Page 14 - November 2021

TRACK CHATTER
THE MONTH IN REVIEW
by Jennifer K. Hancock
EVANGELINE DOWNS 2021 SEASON
Evangeline Downs’ 2021 American Quarter Horse season began Oct. 6. The meet is scheduled for 53 days of racing, which includes 10 days transferred from the Fair Grounds on approval by the Louisiana Racing Commission. The highlight for
the 2021 season is the $1 million LQHBA Louisiana Million, the richest race in Louisiana regardless of breed. Trials for the Million will take place Nov. 26, with the finals being run Dec. 18.
The $100,000-added Evangeline Downs Futurity trials are scheduled for Dec. 3, with the $50,000-added Evangeline Downs Derby trials the following night. Finals for both events will take place on Dec. 30, the closing night of the meet.
INDIANA GRAND OFFERS
CHALLENGE INCENTIVE
Indiana Grand Racing & Casino will
host the 2022 Bank of America Challenge Championships, and the track is raising awareness of the event by creating a mon- etary incentive this fall. In cooperation with the American Quarter Horse Association and Heritage Place, Inc., all yearlings involved
in either the September or November sales will be eligible for a $15,000 special incentive bonus.
“We wanted to do something to start
the conversation about the Challenge Championships coming to Indiana in 2022,”
said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “By offering an added incentive, we hope sale buyers will take an extra look at next year’s Juvenile Challenge and make plans early to head
to Indiana.”
All yearlings will be eligible for the $15,000 incentive. It will be awarded to the Heritage Place Yearling Sale graduate who is the highest official finisher in the Juvenile Challenge Championship next year at Indiana Grand.
“This is a great partnership with Indiana Grand, AQHA and Heritage Place,” said Janet Van Bebber, Chief Racing Officer at AQHA. “We’ve never offered anything like this before, and we are always looking for innovative ways to promote the Challenge. We hope this will spur owners to participate in next year’s Juvenile Challenge.”
KENTUCKY LAB APPROVED
The Racing Medication & Testing Consortium granted full laboratory accreditation to the University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (UK- EACL) in September. The RMTC’s Board
of Directors voted unanimously in favor of accreditation at its summer meeting, which was conducted virtually on Sept. 13. The UK- EACL is directed by Dr. Scott Stanley.
RMTC laboratory accreditation is earned through a rigorous review process by independent experts of the laboratory’s
protocols, staffing and facilities. Candidate laboratories must also perform successfully in analyzing external quality assurance samples.
The UK-EACL joins the eight other RMTC-accredited laboratories, whose testing covers more than 92 percent of all pari-mutuel races in the United States.
“The RMTC commends Dr. Stanley,
his staff and the University of Kentucky for undertaking the accreditation process and for their ongoing commitment to promoting the safety and integrity of horse racing,” said RMTC Chairman Alex Waldrop.
“We are proud of this milestone, which attests to the high standards set by Dr. Stanley, and it is gratifying to know this lab is positioned to serve the broader industry in the best way possible,” said Dr. Nancy Cox, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
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Evangeline Downs’ 2021 American Quarter Horse season began Oct. 6.
12 SPEEDHORSE November 2021