Page 41 - January 2016 Speedhorse

2015 A YeAr In revIew
May 23
Veteran jockey Richard Vasquez, 51, passed away following an automobile accident in South Dakota. Vasquez raced across the U.S., won
the Black Gold Futurity
aboard Ima Lazie Too at Blue Ribbon Downs in 2009, and in 1992 set a record for riding nine winning horses from 13 races at Brown County Fair.
May 24
May 30
Remington Park announced their 2015 meet leaders after ending their 51-day Quarter Horse and Mixed-Breed racing meet. Dashin Brown Streak was the Horse of the Meet; Gene Cox was Leading Owner by wins; Bella Vista Farms was Leading Owner by earnings; the Jack Brooks Award for Leading Trainer was shared by Clint Crawford & Jeff Dean; Eddie Willis was Leading Trainer by earnings; and G.R. Carter, Jr. was the meet’s Leading Rider by wins as well as the Leading Rider by earnings. This is the 18th time Carter received the honor, more than any jockey in the history of the track.
May 10
May 30
Indiana Grand Racing & Casino hosted their 2nd annual Jockeys and Jeans fundraiser for the Permanently Disabled Jockey’s Fund (PDJF), raising over $200,000. Hall of Fame rider Ron Turcotte, who rode 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, served as the Honorary Chairman of the event.
Heza Motor Scooter (Heza Fast Man-Hot Tin Lizzie, Ronas Ryon), who was bred and raised by Joyce Erickson, died. The 1998 stallion was a multiple stakes winner of nearly $260,000 and
is the sire of over $3 million, including 2-time Champion Rylees Boy and Champion All About Larry, who died earlier in the year.
Three-time Champion Ketel
Won (Stoli-Sixy Lady, Streakin
Six) died after suffering from
colic while standing in Brazil.
The 2003 stallion, who earned
over $650,000 winning six stakes, was bred and raced by R. D. Hubbard. He is the sire of over $1.1 million from limited starters. Ketel Won was purchased by Sandro Cancian’s PB Export Ltda in 2014 and exported to Brazil.
May 16
Sam Houston Race Park ended their racing season and announced their 2015 meet leaders: Ivan James (above) was the 2015 Horse of the Meet; Pete Scarmardo was the Owner of the Meet; Angel Sanchez earned his second consecutive title as Trainer of the Meet; and Damian Martinez earned his first title as Leading Rider.
May 17
It was a guarantee that trainer Mike Taylor would be in the winner’s circle for the Bucking Horse Sale Futurity in Miles City, Montana, having saddled all eight of the finalists to the event. Taylor won the stakes race with My Tuff Moon, who was owned by Ralph Young and ridden by Brian Beetem.
May 16
AQHA Hall of Fame jockey Bobby Adair passed away at the age of 71. Adair had the most wins, most stakes victories, and most wins in a single meet at 113 during the 1973 Los Alamitos meet. He was the first rider
in the track’s history to win 100 races in a meet in 1969, and from 1968-1974 won
9 of 11 riding titles at Los Alamitos. Adair rode many top runners and Champions,
but perhaps the legendary Kaweah Bar gave him his most memorable rides with 32 wins. Los Alamitos announced they will host the $60,000 Bobby Adair Stakes in April of 2016 in his honor.
May 26
AQHA Dam of Distinction Fortune Of Delight (Six Fortunes-Our Third Delight, Reb’s Policy TB) died at the age of 26. The 1989 mare won or placed in seven stakes races and equaled the 350-yard Track Record at the Downs at Albuquerque. Fortune Of Delight, who was bred by Gwendolyn Eaves, was
an AQHA Superior Race Horse, was named New Mexico High-Point Aged Mare in 1993, was the 1999 Broodmare of the Year, and was named an AQHA Dam of Distinction in 2006. Fortune Of Delight is the dam of over $2.7 million in earners.
SPEEDHORSE, January 2016 39