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Four-year old racing horse Sumacha’hot surprisingly won the money-rich Maryland Million Classic. The horse racing results simply solidified the reputation of the horse’s trainer and owner Hubert Cave as a reliable horseman.

In a post-match interview, Cave revealed that a woman claiming to be his “wife” had been giving tips to bettors that they should pick Sumacha’hot. Apparently, the tip paid off for those who listened. However, Cave stressed that he’s not even married.

Cave said that he acquired the horse months ago for $5,000 and the investment paid off since he won the biggest pot out of the $200,000 total cash prize for this tournament.

More than 19,600 spectators trooped to the Laurel Park to witness the competitions and they weren’t left disappointed as they all were treated with a come-from-behind victory performance by the young colt. Those who betted on Sumacha’hot got their investments tripled.

The horse racing scene in Malaysia is facing tough challenges following the existence of illegal horse racing betting. According to reports, millions of dollars are being earned by these illegal horse racing betting operators which could threaten the future of those working in legally recognized establishments.

Aside from the financial challenges faced by these establishments, jockeys are also in physical danger from these illegal operators. There have been several reports in the past months that jockeys have been attacked in unlikely locations by men in motorcycles. This seems to have been made to influence the outcome of the races.

Even establishment officials are getting the blow – literally. Earlier this year, acting Chief Stipendiary Steward Soo Lai Kwok was attacked by eight men wearing black outfits while he stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Penang. He suffered massive bruises all over his body.

These incidents simply call for intense security measures in order to preserve the legal Malaysian horse racing establishments.

Internationally-known dressage trainer and rider Heather Blitz is reportedly transferring her world-class training base in the United States later this year. According to reports, Blitz has been based in Europe for the past three years and has decided to bring all dressage horses and other materials back to the U.S., specifically within the Loxahatchee, Florida area.

The target date of transfer is on December 1, 2009.

Blitz said in an interview that the time has come for her to find a new base and at the same time return to her homeland. She stressed that she had made friends and met great clients during her three-year stint in Europe. However, she said that the time is right for her to make this transfer.

Her stint in Florida will last for five months. Her plans on the future of the training camp after the said time frame remains to be known.

Olympic equestrian judge and world-renowned dressage rider Linda Zang will be honored this coming December at the Travis County Exposition Center in Austin, Texas.
According to reports, Zang will be inducted into the United States Dressage Foundation (USDF) Hall of Fame for this year. The induction takes place at the USDF Annual Convention on December 4, 2009.

Zang has won numerous Federation Equestre International (FEI) titles during her 30-year equestrian career. One of her biggest achievements was winning the gold medal in the aforementioned event at the 1979 Pan American Games. She ride Swedish Warmblood Fellow Traveler during her lustrous career.

In 1985, Zang earned an FEI “O” judge and USEF “S” judge accreditation which means she’s the lead authority when it comes to competitions. She served as a judge at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. She’s a regular fixture in international events.

The Dressage Task Force, initiated by FEI – the governing body for all Olympic equestrian disciplines, will be spearheading the demonstration of dressage tests this week in the German city of Aachen.

The Dressage Task Force is attempting to make this sport more understandable to the public in order to gain interest. Aside from that, the task force is aiming to create a fairer environment among players. CHIO Aachen Show Director Frank Kemperman, the chairman of the task force, has already outlined the ideas and concepts of this upcoming event.

The officials also consulted with experts from other sporting fields such as figure skating and gymnastics. This is in order to get more insights as to how to implement the judging methods for dressage test competitions.

The venue of the dressage test is at the Deutsche Bank Stadium in Aachen. Qualified international judges have been invited to assess the performances of the dressage riders and give necessary feedback.

England’s dressage team is targeting an unusual goal. Instead of aiming for gold, the team would be very happy settling for silver – that is, as long as they achieve this feat.

The European Championships is set in Windsor later this month and the British dressage team has been handed the challenge to perform well on their home country and get at least the silver medal.

Richard Davison, the dressage team captain, stated this challenge before the tournament featuring showjumping and dressage will take place later this month.

In an interview with the media, Davison said that the team has a great chance to achieve the bronze model but it would be great to go one step further and clinch the silver.

Fighting for a chance for the second best finish would mean performing better than dressage powerhouse Germany and Holland.