Page 70 - Jan_2020

Esgar Ramirez received the 2019 Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey award.
AUGUST
AUGUST 10
The three most accomplished jockeys in the his- tory of Prairie Meadows were inducted into the Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame. They were Alex Birzer, Glenn Corbett and Terry Thompson. Ten-time Quarter Horse stakes winner Ajs High (Apollitical Jess-Regally Rare, Rare
Form) was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. The 2012 gelding, who is bred and owned by Michael Teel and trained by Charlton Hunt, won 15 of 33 starts with earnings of $854,238.
AUGUST 15
Jockeys riding at Albuquerque Downs accom- panied track Chaplain Donald Stover on the annual visit to the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital – the state’s only Children’s Miracle Network hospital. Jockeys Daniel Ruiz Amaya, Marcelo Barraza, Porfirio Cano, Don French, Reyes Gomez, Elvin Gonzalez, Erik Lujan, Albert Medrano, Paul Nieto and Miguel Perez distributed gifts, including signed goggles, winner’s circle photos and stuffed animals.
SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER 1
Esgar Ramirez received the 2019 Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey award after receiving the
most votes for the peer elected award. “It’s an honor for me to get this award,” Esgar says. “I never thought I would win it. It means so much because other jocks picked me, so I’ve earned the respect of the other riders. It’s a really, really nice thing and really exciting, and it means a lot to me.” Esgar also received a belt buckle and limited edition bronze to commemorate the occasion.
SEPTEMBER 6
The 2019 Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame gala was held at Retama Park in Selma, Texas. The 2019 inductees included individuals John Adger, Keith and Marilyn Asmussen, Johnny Cox, Ted Keefer, Bob and Janice McNair, and horses Alysheba and Streakin Six. Also
in attendance was Texas State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, who praised Dr. Charles Graham and horsemen for their role in helping pass legislation that could double purses for horse racing in the state in 2020.
SEPTEMBER 7
Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana, ended its meet that began Aug.
16 and declared their meet leaders. Two- year-old gelding Sir Runaway Cash was the leading horse by money earned after winning the LQHBA Sale Futurity-G1 on closing day; Meal Ticket Racing, owners of Sir Runaway Cash, were the leading owners by money; David Bustamante was the leading trainer by earnings; and Everardo Rodriguez was the leading jockey by money earnings. The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders’ Association awarded two $1,000 scholarships on closing day to further the education of Louisiana students.
SEPTEMBER 18
The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association announced the purse for the 2020 Lee Berwick Futurity-RG1 has been increased to an estimated $1 million. The race is set to run at Delta Downs on July 4, 2020, and joins the LQHBA Louisiana Million, which runs at Evangeline Downs, as one of two races with million dollar purses to run in Louisiana.
SEPTEMBER 19
Administrators and officials from Texas Tech University and Texas Tech University Health Science Center met in a field north of the Amarillo campus to break ground on the new Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine. The school, which expects to enroll its first class of approximately 60 veterinary students in the fall of 2021, will also support graduate students involved in advanced research.
SEPTEMBER 22
Albuquerque Downs ended its 56-day mixed meet and declared their meet leaders. Norberto Morales-Perez was the lead-
ing Quarter Horse owner by wins, while Mac and Janis Murray’s MJ Farms was the leading Quarter Horse owner by earnings; Mike Joiner took the leading Quarter Horse trainer by earnings title, with Arnoldo Carrillo and Jesus Carrete the co-leading Quarter Horse trainers by wins; and Edgar Martinez was the leading Quarter Horse jockey by both wins and earnings.
August 15 - Jockeys at the Downs at Albuquerque accompany track champlain Donald Stover on an annual visit to the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital