Page 13 - October 2016

ing to be given to graduating seniors, youth or adults who are currently enrolled in college or wish to attend a technical/vocational school and whose family is involved with the horse racing community.
The silent auction raised $22,000 and more than $5,000 was raised from the raffle.
Rozella Pevehouse and her family showed the generosity of the horse community when they donated a 2017 breeding to recently retired Champion Jess Good Candy.
The stallion by Good Reason SA will stand at Lazy E and retired with a perfect 8-for-8 record and career earnings of $2,014,703. He is currently ranked sixth
on the All-Time Leading Money earners
list. The breeding was auctioned during the Heritage Place Yearling Sale in Oklahoma City on Sept. 23 and fetched $11,000 from bidder Ben Hudson for the Sam Thompson Memorial Foundation’s scholarship program. Donations to the Foundation can be made at www.thestfoundation.org.
VAlenzuelA reAches Milestone
Veteran jockey J.R. Valenzuela reached the 1,000-win milestone at Zia Park on Sept. 17. The win came aboard 4-year-old gelding Jessy Wave Carver (Wave Carver-Kerrys Lil Jess, Mr Jess Perry).
With a riding career that began in 1975, Valenzuela has ridden more than 8,500 starters who have earned more than $8.3 million. His
top mounts include Champion Six To Five, New Track Record setter Duke Of Houston, and Superior Race Horses Its Called Splash, Rattle D Snap, and Dash For Popa. Valenzuela became the 84th jockey in Quarter Horse racing history to reach the mark.
rAcing At eVAngeline doWns
The Opelousas, Louisiana track opened its 46-night fall American Quarter Horse meet Sept. 28, and Evangeline Downs and will offer live racing on a Wednesday-through- Saturday schedule through closing night, Dec. 17. The track’s stakes schedule is highlighted
by the $1-million Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders’ Association Futurity-RG1 for state- bred 2 year olds, which is the state’s richest race for any breed. The race will take place on Nov. 19. Other stakes highlights include the $100,000-added Evangeline Downs Futurity and the $50,000-added Evangeline Downs Derby, both of which will be run on closing night. For more information on Evangeline Downs, visit www.evangelinedowns.com.
texAs tech eyes Vet school
Texas Tech University is one step closer to their proposed veterinary college becoming
a reality after the Amarillo City Council approved a $15 million grant from the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) to the Texas Tech University System to support the establishment of a new College of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo on Sept. 20.
Texas Tech wants to enhance rural and large- animal veterinary medicine by providing a teaching model focused on improving animal health in the heart of the beef and dairy cattle industry.
“We are truly grateful to the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation and the City of Amarillo for their continued generosity and philanthropy to the Texas Tech University System and our universities,” Texas Tech University System Chancellor Robert Duncan said. “Once again, they have stepped up to support our vision – this time for veterinary medicine and the needs of this community, our region and the agriculture industry.”
The new veterinary college is expected
to add 100 highly skilled jobs and approximately $10 million in annual labor income to the Amarillo economy. Texas Tech’s proposal could have an annual impact of more than $76 million on the Amarillo economy and serve as a catalyst for industry partnerships and expanded research in food technology, animal health and prevention of disease outbreaks.
“Not only is this a wonderful opportunity for students seeking careers in veterinary medicine, particularly in a region known as the livestock capital of the United States, it’s an investment in our community and economy,” Amarillo Mayor Paul Harpole said.
The new veterinary college will be built in Amarillo on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center campus.
In a report approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in July, the need to address the critical shortage of rural and large-animal veterinarians in Texas was reinforced and a door was opened for Texas Tech to move forward with its plans to create a veterinary medicine college in Amarillo.
Texas Tech proposed a non-traditional model for a veterinary school when plans were announced in December. Building on established strengths at two of its universities, Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, the
Texas Tech University System is creating a program tailored to address a specific need as identified by the report in a cost-efficient and innovative manner.
“Texas has a severe shortage of rural veterinarians who are crucial to the foundations of our economy, the vibrancy of our communities and the safety of our food supply,” Duncan said. “There is no better place to transform the future of veterinary education and answer this call than in Amarillo, the heart of our nation’s livestock production.”
The new college wants to produce practice-ready veterinarians who serve and enhance rural communities throughout
Texas, while substantially reducing the cost
of education. Texas Tech’s proposed model increases accessibility and affordability, without duplicating the state’s existing veterinary medicine efforts.
White horse AWArd
The Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA) will present its annual White Horse Award at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Arcadia, California, on Nov. 3. Since 2003, the organization has recognized individuals who are heroes at the racetrack and have helped humans or horses and whose actions might not be headline-grabbing but produce positive change at the track.
The award is presented at the Annual White Horse Awards Luncheon, which is held the day before Breeders’ Cup weekend at whichever racetrack has been selected to host The Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Other awards presented at the White Horse Award Luncheon include the Tribute to Excellence and Community Service Awards.
Janet VanBebber, AQHA’s chief racing officer, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s event. Tickets for the White Horse Award Luncheon are priced at $125 per person or $850 for a table of eight. Visit the RTCA website at rtcanational.org for more information.
SPEEDHORSE, October 2016 11
track chatter