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AQHA RACING UPDATE
. ..We are currently working on recognizing the success of this year’s horses and horsemen.”
LOOKING TOWARDS 2023
As we close 2022, most of us reflect on the year that is wrapping up and ponder what the new year will bring.
As I write this submission, I think about the career of John Cooper, who has retired and is leaving Los Alamitos to return to his home state of Idaho. His career involved
six decades of training at the Southern California oval. I am from California and left in 1992 when I got married and headed to Delta Downs. Consequently, I grew up
in awe of the horsemen at Los Alamitos. In addition to John, I enjoyed the opportunity to experience an era marked by trainers such as Blane Schvaneveldt, Russell Harris, Denny Ekins, Charles Bloomquist, Dan Francisco, Connie Hall, and many others. I can’t help but feel a touch of sadness when
I think about all that has changed since
that time, and I truly miss the presence of those horsemen. But I don’t linger in the melancholy...I instead appreciate that I had the opportunity to know them. Besides, this role affords me no time to get stuck in the
So, what’s coming for our team? Besides the normal initiatives I typically share in these articles, we are currently working on recognizing the success of this year’s horses and horsemen. Shortly after New Year’s Day, the Champion Selection Committee will convene to review the generous volumes of data the Racing Department team compiles for their review. From among the contenders, winners will be determined by vote. Once armed with that information, we will then finalize all the production details of the event. The victors will be announced on January 18 at Heritage Place. Be there to watch the program live starting at 6 pm, CST, or if you are not able to attend, watch it at AQHA.com or the Cowboy Channel Plus app. It’s my favorite event of the year, and I always enjoy having the opportunity
to interview the connections of the newly crowned Champions.
As soon as the Heritage Place Sale wraps up, our attention will turn towards the 2023 AQHA Convention, held this year at the
the schedule, can be found at AQHA.com. Know that you are welcome to attend the Racing Committee meetings, even if not a member of the committee. We want you there! Governance of your association is important, and I encourage you to be involved.
While we are busy with all the event preparation, know that I am looking forward to seeing your pictures of recently delivered foals, and will be reading the reports of the newly-turned two year olds who are clocking their first official works at the track. I will
be living vicariously through you! If there
is ever a time I miss being in the barn, it’s this time of year. It is always fun to see tomorrow’s Champions as they get their start. We can ponder which ones might afford their connections the opportunity to grace the stage during the AQHA Champions Awards Announcements and have their achievement be forever recognized in our pedigrees! These are the hopes and dreams that keep us in the game, right?
With that in mind, I’ll see you at Heritage
January 2023
by Janet VanBebber, AQHA Chief Racing Officer
past. I instead keep moving forward facing Omni Hotel in Fort Worth, February 24-27. Place on January 18 to celebrate the AQHA the tasks at hand. Information, including registration and Racing Champions!
40 SPEEDHORSE January 2023