Page 17 - 8 June 2012

Vince Genco and Marco Sá were on hand to watch the Megarace.
in honor of the recent death of Dr. Gianni, the Grand Prix was renamed Megarace—Dr. Gianni Franco Samaja.
“We owe a lot to Gianni, for everything. We Brazilians do not have the habit of recognizing our leaders or applauding our idols. The recognition of the legacy left by him and his importance, with results in Brazil and the United States, is undeni- able.Today was a historic day for the Jockey Club and the Brazilian turf,,” added Lima Terra.
A card and flowers were presented to D. Sonia, the widow of Dr. Gianni. She and her family made sure to attend this event and highlighted the great emotion felt and support they received.
The Megarace receives attention from around the world every year, as besides the Brazilians across the country, people of Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina attend the event. These are people who wait, eager to participate and honor an event like Megarace. Vince Genco was present and very moved, as the race honored his good friend Gianni Samaja.
“The Megarace is special, both here in Brazil as in the United States, because of the prestige of Gianni. Gianni has always been a very dear person to me,” Genco told Western Magazine.
Genco also always makes a point to attend this GP and closely follows the evolution of Quarter Horse racing in Brazil.
“The horses are getting better, and the times are as well. I started helping send Quarter Horses to Brazil in 1973 and since then, I have seen first hand how things have developed. I can say that the animals in Brazil could win in the United States on equal footing,” he ended.
For Benny Rosset (Haras Flor do Campo), another exponent of Brazil on American soil for its investments and achievements, the Megarace is the most important race on the calendar for Quarter Horses.
“Everything that came after Megarace tried to follow this winning model. The Megarace was the driving force for the great Quarter
Refuge Splash won the Santo Angelo in a time of :21.33.
Horse Racing in Brazil. It is the dream of everyone to win this race,” said Rosset.
Rosset, who has also chaired the Jockey Club of Sorocaba, spoke with affection of Dr. Gianni, saying, “He was the first to bring to Brazil the large matrices for reproduction, instilling a new concept in Brazilian breeding. He knew a lot about horses, loved it all, and will be greatly missed.”
The great success of Megarace has to do with the format, the prestige of Dr. Gianni, and the soundness and safety of the par- ticipants it provided from the beginning. This is the opinion of Marcelo Jorge (Haras São Jorge), another big name in interna- tional horse racing. For him, the award is high and well distributed, well socialized among participants in a fair manner. “It is
a pioneering and very important race. Dr. Gianni was one of the greatest creators in Brazil. He was always very involved, not only in the Megarace, but in the breed in general, helping in the promotion of Quarter Horse
racing. He was a pioneer on several fronts, and was one of the most influential men
in Quarter Horse racing in Brazil and the United States, absolutely. He will be greatly missed,” said Jorge.
For Eric Braga (Haras Prata), the Megarace is the most important race, the top award. “Gianni was a pioneer in everything he did and was a great friend of mine. He invested heavily in the horse, the largest arrays are in Santo Angelo. The name of the GP will change in homage to this wonderful person who will be very missed,” he added.
The expectation is always great for pre- sentation of the Megarace, says Paulo Fahra, president of the Brazilian Association of Horse Breeders of Quarter Horses. It also reaffirms the importance of this race to racing and talks about the gap that the death of Dr. Gianni will leave, “we will miss him for many years. He was a fantastic person and we are indebted to him for the enormity of the Quarter Horse in Brazil and visibility abroad.”
The winner’s circle of the Santo Angelo GP.
SPEEDHORSE, June 8, 2012 15
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