Kentucky, in 1959 as Latonia Race Course. The track is located about 10 miles south of the original Latonia in Covington, Kentucky, which hosted Thoroughbred racing from 1883 until it was torn down in 1939. The original Latonia was home to the important Latonia Derby, which rivaled the Kentucky Derby in prestige for many years and shared many of the same horses. The Florence track's name was changed to Turfway Park when Jerry Carroll and his partners purchased the facility in 1986.

In 1999, Carroll sold the track in equal parts to lottery equipment manufacturer GTECH, gaming conglomerate Harrah's Entertainment, and the non-profit Keeneland Association, which operates the Lexington, Kentucky, race track and Thoroughbred auction facility. In 2005, GTECH sold its interests to the other partners, leaving Keeneland and Harrah's with 50-50 interests.

Turfway is home to the Horseshoe Casino Spiral Stakes, established by then-general manager John Battaglia in 1972 as the Spiral Stakes. Battaglia envisioned a race from which 3-year-olds would "spiral up" to the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and then to the Kentucky Derby. The race was sponsored from 1982 through 1998 by Jim Beam Distillers, and for one year (1999) by GalleryFurniture.com. Lane's End Farm, one of the world's leading Thoroughbred breeding and sales operations, took over sponsorship in 2002. Horse farm giant Vinery Stables has sponsored since 2011. The race attained Grade II status in 1988 but was later downgraded to Grade III in 2011.

Turfway Park was also home to the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions, patterned after (and a prep for) the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The card included five stakes, four of them graded, including the Grade II Kentucky Cup Classic, and was traditionally run four weeks before the Breeders' Cup. In 2010, Turfway Park eliminated the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions.

In 2008, the Turfway Park Fall Championship (G3) was named a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race, with its winner guaranteed a spot in the Breeders' Cup Marathon.

Turfway combined with Churchill Downs and other investors to purchase Dueling Grounds Race Course near Franklin, Kentucky; Turfway retains a small share in the track, since renamed Kentucky Downs.

In 2005, Turfway Park became the first track in North America to install Polytrack, an all-weather product, as a racing surface. The visible component combines silica sand, wax, and various fibers; the hidden drainage component allows water to drain quickly through the surface, eliminating the freeze-and-thaw cycles that plagued the track during its winter meets. With the installation, Turfway's track condition is always officially listed as "fast," no matter the weather.

In 2012, Dan Gilbert's Rock Gaming bought a 40% stake in Turfway Park from Keeneland. Turfway Park was the fictional setting of the 2005 adventure/comedy movie, Racing Stripes. However, no filming took place at Turfway Park; the track was mentioned in name only.

Bowl Season 2022 Results

Bowl Season, 2022 Scores...

BCS National Championship Game
Twilight Sparkle 93, Kansas State 13

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Miami 35, Fluttershy 32

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Rainbow Dash 56, Boise State 24

Week 15 & Week 16 2022 Results

Week 15 Scores...

Twilight Sparkle 70, Rarity 14
Fluttershy 24, Pinkie Pie 21
Rainbow Dash 37, Applejack State 34

Week 16 Scores...

No Scores

The Mystique of Prairie Meadows Racetrack

The Mystique of Prairie Meadows Racetrack

By Ben Rogers
The Daily Dash
December 1, 2022

Prairie Meadows is a Casino, Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racetrack, and Hotel in Altoona, Iowa. In 1984, Prairie Meadows received a license from the Iowa Racing and Gaming commission to operate a horse racing facility after parimutuel betting was legalized by the state the previous year. In 1987, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for Prairie Meadows.

Prairie Meadows conducted its first day of racing on March 1, 1989. However, the track lost money during its first few years of operation and filed for bankruptcy in November 1991. Live racing was suspended for the 1992 season before revenues from off-track betting allowed racing to resume the following year.

On May 17, 1994, Polk County voters approved a referendum allowing the installation of slot machines at Prairie Meadows. On April 1, 1995, the slot machine casino opened at Prairie Meadows, and by the end of 1996, Prairie Meadows was able to pay off the bonds that were issued by the Polk County Board of Supervisors.

On December 14, 2004, Prairie Meadows added casino game tables after receiving state approval to do so. As a result of the high demand for these tables, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved Prairie Meadows' plans to expand its facility on January 25, 2005. Construction on the $60 million expansion began in September 2005. An addition to the casino opened in August 2006, while two new restaurants and a 1,200-seat concert hall known as "The Meadows" opened in February 2007.

On February 25, 2009, the Prairie Meadows board voted unanimously to solicit third-party proposals for construction and ownership of a 200-room hotel, at the cost of $20 to $25 million. The current timeline would have the hotel opening Jan/Feb of 2012.

Prairie Meadows is owned by Polk County and operated by a local, non-profit, 13-member board of directors. The revenues generated by Prairie Meadows are given to various community projects in the Des Moines area, including construction of the Iowa Events Center complex in downtown Des Moines. Prairie Meadows' gross revenue for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2008, was nearly $193 million. That total ranked second to the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs among Iowa's casinos.

Prairie Meadows has a one mile dirt track with a chute for quarter horses. On site is a casino with 1,900 slot machines and casino game tables featuring games such as poker, roulette, and blackjack. The track area has also hosted free concerts by national musical acts in recent years.

Prairie Meadows runs many stakes and handicaps during its April to October season. During 2010, April 23rd to August 7th will conduct all thoroughbred races, August 13th to September 25th all quarter horse races, and October 1st to October 16th all standardbred races.

The track runs three graded stakes races during the thoroughbred season. They are:

• Grade 2 Cornhusker Handicap
• Grade 3 Iowa Oaks
• Grade 3 Iowa Derby

In addition, other animals such as ostriches have raced in the area.

Week 14 2022 Results

Week 14 Scores...

Twilight Sparkle 84, Applejack State 3
Pinkie Pie 35, Maine 28
Rainbow Dash 44, Rarity 20
Fluttershy 48, VMI 14

The Mystique of Veliefendi Race Course

The Mystique of Veliefendi Race Course

By Kathy Weingart
The Daily Party
November 23, 2022

Veliefendi Race Course (Turkish: Veliefendi Hipodromu) is a horse racing track located at Veliefendi neighborhood in Zeytinburnu district of Istanbul, Turkey.

It is country's oldest and biggest race course founded on a former grassland that was historically a farm belonging to Şeyhülislam Veliyüddin Efendi, an 18th-century superior authority of Islam in the Ottoman Empire. The race course was constructed in the years 1912/13 by German specialists upon the initiative of Enver Pasha.

The race course hosts also music events. In 2006, Turkish pop singer Nez held a concert.

The race course covers an area of 59.6 ha (147 acres) consisting of facilities for racing, training and barns. The race course has three interleaved tracks as:

• a 2,020 m (2,210 yd) long and 27–36 m (89–118 ft) wide turf oval,
• a 1,870 m (2,050 yd) long and 17.5–19 m (57–62 ft) wide synthetic track for all-weather racing and
• a 1,730 m (1,890 yd) long and 16–17 m (52–56 ft) wide sand oval for training.

The track's seating capacity is 7,600. The complex comprises offices, a museum, an exhibition hall, a racehorse hospital, an apprentice training center as well as social and recreational facilities.

During a race on July 31, 1949, four race horses, including two favourite horses, did not leave the starting gate upon the referee's start sign, and were disqualified. The bettors protested about a possible swindle by the referees and the racehorse owners, and demanded a rerun. As the referee commission rejected the demand, the crowd set the referee tower, the bleachers, the administration and box offices on fire.

In July 1953, bettors threw at horsemen with stones and beat a jockey named Muhacir Ahmet (literally: Ahmet The Immigrant) they believed he had swindled. Two years later local newspapers published about swindels at Veliefendi Race Course, and during a race on July 13, 1955, the bettors stoned the administration building, and Muhacir Ahmet was beaten once again.

In 2008, the track held its first-ever farewell ceremony for a racehorse, honoring Ribella, a popular mare.

Week 13 2022 Results

Week 13 Scores...

Twilight Sparkle 59, Rainbow Dash 10
Fluttershy 34, Illinois State 31
Pinkie Pie 27, UC Davis 17
Applejack State 42, Rarity 25

The Mystique of Täby Racecourse

The Mystique of Täby Racecourse

By Kathy Weingart
The Daily Party
November 16, 2022

Taby Racecourse, (Swedish: Täby Galopp), is a Thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Täby, approximately 15 kilometres north of Stockholm. Taby Racecourse is the premier track in the three Scandinavian countries where racing is run, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Opened in 1960 and based on the major racecourses in America, its facilities have constantly been up-graded and are now as good as most courses in Europe and unrivalled in Scandinavia.

Racing takes place throughout the year, the variety available varying from dirt racing under lights during the winter and spring to the top flat and jump races in Scandinavia run during the summer and fall.

The course usually stages about 50 days racing a year with the dirt track being used exclusively until May. Racing under floodlights was first staged in 1965 and the formula is now working with considerable success in England at Wolverhampton and other courses in Europe.

The left-handed track was also designed on a similar basis as courses in North America with a dirt track which is about 8 furlongs (one mile) in length on the outside of the turf course. There is also the added attraction of a figure-eight hurdle and steeplechase track on the inside plus stabling nearby.

In recent years Täby Galopp has made a significant impression on the international scene, being the first course outside the five main European countries to stage a Pattern race following the granting of Group 3 status to the Stockholm Cup International in 1994.

The 12 furlong race has regularly attracted good quality horses from the rest of Europe keen to take on the best Scandinavian middle-distance horses. In 1997 Harbour Dues took the prize for Lady Herries before heading down to Australia to run a gallant fourth in the Melbourne Cup. In 2003 Labirinto won the race for France. In 2004, Collier Hill took the prize back to England and came back again to win it in 2006.

In recognition of the quality of racing at the track, a second race, the Täby Open Sprint Championship, was awarded Group 3 status in 1998.

Week 12 2022 Results

Week 12 Scores...

Twilight Sparkle 58, Pinkie Pie 0
Applejack State 24, South Dakota 17
Fluttershy 44, Rarity 17
Rainbow Dash 42, Bucknell 14

The Mystique of Leangen Travbane

The Mystique of Leangen Travbane

By Gunther Haas
The Orchard
November 9, 2022

Leangen Travbane is a harness racing course located at Leangen in Trondheim, Norway. The race course is owned by the Norwegian Trotting Association and its parimutuel betting is handled by Norsk Rikstoto. Through this arrangement it is the only equine tote betting establishment in Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. The track is 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) long. Compared to the other racecourses in Norway, it has the steepest curves, with a radius of 65 meters (213 ft), and the longest straight before the finish, at 240 meters (790 ft). The venue has stables for 102 permanent and 43 visiting horses. There are various training tracks in the inner section. The venue has floodlights.

Orkdal Tråvklubb was established as the first horse racing club in Norway in 1873, and the first club in Trondheim, Selskabet for kapkjøring i det nordenfjeldske Norge, was established in 1879, with Johan Henrik Spørck as the most enthusiastic founder. He took initiative for the first organized race to be held on the ice of Jonsvatnet that winter, and paid 200 Norwegian krone (NOK) in prize money from his own pocket. Summer races were organized along the closed off section of the Trondhjem–Støren Line, which had been closed between Sluppen and Valset. The organization worked with the breeding of fast trotting horses, and based itself on the Dølahest.

Interest declined from 1895, but rose again from 1904, when Trøndelag Trotting Association (TT) was established, as part of the Norwegian Trotting Association. Its initial race on Jonsvatnet gathered a crowd of 4,000 spectators. Later Vintervannet in Bymarka and Lodgårdsvannet in Melhus were used. However, dependency on cold weather for the execution of races and poor tracks on the ice caused interest in establishing a land track and the association started working with the issue in 1911.

TT moved its races to Lianvatnet from 1925, where it drew up to 6,000 spectators at its events. The association was offered a free lot at Lianmyrene in 1927, but declined. Up until the 1920s equine betting was illegal in Norway and the events and prize money was collected through admission rather than through bets. In 1928 Bjerke Travbane opened in Oslo and the law was changed, allowing for bets to be placed at races there. TT received permission to operate its first six toto races in 1930 and warmbloods competed for the first time.

A committee was established to look into the permanent track case. They eventually concluded that Leangen Søndre would be the most suitable site and planned to purchase 20 hectares (49 acres) of farmland and 6 hectares (15 acres) of forest to build the venue. Plans for the track were devised by engineer Sverre S. Klingenberg and after negotiations a price of NOK 77,500 was agreed upon for the lot. The site at the time a rural location in the municipality of Strinda. Selmer and Blekkan bid for the construction, which was approved by TT's annual meeting on 30 April 1931. During the municipal council's discussion there was a proposal that the contractor would be required to only hire unemployed people from Strinda, but the terms were not approved with five against four council votes.

Construction commenced in May and the venue could open on 5 September, one week after schedule. During the German occupation of Norway Leangen was expropriated by the Wehrmacht and horse racing instead took place at Tempebanen. The popularity of horse-racing saw a dramatic increase during the war, in part because other sports were in a self-imposed shut-down and in part because of the lack of amenities for the general public to spend money on. The venue reopened after the war on 6 October 1946. During the 1950s the inner parts of the track were used as a recreational association football field.

Races at Leangen became part of Norsk Rikstoto tote betting from 1984, allowing for a national betting audience. From the 1990s this was further reorganized with a national network of commissioners. With the new system, all betting on horses in Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal went to TT and Leangen. In 2008 the region had a revenue of NOK 333 million on betting.

Week 11 2022 Results

Week 11 Scores...

Twilight Sparkle 63, Fluttershy 7
Rainbow Dash 23, Georgia Southern 9
Wofford 17, Applejack State 3
Rarity 38, Pinkie Pie 20

The Mystique of Øvrevoll Galoppbane

The Mystique of Øvrevoll Galoppbane

By John Eisenberg
The Daily Yay
November 2, 2022

Øvrevoll Galoppbane is the only gallop racecourse in Norway.

It is located at Øvrevoll between Østerås (west), Jar (south) and Eiksmarka (north) in Bærum. It has both a turf track and an all-weather track. It was officially opened in 1932 by King Haakon VII and Queen Maud.

The biggest event of the year is the Derby Day, one Sunday at the end of August every year. Øvrevoll Galoppbane has a grandstand with a restaurant, as well as the Stallkroen Restaurant on the north side of the track. Sherryhaugen Café has a good view of the paddock.

In the late 1980s there were plans to build a hotel and a shopping mall near the circuit, to generate more traffic at the racecourse. This was rejected by local authorities. There were talks about moving the entire racecourse to rural Lier in protest, but this did not happen, partly because Norsk Rikstoto did not have finances to back it up. In 1990 the owners announced plans to stay at Øvrevoll, but expand by building a golf course.

Week 10 2022 Results

Week 10 Scores...

Rarity 28, The Citadel 17
Rainbow Dash 27, Fluttershy 24 (OT)
Applejack State 45, Pinkie Pie 19

The Mystique of the Selangor Turf Club

The Mystique of the Selangor Turf Club

By Jeff Oberto
The Daily Dash
October 25, 2022

The Selangor Turf Club is the major horse racing course in Klang Valley, Selangor, Malaysia. The main race course is located at Sungai Besi, 17 km from Kuala Lumpur city centre.

The Selangor Turf Club is one of the three horse racing clubs in Malaysia. Located in the major city of Kuala Lumpur, the Selangor Turf Club hosts about 30 race days a year at the Sungei Besi Racecourse. A racing season begins from January till December. The main feature would be the Triple Crown Series, which carries a grand purse of RM2.7 million. Popularly known as “Where Sprinters Meet Stayers”, the Triple Crown Series is made up of three races featuring different distances like the Tunku Gold Cup race, which is set over a distance of 1,200 metres. The Selangor Gold Cup and the Piala Emas Sultan Selangor races are run over distances of 1,600 metres and 2,000 metres. The first leg starts in February while the second and third legs are held in March and June respectively. At the conclusion of the series, the one horse that captures all the three legs will be entitled to a RM500,000 special bonus and since its inception in 2003, no other horse has manage to capture the honour.

Within the confines of the racecourse there is a cricket ground. The first recorded game held on the ground came in September 2003 when Singapore played Thailand in the Tuanku Ja'afar Cup. The ground held a single first-class fixture in the 2004 Intercontinental Cup between Malaysia and the UAE.

Week 9 2022 Results

Week 9 Scores...

Rarity 37, North Dakota State 10
Fluttershy 35, Applejack State 23
Rainbow Dash 31, Pinkie Pie 24

The Mystique of the Champ de Mars Racecourse

The Mystique of the Champ de Mars Racecourse

By Byron Ofahengaue
The Carousel
October 18, 2022

The Champ de Mars Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse race track in Port Louis, Mauritius. The Racecourse was inaugurated on 25 June 1812, by The Mauritius Turf Club (MTC) which was founded earlier in the same year by Sir Robert Townsend Farquhar, who was the first British Governor of Mauritius. The Mauritius Turf Club is the oldest horse-racing club in the Southern Hemisphere and the second oldest in the world. The race track follows a very selective right hand oval path and is relatively small in size, with a circumference of 1,298 meters (4,258.5 ft) and width between 12 and 14 meters (39 and 46 feet). The home-straight extends uphill and is 225 meters (738 ft) long. When Mauritius gained independence on 12 March 1968, the event including the flag hoisting ceremony was held here. Since then and for many years, the racecourse has seen the annual celebration of the accession to independence.

Today, the Champ de Mars attracts tens of thousands of people on each racing day during the racing season from late March to early December and has become the ultimate meeting place for racing fanatics from all over the island and even from abroad. The track has also played a fundamental role in propelling horse racing as the most popular sport and form of entertainment among the local population.

Before 1810, the area was a military training ground for French troops. The aim of the founders of the Mauritius Turf Club to set up horse racing at the Champ de Mars was to reconcile the French settlers with the English administration who had conquered the island in December 1810. They were convinced that the convivial atmosphere of horse racing would foster unity between the two communities and ensure social peace and harmony after years of fighting in the Indian Ocean. The new Governor, Sir Robert Farquhar and his wife of French origin, Maria Lautour, actively supported the organization of horse racing, the latter offering the first gold cup after the Club’s history to mark the occasion.

When he came to Mauritius, Colonel Edward Draper enthusiastically promoted horse racing at the Champ de Mars for some twenty years, racing his own thoroughbreds, often riding them in competition, to the point that he became known as the “Father” of the Mauritius Turf Club.

The main road leading to it is a landmark known to racing enthusiasts as “Rue Governement”, Champ de Mars racecourse is nestled at the foot of lovely hills. It is the oldest racecourse in the southern hemisphere and the second oldest in the world. Within its premises stands a statue of King Edward VII by the sculptor Prosper d’Épinay, and the Malartic Tomb, an obelisk to a French governor.

In the 19th century, the only permanent boxes at the Champ de Mars were those reserved for the Governor, the Mayor of Port Louis and MTC officials. Temporary boxes were built and hired on the spot on race days, and over the years, new boxes were erected. In 1906 the MTC purchased a wooden house at 26, Pope Hennessy Street, Port Louis and it served as MTC offices for about forty years. Permanent stands were built in 1909 and they were improved in 1927, 1939 and 1954. During the past decades, new facilities were added while retaining the colonial aspects of the racecourse.

The attendance record at the Champ de Mars was set in 1984 when more than 100,000 people turned up at the Maiden Cup, the most prestigious race in the Mauritian racing calendar. Nippy Regen, owned by the Gujadhur stable, won the race and was ridden by Adrian Walkinshaw.

Rarity leave Boise in the dust, 85-52

Rarity leave Boise in the dust, 85-52

By Lez Gizmo
The Carousel
October 15, 2022

Boy, did they need to keep their Royal side up.

Quarterback Lamont McIntire passed for 362 yards and three touchdowns and halfback Andre Bailey ran for five short touchdowns as Sweetie Belle's Rarity Royals pulverized the Boise State Broncos, 85-52, at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Halfback Daniel McDaniel ran for 100 yards and a score, tight end Lewis "Cool Dad" McDougal caught seven passes for 145 yards, wide receiver Leigh Joseph caught six passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns, wideout Adam Sanders caught five passes for 97 yards and a score and wideout Jason "Hazzard of" Dukes caught five passes for 81 yards.

Left guard Paul Graham led the blockers with six pancakes while right guard John Raymond had five pancakes. Middle linebacker Ben Irons led the defense in tackling with 14 tackles and a sack while cornerback Chris Leonard had 11 tackles and five sacks. Right outside linebacker Tim Ross had six tackles and three sacks while defensive tackle Billy "Boom Boom" Robertson had eight tackles and two sacks.

Rarity continue their season next week at home against North Dakota State.

The Mystique of Ngong Racecourse

The Mystique of Ngong Racecourse

By Byron Ofahengaue
The Carousel
October 11, 2022

Ngong Racecourse is a racecourse in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the main and currently only thoroughbred racing venue in Kenya. It is located along the Ngong Road near the Lenana School and next to The Nairobi Business Park, beside Ngong Road Forest. It is operated by the Jockey Club of Kenya.

The racecourse was opened 1954, when it replaced the old racecourse in Kariokor, near Nairobi CBD. Ngong Racecourse is nowadays the only racecourse in Kenyan although there were races in other towns, including Eldoret, Nakuru, Nanyuki and Limuru. The first horse racing event in Kenya took place in 1904 in Machakos with Somali ponies.

There are on average 25 race meetings annually of which the most prominent is the annual Kenya Derby, which was first held in 1914. Races are held there on alternate Sundays. Apart from horse racing, the venue has used for cross country running competitions, and it has acted as a special stage for the Safari Rally. It has also been used for Ostrich racing.

The Ngong Race Course and Golf Park is the only horse racing course in East Africa and is owned by the Jockey Club of Kenya with the focus of regulating the Sport of Horse racing in Kenya, while ensuring that it meets International standards. The Jockey Club of Kenya is the governing body of thoroughbred racing.

Ngong Racecourse is situated on Ngong Road towards Karen and has the most beautiful grounds, offering a tranquil setting away from the hustle and bustle of Nairobi. The Racecourse is a very popular wedding destination and annually hosts many other functions such as the Christmas Craft Fair, Concours d’Elégance, Beerfest, Shaggy Dog Show, Heart to Heart Fun Day as well as hosting international artists including South African Johnny Clegg and his band. There are restaurants to cater for everyone, with adequate & secure parking, as well as wash rooms. On most race days, there will entertainment facilities for the children which include bouncing castles, face painting and or a clown.

Race days provide the perfect day out in an environment of leisure and networking opportunities. The grounds also provide a number of exciting opportunities to showcase your brand, increasing brand awareness and visibility, while entertaining your invited Corporate clients during the race meet. Apart from horse racing and golf events, we have Corporate and Social events year round that provide advertisers with exclusive access to showcase their products.

Racing proper started in Kenya around 1904 at the Kariakor area under the auspices of the East African Turf Club which was later renamed The Jockey Club of Kenya in 1921. Kenya then became the first Commonwealth country to allow Sunday racing (previously this was on Friday and Saturday only). It was around the 1950s that racing was relocated to the current Ngong Racecourse and has continued to enjoy steady growth in the industry. Racing from the Ngong Racecourse is now broadcast LIVE to South Africa with daily racing from RSA, UK, Zimbabwe, Singapore and Dubai being broadcast here as well.

Week 7 2022 Results

Week 7 Scores...

Twilight Sparkle 103, Ohio State 31
Rainbow Dash 42, Western Michigan 38
Hawai'i 28, Pinkie Pie 23
Applejack Stare 38, Memphis 7