Page 192 - January 2022

NEWS BRIEFS
Evangeline Downs Declares Meet Leaders
Evangeline Downs, which began their
2021 meet on Oct. 6 and ended on Dec. 30, declared their meet leaders. Rosendo Valdez was named the leading Quarter Horse Owner for 2021 with 24 wins and $278,731 in earnings. Rosendo Valdez Jr. took the leading Quarter Horse Trainer title of 2021 with 38 wins and $1,076,036 in earnings, including LQHBA Louisiana Million Futurity-RG1 winner Blood Money. Everardo Rodriguez was named the leading Quarter Horse Jockey for the second consecutive year, winning the 2021 title with 78 wins and earnings of over $1.4 million.
Lone Star Park Meet Leaders
Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas,
on Dec. 18 declared their meet leaders. Pete Scarmardo earned the leading owner title with 7 wins and earnings of $209,704. The leading trainer title was shared by Toby Keeton and James J. Gonzales III, with 16 wins each. Keeton’s runners earned $310,513, while Gonzales’s runners earned $278,807. Victor Urieta Jr. was the leading jockey with 23 wins and $332,701 in earners.
LQHBA Awards Scholarships On Louisiana Million Night
The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders’ Association continued their Scholarship Award program, awarding $5,000 in scholarships to Louisiana youths during a live drawing on Louisiana Million Night at the Evangeline Downs on Dec. 18. Applicants registered
in person and had to be present to win. Scholarship winners were awarded in the winner’s circle prior to the $1 million LQHBA Louisiana Million Futurity-G1. LQHBA has awarded over $700,000 in scholarships to the youth of Louisiana through this program. For additional information visit the association’s website at lqhba.com.
CHRB Penalizes QH Jockeys For Whip Violations
The California Horse Racing Board fined or suspended three Quarter Horse jockeys
for whip violations in the Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity-G1 on Dec. 12. Fourth-place finisher Erasmo Gasca received a $2,000 fine and a 10-day suspension for using his whip
more than six times and more than twice in succession in an overhanded motion without giving his mount a chance to respond. Second-place finisher Rodrigo Aceves was fined $2,000 for using his whip more than six times and more than twice in succession. Third-place finisher Jesus Ayala received a 3-day suspension for using his whip in an overhand motion.
AAEP Publishes Equine Piroplasmosis Guidelines
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has published comprehensive guidelines to help veterinarians identify, control and prevent Equine Piroplasmosis (EP), a blood-borne infection with a mortality rate of up to
50% in equines, on their website at aaep.
org. EP is considered a foreign animal
disease in the U.S. and any detection must
be reported to the state veterinarian and/
or to USDA APHIS Veterinary Services. It
is recommended that current Quarter Horse racehorses be routinely tested for EP and EIA during their racing career. Although natural tick-borne transmission of EP is rare, “Re-use of needles, syringes, and IV sets, blood- contamination of multi-dose drug vials, use of illegal blood products from other countries, and direct blood doping between horses
have been identified as common methods
of blood-borne disease transmission in this population,” said Dr. Pelzel-McCluskey, national epidemiologist for equine diseases at USDA APHIS Veterinary Services.
Gerald Floyd “Jerry” Bailey Passes Away
Dr. Jerry Bailey, 78, passed away Dec.
17 due to complications from pneumonia following a battle with COVID-19. Bailey, who lived in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, earned
a veterinary degree from the University of Minnesota. He moved to Florida where he was a racetrack practitioner, then to Oklahoma where he became the resident veterinarian
for the Lazy E Ranch. He was promoted to general manager of the Lazy E, where he was instrumental in the building of the training center at the facility. He eventually moved back to Florida and started the Jerry Bailey Training Center. Among the many horses he
is associated with is Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch and Champion Lucky At Lucky. Bailey and wife Leslie retired in Oklahoma, where they founded the Quarter Circle 4 Bailey Ranch near Pauls Valley, and he spent his retirement roping, and breeding and raising barrel horses.
Linda Gordon Passes Away
Linda Thompson Gordon, 67, passed away in Denton, Texas, on Dec. 18. Linda graduated from Southern Methodist University. She worked with her father and sister in the family businesses, including oil and gas operations and exploration and ranching. Linda met Gary Gordon in 1994 and they were married for
22 years. She and her husband, in partnership with Ross Roark, owned 2014 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Jess Walking Thru. She
also participated in the halter industry and barrel industry. Her Fossil Gate Farms was
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