Page 63 - January 2017

2016 A YeAr In revIew
May 16
The 2016 Sam Houston Race Park Quarter Horse 24- day meet ended,
with Hez Primed An Ready (Prime Talent- Shez Bashful, Special Show) taking Horse of the Meet honors. The 6-year-old gelding
June 4
Remington Park’s 50-day Quarter Horse, Paint & Appaloosa season came to an end.
JK Running Horses won their first leading owner title after winning 13 races. Kristen Paredes was the leading owner by money earned after her Duponte won the $1,083,420 Heritage Place Futurity. Clint Crawford defended his title and was the leading trainer for the second consecutive year. Crawford earned $721,664 with 36 wins. Crawford was also honored with the Jack Brooks Award, presented by Jack Brooks himself. The leading trainer by stable earnings was Rick Robinson, whose runners amassed $1,028,066 with 15 wins. Ivan Carnero was the leading jockey with 49 wins and earnings of $1,154,577. Agustin Silva was the leading jockey by money earned with $1,347,370.
June 5
World Champion JRC Callas First (Winners Award- Calla Missy Jane, Dirty Coup) became the 36th horse to be named an AQHA Supreme Race Horse since 2002. The award recognizes a racing American Quarter Horse who during its career earns $500,000 or more, wins two or more open Grade 1 stakes races, and at least 10 races. JRC Callas First won 17 of 28 career starts, including 11 stakes, and earned $601,887 under the guidance of trainer Brian Stroud. The six-year-old gelding is owned by Dana and Brian Stroud and was bred by J.R. Cass.
was bred by Larry Haigood, and is owned
by Crown Racing and trained by Judd Kearl. Kearl conditioned 37 winners during the meet and scored his seventh Leading Trainer title. Rodrigo Vallejo and Luis Vivanco were named Co-Leading Riders (above) with 32 wins each. Both jockeys have earned this title three times. Pete Scarmardo clinched the Leading Owner title for the third year in a row, winning nine races. Total average daily handle at the track was up 18%, and daily export handle rose 23%.
May 19
The Senate Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment to bar any horse slaughter plants from opening in the United States. The Humane Society of the United States and their allies succeeded
in shutting the last three American horse slaughter plants in 2007. With this outcome, the humane society should be able to sustain a crucial provision they had secured at the end of 2015 to prevent any of these slaughter plants from opening in the future.
May 22
Rosie Bier Alvarado passed away at the age
of 78. An ever-present figure in the Vessels Club at Los Alamitos since its opening in 1995, Rosie was married to long time Quarter Horse owner/breeder Ron Alvarado. Married for 60 years, the Alvarados campaigned a
long line of Quarter Horse runners with the broodmare Dashing Noble producing most of their standouts.
June
May 22
June 7
Minnesota state legislation authorizing the licensing and oversight of advance deposit wagering (ADW) providers in the state was passed and signed into law. ADW is a common form of wagering on horse races in which bettors place funds in an account with ADW providers against which wagers are debited and winnings are credited. It is estimated that $1.5 million will be recaptured from newly licensed ADW providers for financial awards for breeders and to increase purses at Canterbury Park and Running Aces Casino & Racetrack. The new law will also redirect revenue generated from fines levied by the Minnesota Racing Commission to fund the repurposing and retirement of horses at the end of their racing careers.
June 7
By a vote of 104-4, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a plan to switch the formula of distributing winnings to horse owners and tracks from a big pool to a system where money generated at each of the state’s two horse tracks stays at each track to pay prizes to winning horses and to cover track expenses. The new plan will also crack down on out-of-state betting operations, making it a crime for anyone without a license for live horse racing in Michigan to accept wagers over the Internet from state residents. The state also considered allowing Michigan tracks to accept online wagers on live and simulcast races run at the tracks.
Following a five-year hiatus, live racing had a successful return to the Cochise County Fairgrounds in Douglas, Arizona. The track held 17 races during two days of racing on May 21-22. Cochise County Fairgrounds manager Karen Strongin estimated that between 4,500-5,000 people attended the races both days.
SPEEDHORSE, January 2017 61