Page 12 - January 2017

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by Jennifer K. Hancock
The early racing season is a little different this year without racing at Hialeah, but Los Alamitos, Sunland Park, Louisiana Downs, and several other locations are giving American Quarter Horses plenty of racing opportunities.
Louisiana Downs opened its 2017 winter American Quarter Horse meet on Jan. 7. The Bossier City
track will host a stakes schedule worth approximately $785,000 in purse money, topped by the meet’s richest races, the $270,000-est. Mardi Gras Futurity-RG2 for state-bred 2 year olds on March 18, and the 300-yard, $270,000-est. Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity-G3 on closing day, March 22. To see the track’s full schedule, visit www.caesars.com/harrahs-louisiana-downs/racing/.
AQHA HOLDS UNIFORMITY MEETING
During the Arizona Global Racing and Gaming Symposium in Tucson, Arizona, in December, the American Quarter Horse Association hosted a meeting with racing jurisdictions.
The meeting was called in a quest for uniformity in rules across jurisdictions.
There were 31 people in attendance, representing organizations including AQHA, the Association of Racing Commissioners International, and Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association, and state jurisdictions including Arizona, Colorado, California,
Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
AQHA leaders stressed the need for uniformity, providing statistical data to illuminate the differences that presently exist between the jurisdictions. Some of these differences include variances in medication threshold levels, how different medications are prohibited and allowed in different jurisdictions and enforcement and duration of penalties.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Send photos and news items to jennifer_k_hancock@hotmail.com.
NEED UNIFORMITY
10 SPEEDHORSE, January 2017
TRACK CHATTER