Page 22 - June 2021

AQHA RACING UPDATE
“ . . . I’m a “glass half full” type of person, and featuring positive things brings me great joy.”
OUR INDUSTRY IS DOING GREAT
Hello friends. We are chin deep into the racing season, and our industry is doing great! As I’m preparing this submis-
sion, Remington Park is closing its meet with record purses, having implemented a 28% purse increase the last two weekends. Once again,
all horses that ran at the Oklahoma City oval passed the condition-of-entry hair testing. Kudos to the OQHRA and Krissy Bamberg’s team for managing that project! Ruidoso Downs is kicking off their meet and look-
ing forward to opening their grandstands and hosting full attendance. A new management team has kicked off the meet at Energy Downs 307 Racing, where they are for the first time hosting a Regional Distance Challenge Stakes. Grants Pass Downs is reporting record handle, and their races are being featured on TVG. The Cowboy Channel is including AQHA’s Regional
Challenge stakes in their Western Sports Roundup, giving our industry (and the Racing Challenge) some great exposure. Most of you know that I’m a “glass half full” type of person, and featuring positive things brings me great joy.
Let’s take a look at what’s going on behind the scenes: What are we doing right to help sup- port the good news in Quarter Horse racing?
First, track management everywhere should be applauded for persevering during the pandemic and keeping racing going. With the interruption of revenue stream, we all need to be appreciative of their efforts.
Second, exposure. Q-Racing, TVG, the Cowboy Channel, are all venues that put our product in front of viewers. Support them!
Thirdly, there are steadfast efforts to maintain integrity in the sport. People want to know that racing is fair. As an integral
component of this topic, AQHA has long been a proponent of hair testing as valuable tool
in deterring use of certain prohibited drugs. States that have a robust hair testing program report a decline in post-race positive findings. This, my friends, is good news! It is evidence that through this testing mechanism, we are having an impact in protecting Quarter Horse racing. Additionally, all the AQHA Regional Challenge stakes require condition-of-entry hair testing to be eligible for the respective finals. We have never received a complaint about implementing this policy! To the con- trary, doing so has instilled faith in the pro- gram from those who nominate their horses.
No doubt, we do have some more work to do to become uniform in implementation of testing mechanisms amongst the racing jurisdictions.
I have been in communication with staff at the
June 2021
by Janet VanBebber, AQHA Chief Racing Officer
20 SPEEDHORSE June 2021