Page 60 - Canada Spring 2019

NEWS BRIEFS
Alberta Quarter Horse Racing Association
2018 AQHRA Champion Sire First Timber
First Timber (Oak Tree Special-First Prize Dash, Dash For Cash) was named the 2018 Alberta Quar- ter Horse Racing Association Champion Sire for owner Wesley Oulton. Bred by Weetona Stanley, First Timber is also the sire of 2018 AQHRA Cham- pion Alberta Bred Two-Year-Old Filly Papas Coleen and 2018 AQHRA Champion Alberta Bred Two- Year-Old Colt/Gelding Timbersknightryder, winner of the Alberta Bred Futurity-G3. First Timber, who won two of six starts and was a finalist in the 2008 All American Derby-G1, has been the leading sire in Western Canada for five consecutive years.
2018 Breed Improvement Program Funding Report
According to the Alberta Quarter Horse Racing Association, the Other Breeds Improvement Pro- gram (BIP) for Quarter Horses, Paints, Arabians and Appaloosas, which is funded by Horse Racing Alberta (HRA), is structured to enhance the race horse breeding industry in Alberta and to promote “AB-Bred” race horses. Funds support bonus pro- grams for owners, breeders and stallions and en- hance purses for restricted “Foaled in Alberta” stakes races, including the Alberta Stallion Stakes Program.
A bonus is earned for owners and breeders of horses that were foaled in Alberta and placed third or better in a race on all tracks in Alberta. The 2018 Breeders’ Bonus and Stallion Bonus distributed $28,166 for the breeder’s bonus for overnight races carded at Quarter Horse distances. The stallion owner bonus of $12,500 was prorated among eligible stallions based on eligible earnings of their progeny.
2019 World Professional Chuckwagon Association Finals At Century Downs
The 2019 World Finals of the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) will be held Aug. 21-25 at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino. The event is ranked among the top chuckwagon events and will award more than $300,000 over
the five days. The Aug. 25 final is worth $50,000,
a $30,000 horse trailer, trophy and buckles for the driver and two outriders, and the title of Century Downs “Winners’ Zone” Champion. The driver with the most season points up to and including the fourth day at Century Downs will be recognized as the World Champion, and will receive $10,000 and a one-year lease on a GMC truck. The road to the World Finals kicks off at Grande Prairie on May 29, and will then move to Ponoka Stampede and Cal- gary Stampede before the Century Downs finals.
Northlands Park Closed
After 113 years of operation, Northlands Park closed its doors on Jan. 31, 2019. Located in Edmonton, Alberta, Northlands Park primarily held Thoroughbred and Standardbred races, but also contested Quarter Horse races including the Alberta Stallion Stakes Futurity, Derby and Maturity.
60 SPEEDHORSE CANADA, Spring 2019