Page 209 - July 2016

Memorial Handicap, Robert L Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship, Bank
Of America Challenge Championship, and
the Los Alamitos Super Derby. The final two starting berths will come from the Z Wayne Griffin Directors Trials. The horses with the two fastest times will advance to the Champion of Champions. The Champions of Champions, which is the sport’s richest and prestigious stakes for older horse, was first contested at
Los Alamitos in 1972. Since then, 28 of its 43 winners have been crowned World Champion, including last year’s winner Heza Dasha Fire.
LQHBA Expands Breeders’ Awards
The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA) on June 8 announced that the association will begin paying Breeders’ Awards through last place for all horses that qualify and earn purse money in all accredited Louisiana-bred futurity and derby finals as well as in the three Louisiana Champions Day stakes. With this change, approximately $120,000 will be added annually to the awards paid to LQHBA members bringing the total to more than $500,000 each year. Louisiana is the leading state-bred program in the country with over $5 million in mare and stallion awards. Purses paid at the four Louisiana racetracks exceeded $22 million in 2015.
LQHBA Makes Charitable Donations, Offers Scholarships
The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA) made several charitable donations at the close of the 2016 Quarter Horse season at Delta Downs on July 9.
Thanks to the support of sponsors Delta Equine Center, Grant Farms LLC, Heza Fast Dash, Jumonville Farms, and StallioneSearch LLC, $5,000 was donated to the Special Olympics Louisiana (SOLA). In addition, two $1,000 college scholarship drawings were awarded to Louisiana high school graduates planning to attend a higher education institu- tion in the 2016 calendar year. The LQHBA scholarship program has designated over $430,000 for this purpose. For more infor- mation on the LQHBA, visit their website at LQHBA.com or call (318) 487-9506.
Renovations At Albuquerque Downs
Albuquerque Downs opened its 60-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet on June 26 with the first night racing in New Mexico in decades. Changes to the facil-
ity include a completely renovated open-air grandstand, and upgraded restrooms and food and beverage stands. The top floor features
a Turf Club with full bar, and a Jockey Club with a full bar and upscale menu. The paddock area on the north end has been renovated and features a patio area with tables and a view-
ing area. The infield tote board has also been improved with easy-to-read LED lighting and is adjoined by a 48-foot Jumbotron.
Michigan House of Representatives Passes Two Bills
By a vote of 104-4, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a plan to switch the for- mula of distributing winnings to horse owners and tracks from a big pool to a system where
money generated at each of the state’s two horse tracks stays at each track to pay prizes to winning horses and to cover track expenses. The new plan will also crack down on out-of- state betting operations, making it a crime for anyone without a license for live horse racing in Michigan to accept wagers over the Internet from state residents. The state is also consider- ing allowing Michigan tracks to accept online wagers on live and simulcast races run at the tracks. It is hoped that this new plan will help Michigan’s two tracks - Northville Downs and Hazel Park Raceway – stay in business. Horse racing generated $13.2 million in revenue to the state on wagers of $416 million in 1999. By 2015, those revenues had shrunk to $3.5 mil- lion on wagers of $106 million.
Minnesota Approves ADW
Minnesota state legislation authorizing
the licensing and oversight of advance deposit wagering (ADW) providers in the state was passed and signed into law. ADW is a com- mon form of wagering on horse races in which bettors place funds in an account with ADW providers against which wagers are debited and winnings are credited. It is estimated
that $1.5 million will be recaptured from newly licensed ADW providers for financial awards for breeders and to increase purses at Canterbury Park and Running Aces Casino
& Racetrack. The new law will also redirect revenue generated from fines levied by the Minnesota Racing Commission to fund the repurposing and retirement of horses at the end of their racing careers.
Can you identify this picture? Here’s a hint: this trial photo of eventual Champion 2-Year-Old Gelding was taken May 14, 1993. The answer is on page 212.
SPEEDHORSE PHOTO ARCHivES
SPEEDHORSE, July 2016 207
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