Page 151 - January 2018

Executive director Loretta Brasher was inducted into the Arizona Quarter Racing Association Hall of Fame.
Detailed Coverage Inside:
Million Dollar Sires & 2016 Broodmare Of The Year Nominees
with eight wins each, while Alejandro Moya was the leading owner by earnings with $232,792; Orlando Orozco was the leading trainer with
29 wins; and Damian Martinez was the leading jockey with 37 wins, and he also led all jockeys by earnings with $322,310.
March 22
Benjamin Wainscott, 31, passed away on Mar. 22 as the result of an automobile accident. Ben worked as a Gate Hand Starter at Remington Park Racetrack. His service was held with the Remington Park Gate Crew as honorary bearers.
March 23
Former Oklahoma racehorse trainer Robert Dimitt was sentenced to 25 years for animal abuse, five years each for five charges.
With some sentences suspended or to run concurrently, Dimitt will serve five years in DOC and will be on parole an additional 10 years. He was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and to have nothing to do with horses for the term of his parole.
March 24
The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission approved Horse Racing Alberta and Century Casinos’ plan to build a $50-million racetrack near Edmonton. The new track will be called Century Mile and will replace Northlands Park, which is scheduled to race until June 30, 2018.
March 25
John Bachelor, president of Speedhorse, donated the 1997 AQHA World Championship Show Versatility Showcase Exhibitor bronze in appreciation of Eastex for “Demonstrating the Versatility of America’s Horse” to Remington Park. Scott Wells, the president and general manager of Remington Park and Lone Star Park, accepted the bronze that is to be placed in Remington Park’s permanent display honoring 2-time Champion Eastex (Texas Dancer TB-Tall Cotton, Easy Jet).
March 27
Carolyn Ladner Babb, wife of longtime auctioneer Keith Babb, passed away after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease. Carolyn was a retired associate professor of
the School of Business at Northeast Louisiana University, and she previously taught economics at Auburn University. After her retirement from NLU, among other things, she was a partner and manager of Keith Babb & Associates Auction and Realty Co.
1
April 4
4/5/17 11:56 AM
April 7
Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA) founder Horace William “Salty” Roberts, 85, passed away following a long illness. Roberts began ministering to track workers in 1968.
He established the first recognized worship services on the backside in 1970, and his efforts to spread services to other tracks led to the formation of the RTCA in 1972. The RTCA today supports chaplains at 39 racetracks and training centers across the United States.
April 8
Prominent Louisiana Quarter Horse breeders
and owners Lee Berwick and W. A. Darling
were inducted into the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Hall of Fame. Equines inducted in the 2017 class include Go Vicki Meyers, Heisajoy, and Streakin La Jolla. The Hall of Fame induction took place in conjunction with the annual LQHBA Meeting and Awards Banquet.
April 11
After 45 years of working at Los Alamitos, Howard Knuchell retired from his position of Director of Operations. Knuchell began his
career at the track in 1972 as an usher in the box-seat section of the upper grandstand. He
rose to Director of Operations in the early 1990s. Knuchell noted his most important moment of working at the track was when he met his wife, Melodie, who currently is the track’s Director of Simulcasting and Director of Stakes Nominations.
COVER 04-2017.indd
The North Dakota House defeated a bill that would have expanded gaming by allowing
the state’s racetracks, including North Dakota Horse Park, to operate historic racing machines, aka instant racing. The bill failed in a 45-46 vote after passing the Senate
in March. The state Racing Commission predicted $250 million in wagering in 2019 if the bill passed, with some revenue going to the state’s general fund, local coffers, and other funds administered by the Racing Commission.
John Bachelor presents Scott Wells the 1997 AQHA World Championship Show Versatility Showcase Exhibitor bronze awarded 2-time Champion Eastex for “Demonstrating the Versatility of America’s Horse” to be part of a permanent display.
SPEEDHORSE, January 2018 149
SPEEDHORSE APRIL 2017