Page 23 - August 2017

K.C. Carden receives plaque of appreciation from Wyoming Downs General Manager Frank Lamb
in the national American Quarter Horse Association’s Youth Racing Experience program, and this year will be represented by Kim Standeford at the 2017 edition of the event to be held during the Bank of America Challenge at Prairie Meadows in October.
Standeford was one of 13 students that competed at Indiana Grand in June. The students spent the day at the track learning about the care and training of Quarter Horses, and then took an exam to determine the winner. Standeford earned a $1,000 scholarship courtesy of QHRAI and a trip to the national contest where she will have the opportunity to earn an additional scholarship from AQHA as programs from across the nation come together for the national competition.
Standeford, a 2017 high school graduate, is headed to Purdue University, hoping to earn a degree in marketing. She has shown locally on the 4-H circuit, which led her into the barrel racing where she won the 1D Indiana Barrel Racing Association State Youth title in 2014.
“We had 13 students spend the day with
us this year, and they were a great group of kids,” said Vickie Duke, secretary for QHRAI and coordinator of the local Youth Racing Experience event. “In fact, two of the girls were from Illinois as that state does not offer a Youth Racing Experience program. They were chosen by their test scores, their interaction during the day and their interviews. It was really close this year as several of the students really stood out.”
Hot diggitY dog
Los Alamitos hosted the 22nd running of the Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals on July 22. The paid attendance of 8,705 was just shy of the all-time record for the event of 8,731 set in 2007. The total attendance was estimated at 10,500, which included all children enjoying free admission to the event.
With a convincing come-from-behind victory in the 50-yard final, Katherine and Eddie Kishner’s Baby Bo took home the top prize – the title of Fastest Wiener In the West, $1,000 cash prize, and a doghouse in the shape of a Wienerschnitzel restaurant.
The dachshund qualified after winning his trial in :05.80, a clocking that’s believed to be the fastest ever in the history of the Wiener Nationals.
The Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals is a fundraising event for the Seal Beach Animal Care Center (SBACC), a non-kill shelter in Orange County. The Wiener Nationals and SBACC have raised more than $250,000 over the years, and this year’s event will raise an estimated $12,000 via ticket and t-shirt sales provided by Los Alamitos Race Course, plus a $5,000 donation from the track.
“We rode and he was a cowboy,” Lewis said. “We raised our family in Casper, but home now is in Evanston,” Lewis said. “I grew up in the northern part of the state. I think I know someone in every town by this point. I love it out here.”
She enjoys working with the staff at Wyoming Downs. “The people are so great
to work with,” Lewis said. “I look forward to being right here at this gate. I want people to be comfortable. They’re here for a good time, too.”
Lewis’ love of horses goes back to her childhood. She recalled crying as a child until her father bought her a horse. When she married a cowboy, horses continued to be part of her life, and when Wyoming Downs opened, Lewis and her husband brought their four grandchildren to Evanston for the summer for the race meet. “We lived in a trailer park and it was a great summer,” she said. “I have a lot of great memories from here.”
One of her granddaughters is following
in her racetrack path and works the track’s front desk. And at 86, Lewis is still riding and enjoying the races.
New AQHA RAciNg couNcil MeMbeRs
The AQHA Racing Council recently welcomed three new members elected by the AQHA Racing Committee: Debbie Schauf of Edmond, OK; Ross Brigden of Medicine Hat, Alberta, CAN; and Dr. Larry Findley of Vinton, LA. Brigden is an AQHA director-at-large, while Schauf and Findley are AQHA directors. Each will serve a 3-year term ending in 2020.
Schauf is the executive director for the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association
and has been influential in helping horse racing not only in her own state but the rest of the world. She has worked tirelessly to represent horse racing in regard to racing laws, rules and regulations, medication issues, and promotional efforts. An AQHA life member, she has served as a member of the AQHA Racing Committee, the AQHA Affiliate Council, and as an AQHA director.
Brigden has served previously on the Racing Council and as a trainer, saddling graded stakes winners Katies Sign and A Special Martini. He has trained the earners of nearly $1 million, and has bred the earners of nearly half a million dollars including stakes winners Snoboat and Princess Of Zoom.
An owner and leading surgeon at Delta Equine Center, Findley brings more than 30 years of veterinary experience to the table, specializing in racehorses. An AQHA director, LQHBA board member, and member of the Racing Committee, Findley in his own name has bred more than a dozen racing Quarter Horses, including the versatile mare Shinin For You, who after her racing career, has become an AQHA point-earning show horse.
The 10-member Racing Council also includes AQHA Executive Committee Member Butch Wise, Racing Committee Chairman Kelvin Childers, and members Bob Gaston, John Hammes, Duayne Didericksen, Melodie Knuchell, and AQHA Past President Johnny Trotter.
iNdiANA ANNouNces YoutH wiNNeRs
The Quarter Horse Racing Association of Indiana has a history of having a strong presence
SPEEDHORSE, Ausutst 2017 21
track chatter
wyoming Downs