Page 15 - July 2019

On April 13, he won five Sam Houston Futurity trials, and while none of his juve- niles qualified for the final, the hard-working horseman looks for many to step up in future major events.
“Winning my first title is an accomplish- ment and I am proud of that,” Riojas told Claussen. “I would have liked to have won a futurity or derby, but I feel that the experi- ence of running in trials will help my horses in the future.”
When accepting his award at Sam Hous- ton Race Park, and Riojas gave thanks to his owners, riders and staff.
“I also want to thank the Sam Houston racing office and James Leatherman for their help and patience,” added Riojas.
The “feel good” story of the 20-day Quar- ter Horse meet at Sam Houston Race Park involved Joseph Gordon Jr., who is known as “JoJo.” The jockey retired from the saddle 18 years ago, but remained active in the industry as an assistant trainer and a member of the gate crew. After almost two decades out of the irons, he applied for his jockey license and returned to ride Shake Em Rocks in the $15,000 Texas Twister Stakes on May 17. After winning the race, he was greeted by a throng of family members and Sam Houston Race Park employees in the winner’s circle.
“It was an awesome feeling,” said Gordon. “I knew I couldn’t lose the race because she
is such a nice filly, and I had so many people here supporting me.”
Sam Houston Race Park’s Senior Director of Racing Operations Frank Hopf reflected on the noted highlights in 2019.
“We are pleased with the success of our live racing meets and proud to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sam Houston Race Park,” said Hopf. “The support of our horsemen and horse- players in Houston and across the country is greatly appreciated. We look forward to building on this momentum in 2020.”
GOOD NEWS FOR TEXAS RACING
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a piece of legislation that will benefit the Texas racing industry.
House Bill 2463/Senate Bill 1991 is a purse matching bill that will take a portion of the money collected by the state on the taxable sale of horse products to create an incentive fund to in- crease purses in the hopes of bringing quality race horses and breeding operations back to Texas.
Proponents of the legislation, which creates no new taxes, said it will make Texas racing regionally competitive again.
According to a study prepared for racing industry consultants by TXP Inc. in Austin,
bettors in Texas wagered $900 million and horse breeders and owners enjoyed $32.5 million in purse money in the early part of the 21st century. By 2018, those number had dropped to $340 million wagered at Texas tracks, and the owners took home purses of $16.8 million.
The study suggests a state contribution of up to $25 million a year in purse money would not only boost tracks’ revenue but would, by 2022, double the current direct impact on the overall Texas economy to $154.6 million.
LUTZ JOINS AQHA
John Lutz of Amarillo is the American Quarter Horse Association’s new chief rev- enue officer, sales and business development. He started his new job on June 3.
Lutz will be responsible for the devel- opment, execution and management of sales, marketing and product management strategies for AQHA products and affiliated entities. Lutz will oversee AQHA’s sales, marketing and product management teams. He will also be responsible for developing and executing company sales and marketing plans and providing direction and planning for the Association to secure new contracts with new partners, as well as manage ongo- ing contracts.
“We are excited to add John to the Asso- ciation’s talented team,” said Craig Huff- hines, AQHA executive vice president. “He is an accomplished sales leader with a consistent history of revenue growth and team success, and we look forward to seeing what he brings to the table.”
Lutz’ resume includes being the vice president of sales and technology at Davidson Oil in Amarillo; vice president of sales and chief technology officer at FireStream World- wide in St. Louis; and, most recently, vice president of sales and marketing at Davidson Companies in Amarillo.
“AQHA’s commitment to improving its products and processes while respecting its’ amazing heritage is most impressive,” said Lutz. “It’s an ideal time to join AQHA’s committed team, and I look forward to help- ing accelerate its sales and revenue opportu- nities. In addition, it will be a privilege to work with our best-in-class industry partners as we grow.”
Lutz received bachelor’s degrees in Business and Spanish from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, attended Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, and attended Texas A&M University for graduate studies.
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