Page 267 - September 2023

to beat a quadruple threat like we had this year: the richest race, the highest seasonal purse,
the largest crowd and then a closing day with Wyoming’s highest handle in nearly 40 years,” said Wyoming Downs Director of Government Affairs Frank Lamb. Track owner Eric Nelson predicts another record-breaking year in 2024 with purses over $2 million. Under Public Relations Director Judy Horton, Wyoming Downs hosted 20 special events throughout the season, including Native American Heritage Day, Ladies Day, Wyoming Downs Spirits and Brew Fest, Wyoming Downs Car Show, Special Olympics Wyoming and Wyoming Families of Hands and Voices Day, Kids Stick Horse Races, Wyoming Hunger Initiative, and Pink Out Day which celebrates cancer survivors with the annual “Raysha’s Race.”
Jockey Hector Aldrete, Owner Manuel B. Flores Summarily Suspended
Jockey Hector Aldrete and owner Manuel B. Flores have been summarily suspended by the New Mexico Racing Commission after Flores allegedly handed an electrical device to jockey Aldrete in the paddock prior to a race at Ruidoso Downs on Aug. 6. Aldrete was set to ride Jingle And Go, but another jockey took the mount. Aldrete previously had a suspension in New Mexico for possession of an electrical device at Zia Park in 2016 in which he received a 5-year suspension and a $5,000 fine. Aldrete has won 347 Quarter Horse races with earnings of more than $6.6 million. Flores is co-owner of Jingle And Go. Aldrete is set to have a hearing before the stewards on Aug. 13, and the Flores hearing will take place on Aug. 15. Both face a Class 4 felony charge for allegedly violating state statute
60-1A-11F, which states: “The commission
shall revoke for a period not to exceed five years an occupational license if the occupational licensee used, attempted to use or conspired with others to use an electrical or mechanical device, implement or instrument for the purpose of affecting the speed or stamina of a racehorse.”
Washington Woman Contracts Strangles From Horse
According to the Paulick Report and the University of Washington School of Medicine, a 70-year-old woman whose horse was ill with strangles contracted the disease. The woman went to the emergency room with nausea,
dry heaves, fever, chills, shakes, a significant cough with cracking sounds in her lungs,
and early sepsis and pneumonia. A CT scan showed patchy, ground-glass opacities that indicated a partial lung collapse or an atypical infection. She was admitted to the hospital and IV antibiotics were begun. One day after beginning treatment, her blood pressure,
heart rate, respiration rate, and temperature were back within normal ranges. A PCR test on her blood showed she was positive for Streptococcus and she was advised to remain in the hospital. Six days before admittance to the hospital, the woman had found her horse having trouble breathing. It died the next day, and she held the horse as it died. Researchers said this was most likely caused by horse-to- human transmission, though this cannot be confirmed. Strangles is highly transmissible
in horses, but it is very rare that the disease
is transmitted to humans. Transmission
to humans may be caused when a person
is exposed to secretions that contain large amounts of pathogens.
MONEY EARNERS - WINNERS
“SW” in the “Wins” column indicates the number of Stakes wins. # indicates freshman sire.
Sire, Year
2 1 Hes Relentless AQHA, 2011
Current Wins/ Year Starters SW
7 6/2
‘23 Earnings/ Avg. Starter
$79,193 /$11,313
Leading ‘23 Earner/ ‘23 Earnings
Queen For Cash/$32,930
APPALOOSAS
LEADING SIRES OF 2023
NEWS BRIEFS
Robert Harrison Passes Away
Robert Leigh “Bob” Harrison, 91, passed away on June 23, 2023. Born in Malad City, Idaho, Bob excelled in basketball, baseball, and track
in high school. He attended Idaho State College and then joined the U.S. Navy, after which he graduated from Utah State University with a degree in agronomy. He married Kay Tovey and they had four children. Bob worked for the Idaho State Transportation Department for 35 years. He enjoyed hunting and fishing and had a passion for rodeo. He later married Marjory Cecile Hughes, and they enjoyed horse racing where they won
41 races in New Mexico, California, and Wyoming. He is the owner of over $330,000 in money earners, including his homebred mare Pattys Saint (2023, $247,762), who was ranked #6 by wins in 2021 and who won the Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap-G1, AQHA Distaff Challenge Championship-G1, Oneida County Futurity, WHR Futurity, Gary and Sharilyn Blattner Memorial Derby, Oneida County Derby, Pocatello Downs Distaff Challenge, Governor’s Cup Handicap and Grants Pass Distaff Challenge.
Donnie Knight Passes Away
Jockey Donald Ray Knight passed away at the age of 76 on July 18. Knight was born in 1947
and began exercising horses while still in elementary school at the ages of 9 and 10. He married the former
Judy Youngblood and they lived on the Urschel
SPEEDHORSE September 2023 265
Rank
RANKINGS AS OF AUGUST 20, 2023
1
1
Flying Cowboy 123 AQHA, 2016
1
6
/3
$164,217
/$164,217
R Cowgirl/$164,217
Money Earned Winners
Speedhorse Archives
3
2
ivoRy King, 2012
3
3
/0
$33,150
/$11,050
Marfil/$22,026
4
2
gRay CHieF, 2014
7
3
/0
$28,889
/$4,127
Sky Sir/$12,692
5
3
bP PHoenix Reign AQHA, 2009
2
2
/0
$22,022
/$11,011
Dark Reign/$11,321