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for the safety of the horse and rider, and it’s been difficult, but the horsemen have been very responsive and we’re getting it done.”
The horsemen aren’t alone in their appreciation for Dino. “He makes my job easy,” says Vince Genco. “I’m four and a half hours from Los Alamitos so he’s my eyes
and ears on the ground. Anytime anything comes up, he contacts me and if I have any questions or hear any rumors, I call him,
“He makes my job easy...Usually, he’s got the problem almost solved before he ever calls me.And he does a great job organizing our quarterly board meetings.The Sale
is also always well organized and if I didn’t show up, it’d go on just as easily as it does when I do show up.Those are all very valuable services to me.”
– PCQHRA’s Board President Vince Genco
Vince Genco
and he lets me know exactly what’s going on. Usually, he’s got the problem almost solved before he ever calls me. And he does a great job organizing our quarterly board meetings. The Sale is also always well organized and if I didn’t show up, it’d go on just as easily as it does when I do show up. Those are all very valuable services to me.”
“Everybody respects him,” adds Cathy Monji. “All kinds of situations arise and he’s able to maintain his composure and manage things in a very respectful way. And he’s a great representative for Los Alamitos. I rely on him a lot for his advice and counsel, and I often ask him to accompany me to meetings because he’s so knowledgeable.”
O O U U T T S S I I D D E E O O F F P P C C Q Q H H R R A A
Creating harmony is something Dino
does not only at the track, but as a pastime as well; when he’s not working, he enjoys exercising his musician muscles. “I play bass guitar,” he says. “I play contemporary Christian music for the church on Sunday mornings, and I also jam with friends.
That’s my weekend pastime. I’ve been playing since my dad bought me my first guitar when I was 14. My dad was self- taught and played in bands in the ’60s, and he taught me to play.”
During the work week, Dino plans to keep on with PCQHRA and Doc Allred at Los Alamitos until the track no longer exists, and then perhaps make use of his credentials as a racing steward, which he’s had an interest in since he was in school. “I’ll probably either continue with Quarter Horse racing or go with HISA [the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority],” he says.
Until that time comes, he’ll also continue his extracurricular work with the AQHA Racing Council and Racing C o m m i t t e e , t h e W i n n e r ’s F o u n d a t i o n , the Quarter Horse Benevolent Charity Foundation and as president of the Los Alamitos Racetrack Chaplaincy.
“He’s very, very special and important to us,” Cathy Monji says. “He’s a great person and the horsemen go to him and listen to him because he is so fair.”
When not working,
Dino plays bass for
a Christian band on
Sundays at his church.
Courtesy Dino Perez
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SPEEDHORSE December 2023