EVENTS
Congratulations to our intern, Allison Harless, on her graduation from Doane University this past weekend! On Monday Allie will start full-time as an accountant for the HBPA. Welcome to the Nebraska Horsemen family Allie!
Just a few more photos of your new racetrack in Lincoln. Legacy Downs at WarHorse Casino Lincoln
Looking good, Legacy Downs!
Attn: Horsemen. Tomorrow's membership meeting will be located at the Bosselman Conference Center which is part of the Heartland Event's Center . Meeting begins at 11:30am. We look forward to seeing you there!!!
Attn Horsemen: The Nebraska HBPA will be having an open membership meeting on Saturday April 1st at Fonner Park. The meeting will begin at 11:30AM & lunch will be served. We hope to see you all there!!!
Attention Horsemen:
There have been many questions & comments about the current renovations underway at Legacy Downs. Here are some key points of information that we would like to share with you our horsemen.
Prior to beginning any new renovations at the current Legacy Downs campus, an outside consultant was brought in. The HBPA’s consultant is Populous. They have vast experience working with equine facilities around the world. Check them out online, populous.com/our-projects/equestrian-facilities The HBPA tasked Populous with helping us layout a Master Plan for the Legacy Downs racing campus. Populous in their review determined the existing racing surface did not meet industry standards.
Phase 1 of the HBPA’s Master Plan is now underway with renovations ongoing to the Legacy Downs racing surface. Current renovations include removing the existing cushion material & going down to the original base. The base will upgraded to a limestone base before a new cushion of locally sourced materials is put down. The renowned Dr. Mick Peterson has been retained & will be reviewing our soil samples to ensure we utilize the highest quality local materials. Our goal is to provide the safest possible racing surface for our equine athletes & our horsemen.
Further track renovations include the removal of our current rail & relocating it to the outer portion of the racetrack. A new inner rail system will then be installed. This again was done so on the recommendation of our consultant.
The Nebraska HBPA recently completed the purchase of an 155 additional acres of land to the west of the existing Legacy Downs facility. We are working with Populous to layout & rethink the entire backside with the additional 155 acres we have to work with. In the end the HBPA is hopeful to provide our horsemen with top notch racing facility that will fulfill our racing needs for many years to come. We will do our best to share some photos & provide updates to document our progress to our membership along the way.
Hello Nebraska HBPA members & race fans. Attached are a couple of new photos of renovations efforts currently underway on the Legacy Downs racing surface!!!
The 2023 Nebraska HBPA Stallion Service Auction is LIVE!!! www.thoroughlybred.com/listview.cgi?seller=nebraskahbpa
Dear National HBPA Full Board and interested parties,
Within the last few hours, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced the attached Amendment to strip references to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) from the 4,000-page omnibus spending bill being considered this week in Congress. In response, we are releasing the following call to action: National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association CEO Eric Hamelback released the following statement.
I want to praise Senator Grassley for his bold move to protect horsemen in Iowa and throughout the U.S. An amendment to HISA should not have been written in the dark of night and has no place in the 4,000+-page spending bill. You cannot fix a constitutionally flawed law with one sentence. The Grassley Amendment will ensure that real, working horsemen are listened to on how to fix the law that regulates their industry. The Grassley Amendment is picking up steam, and I urge all horsemen to call and email their Senators right away to vote "Yes" for the Grassley amendment.”
We need everyone to post and share this information as soon as possible. We are working with the Kentucky HBPA to send a call-to-action email as well.
Please help spread this very important message as soon as possible and then contact your Senators to relay you want them to vote yes on the Grassley amendment.
Eric J. Hamelback
Tis the season to purchase your next stallion season!!!! The 2023 Nebraska HBPA Stallion Service Auction will take place Dec. 26th thru Jan. 2nd. View our current listings at www.thoroughlybred.com/sites/nebraskahbpa/
Here we go! The HBPA Board of Directors appeared in front of the Racing and Gaming Commission hearing today. As a result, WarHorse Omaha got its permanent gaming license.
Application to start construction on the new facility is next.
omaha.com/news/local/nebraska-commission-approves-casino-operator-license-for-omaha-warhorse-comp...
Nebraska commission approves casino operator license for Omaha WarHorse complex
omaha.com
The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission approved a license for the Omaha WarHorse complex, owned by Ho-Chunk Inc. But one commissioner criticized the application.Ready to party!It's Breeder's Cup weekend!! The tents are up, the food trucks are here, and the betting windows are open! We can't wait to see you all at Lincoln Race Course!
Attention HBPA Members. The 2023 Nebraska HBPA Stallion Service Auction has been confirmed. Stay tuned for updates as the auction draws near.
Great interview with President Wollesen and Winnebago tribal Council member Kenny Mallory about WarHorse Casino
WarHorse casino in Nebraska draws hundreds on opening day
www.ketv.com
After decades of trying, Nebraska's first casino officially opened its doors Saturday, making history and welcoming hundreds in to test their luck.Great story about what WarHorse will do for horseracing in the state. Warhorse is open in Lincoln!
Warhorse Casino is first of its kind in Nebraska
www.wowt.com
Friday afternoon the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission gave approval for a brand new industry to operate in the state.
HBPA Members and fans of racing-
We would like to give everyone an update on what we’re doing in Lincoln.
We will hopefully be opening our transitional operation in Lincoln soon. We haven’t gotten a date yet from the Racing and Gaming Commission when we can officially open, but we are hoping to announce a date at the end of the month.
The transitional facility will be in the current Lincoln Race Course building with both simulcasting and slot machines. We will have room for around 430 machines. The simulcast area will be in a smaller footprint than we are used to, but this enables us to generate significantly more revenue so the Board can accomplish some very overdue goals for racing. This situation will last about 20 months in order to build the rest of the brand new facility around the current building. Once the final product is done, it will have a 196 room hotel, full casino with slots and table games, and a much larger and more accommodating simulcast and sports betting facility. A special Horsemen’s building, paddock, and jockeys quarters are in the future plan as well.
The Board of Directors and President Wollesen have identified two urgent goals in the near future. Those are repairing the track surface, and purchasing 155 acres immediately next door. A nationally recognized expert who has worked on Keeneland and Churchill Downs has been hired and has informed the Board that the 7/8 mile track needs extensive work, including changing the bank, the base, and the cushion mix. In addition, the rail needs to be re-installed and drainage needs to be improved. This work will begin this month in order to have the track ready next year.
The land next door is available to us, but we need to close on the property in the next few months with a substantial down payment. With the new gaming revenue due to the Horsemen, we can afford to do both things, but those urgent projects need to be completed now in order to secure the long term vision of the Board.
While those things are underway, the Board is focused on fighting HISA. The Board has decided to join the lawsuit in Louisiana and will also name both tracks as parties to the lawsuit to show strength in numbers. This situation is unacceptable to horsemen across the country and we must stay united until we find a solution.
We will give more updates as time goes on. Please be patient with us. This revenue from gaming will be the first significant new revenue for our industry since simulcasting was legalized in the late 80’s. The initiatives we got on the ballot with HoChunk were passed almost two years ago, and we still have not seen a penny of new revenue for Horsemen. Hopefully that will be changing soon. The full revenue generation for the complete facilities is still two years away, but this new limited revenue will allow us to hang in there until that time.
Please stick with us, the Board and HBPA employees are working hard for you so that we can all enjoy better facilities, purses that allow you to actually make a living, and give Nebraska horsemen a chance to stay home to race. We haven’t had that since AkSarBen and State Fair Park closed, but that’s our dream and our goal. We’re not there yet, but we’re giving it our full effort.
Our goal for Lincoln in particular is to eventually add significantly to the live race day schedule so Fonner is not carrying the bulk of our total days anymore. They have been the constant in Nebraska for racing and we appreciate them very much. We want to share the responsibility of offering live race opportunities in Nebraska.
Thank you for your membership, friendship, and support.
Congratulations to the winning connections of the 2nd Annual Nebraska HBPA Stallion Stakes. You're winner was Price to Pay. Winning owner Jeff Cox. Winning his first Stakes as a trainer, John Muckey. Congrats to all.
Attention Horsemen: This is a reminder that early nominations close this Saturday May 7th for the 2022 Nebraska HBPA Stallion Stakes. The HBPA's Stallion Stake Race will be ran on Sunday June 5th at Ag Park in Columbus, NE. Please see Wayne Anderson in the racing office at Fonner Park if you would like to nominate.
Great interview with President Wollesen (Wally) and Board member Marissa Black. They talk about the wait to build new facilities and get more revenue to increase purses in Nebraska.
After Decades of Decline, Nebraska Horse Racing Depending on 'Racinos' for Revival
nebraskapublicmedia.org
Horse racing was once a staple of Nebraska entertainment. But in recent decades, the pastime has fallen off in popularity. Those in the industry are hoping adding casinos to the racetracks will give N...Attn: Horsemen. Nominations forms for the 2022 Nebraska HBPA Stallion Stakes are in the racing office at Fonner Park. The 2022 Nebraska HBPA Stallion Stakes will be ran Sunday June 5th at Ag Park in Columbus. Early nominations are due Saturday May 7th. A list of stallion seasons that sold in our auction is available in the racing office. Please go see Wayne Anderson to nominate.