Page 12 - Speedhorse March 2018

THE MONTH IN REVIEW
by Jennifer K. Hancock
SAM THOMPSON MEMORIAL FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP
The Sam Thompson Memorial Foundation
is awarding $25,000 in scholarships this summer
for New Mexico residents. The Zia Racing Youth Scholarships will be awarded to students who are continuing their education through college coursework or a trade school and whose families are involved in the horse racing community.
The scholarships will be awarded for the 2018- 2019 school year. The deadline to apply is July 14, and the Foundation plans to notify recipients on July 16.
At the AQHA World Champion Announcements in Oklahoma City in January, Sam Thompson Memorial Foundation board members Laura Joiner and Mindy McArthur received the AQHA Racing Council Special Recognition Award. Joiner and McArthur have been instrumental in the Foundation’s fundraising efforts that have benefited disabled jockeys and youth in the racing industry.
“Laura and I are very thankful for the outpouring of support that we’ve received for the Sam Thompson Racing Youth scholarship awards,” McArthur said. “Our recipients are truly great kids and wonderful ambassadors for our racing community.
“Our 2017 fundraisers were so successful, we were able to have two rounds of scholarship awards,” McArthur added. “In the first round, we awarded $38,000 to racetrack youth nationwide, and our second round of $25,000 is earmarked for our
New Mexico racing youth. The Zia Racing Youth Scholarships will be awarded during the Ruidoso Downs Zia Festival this year. We are very grateful
to the Ruidoso Downs Sale Company for allowing us the opportunity to host the silent auction
during the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale Labor Day weekend. This is the main monetary portion of our scholarship awards.”
The Foundation that honors the memory of jockey Sam Thompson and continues his legacy in the racing industry awarded $33,000 in 2016, too. With the $25,000 set aside for the Zia Racing Youth Scholarships, the Foundation has given racetrack youth $96,000 in scholarships to further their education.
The application for the 2018 Sam Thompson Racing Youth Scholarships became available March 1, and completed applications are due by Sept. 15. The amount of the scholarships will depend on the Foundation’s fundraising opportunities this year.
For applications and other information on the Sam Thompson Memorial Foundation scholarship program, visit www.thestfoundation.org/scholarship.
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SPEEDHORSE, March 2018
Jennifer K. Hancock
FAME MEMBERS
On March 24, the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Hall of Fame will induct John Lionel Soileau Sr. and Hemp Meyers as members of its third class. The ceremony is held in conjunction with the annual LQHBA Membership Meeting and Awards Banquet at the Evangeline Downs Events Center in Opelousas, Louisiana.
The founder of JLS Speedhorse Ranch, Inc., Soileau owned 1,377 Quarter Horses, many of which were stakes winners and helped shine the spotlight on Louisiana breeding and racing.
Soileau’s Royal Bushwhacker, a son of Behold
A Beduino, broke his maiden at Delta Downs and won the Firecracker Futurity. During his 3-year-old season he defeated World Champion and three-time Champion of Champions winner Refrigerator and stakes winner Takin On The Cash in a trial for the All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs. In a blanket finish in the 1991 All American Derby final, he finished third behind See Me Gone and Refrigerator.
“We came up as a farming family and it was hard work,” said Darrel Soileau, John’s oldest son. “But on Sundays after church, we piled into the truck and headed to the bush tracks.”
Royal Bushwhacker, who was a member of the inaugural LQHBA Hall of Fame class, retired in 1992 with 13 wins and earnings of $290,770.
“That gray horse was really special,” stated Darrel. “He put Daddy where he deserved to be.”
Soileau’s additional stakes winners included Do It
TRACK CHATTER