Eleven Entered for Inaugural $40,000 Arabian Claiming Championship Stake this Saturday at Lone Star New this year is the Arabian Claiming Championship Stakes for 3-year-olds and up that ran in 2021 for a claiming price of $10,000 or less in two races. Races must have been run at any of the Texas tracks. Purse is $40,000. Distance is 7f. Eleven are entered for the race this Saturday, November 20th. Best of luck to all of the connections!
Entries for Maiden Race at Lone Star This Friday Evening
Best of luck to each of the connections in this first of two Arabian races this coming weekend at Lone Star!
TABA Director Michelle Morgan Honored with Induction to Arabian Jockey Club's Tent of Honor
In order for an individual to be considered into the Tent of Honor, he/she must meet criteria within the following mission statement: “The person nominated shall meet the criteria of length of service to the breed (15 years in the Arabian horse industry, having raced 10 years), courage to do what is best for the horse, be above reproach, devoted to the horse and community, and provide service in the areas of leadership, heritage, education and/or research."
It is, therefore, our pleasure to induct Michelle Morgan into the AJC Tent of Honor for her extraordinary contributions to the sport of Arabian racing.
Owner and founder of Mandolynn Hill Farm in Aubrey, Texas, Michelle Morgan is an industry leader in Arabian breeding, flat racing, and endurance in the United States and around the world. With the goal of breeding and producing superior athletes with the capacity to perform and excel, Michelle’s horses have successfully competed in many disciplines nationally and internationally. Michelle grew up in Texas with a passion for Arabian horses. She purchased her first Arabian in 1987 and fell in love with the breed’s personable nature and ability to bond with people. As a young adult, she competed in the Arabian show world, as well as dressage and Hunter/Jumper. In 1991 under the encouragement of her husband, Dr. Mickey Morgan, Michelle entered the racing arena mentored by September Farm’s Martha Dean Thurman (owner of the legendary *Sambor) with an Arabian stallion named Amazing Son, who proved to be one of the best in the field of Arabian racing. Later, Denise Gault of Race Street Management, Inc., became an instrumental guide and personal friend in building the Mandolynn Hill Farm program.
She has remained a stalwart leader in our community now for three decades, and has served as a national and international spokesperson and ambassador for the promotion and preservation of Arabian racing and breeding. She has been invited to participate on numerous panels of the Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Racing Festival conference in Abu Dhabi and around the world to lend her expertise on racing and breeding practices.
The homebred horses of Mandolynn Hill Farm (many of them horses that Michelle also trained) bear the familiar “MHF” initials and have been seen in countless winners’ circles in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Michigan, Texas, the United Kingdom, Oman, and Poland. One particular homebred, Sudden Mischief, also was named Darley Older Horse of the Year award in 2005. Michelle has bred over 250 Arabian racehorses throughout her breeding career.
Under Michelle’s care, Mandolynn Hill Farm has also stood as one of the nation’s premier stallion stations, standing elite breeding stallions such as Chndaka, Kaolino, Nivour De Cardonne, Grilla, and others.
In addition to over twenty years of service on the board of the Texas Arabian Breeders Association, Michelle currently serves on the Arabian Racing Cup (ARC) Board of Stewards – a position she has held for many years – particularly overseeing the ARC Breeders Incentive Program which offers cash bonuses to breeders of the top three nominated horses in over 15 races annually across the United States.
We are proud to induct Michelle Morgan into the Arabian Jockey Club Tent of Honor in recognition of her lifelong talent, commitment, and leadership within the sport of Arabian racing. Michelle will be inducted on Saturday, November 20, 2021 at Lone Star Park in conjunction with the Texas Arabian Claiming Series Stake.
The Arabian Jockey Club also inducted the incomparable mare, Frynch, into the Arabian Racing Hall of Fame, alongside Michelle's induction into the Tent of Honor.
TABA congratulates both of these outstanding inductees on receiving these prestigious awards, and thanks them for their tremendous contributions to the sport of Arabian racing.
WMA Big Baby Continues Strong Lone Star Season
Rita Deleon's WMA Big Baby is thriving at Lone Star Park in 2021, having won her second race in three starts in a 6-furlong allowance contest on November 12 with Victor Urieta Jr. aboard. The 3-year-old grey filly sired by Kasih out of Baby Grand CS also broke her maiden on October 1 and finished second in the Grade 3 Texas Lone Star Juvenile Fillies on October 15.