Page 70 - January 2018

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Oklahoma Gov. signed legislation to allow gaming machines at state tracks.
high-ranking militia members. The Race Track Chaplaincy of America created the White Horse Fellowship and White Horse Award for backstretch workers who perform unselfish acts of heroism.
In Memoriam: Breeder/owner of World Champion Down With Debt, George Haddad passed away at 71; Longtime horseman William Barney “Bill” Hedge, 85, passed away; Champion/Champion sire Pie In The Sky was euthanized; Seattle Slew, the last living Triple Crown Winner at the time, passed away; Champion Sig Hanson, 16, died of West Nile Virus.
2003
Streakin Sin Tacha & Whosleavingwho were named 2002 Co-World Champions.
The governor of Arizona signed an Indian gambling agreement to expand gaming and give the state a percentage of casino profits. The Wyoming House of Representatives voted to allow pari-mutuel wagering on rodeo events. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board granted slot machines to Evangeline Downs. Ramon Sanchez became the first jockey to win 200
Quarter Horse races in a single season at Los Alamitos. The Jockey Club in Britain began giving random Breathalyzer tests. Walter Merrick was inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Hall of Fame. Equine Herpevirus (EHV-1) reached England. The BLM planned to reduce the size of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana by rounding up 15-20 stallions and giving birth control
shots to young mares & those 14 years & older. Los Alamitos hosted its first pari-mutuel mule race. Arizona increased its legal gambling age from 18 to 21. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities donated $64 million to create a medical surveillance center to study infectious diseases, specifically SARS. 14 Kentucky Derby jockeys who wore a Jockeys’ Guild patch on their pants in support of the national Disabled Jockeys’ Endowment were fined $500 each by the Kentucky Racing Commission. Baghdad racecourse in Iraq, which had been closed and looted during the war, reopened with Sadam Hussein’s eldest son Odai as honorary president after hundreds of horses had been being taken care of by just a few stable hands. Idaho Gem,
a genetic brother to Champion mule Taz, was born and became the first ever clone of the horse family. The Equestrian Rescue Team from the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department in California made their first rescue when they airlifted a horse to safety. Youbet.com launched wireless wagering through cell phones and personal computers. Judy Three Chicks won
the first ever Paint race held in Canada. Actor Tony Curtis and wife Jill Vanden Berg founded the Shiloh Horse Rescue and Sanctuary at their Las Vegas ranch. In Memoriam: W.E. “Sarge” Darden, trainer of Champion Ronas Ryon, died at 73; Breeder/owner of Champions, Pheenix Shaw died at 91; 4-time Kentucky Derby winner Bill Shoemaker, the first jockey to reach $100,000 in earnings, passed away at 72; Jacqueline Spencer, owner of Champion Strawberry Silk, died at 77; Trainer Lewis Wartchow, the first inductee into the ApHC Hall of Fame, passed away at 55; Leading Champion sire/Champion broodmare sire Chicks Beduino, 19, was euthanized following kidney failure; 3-time Champion Denim N Diamonds died at 26; 1982 World Champion Sgt Pepper Feature, 25, died.
2004
Oak Tree Special was named 2003 World Champion. An agreement was reached to allow Oklahoma racetracks to install electronic gaming machines. Evangeline Downs opened its new casino. Oklahoma governor signed legislation
to allow gaming machines at state tracks. A Pennsylvania woman became one of the first in
the country to get a seeing-eye miniature horse. Canada’s National Steeplechase Association mandated the use of a new cushioned shock- absorbent whip that is lighter and more forgiving than traditional ones. Iowa voted to allow table games at state racetracks. Washington governor signed into law a measure to legalize Internet
and phone wagering. The British Broadcasting Company will put microphones on select jockeys racing in the UK to capture the passion, power and energy of horse and rider. Banamine, the production of which was halted two years before after the FDA found manufacturing violations, was put back on the market. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill to increase takeout on exotic wagering to help horsemen cover the cost
of workers’ compensation insurance. Horseman Walter Merrick was honored when his hometown of Sayre, Oklahoma, hosted Walter Merrick Appreciation Day. Arizona horsemen started a fund earmarked for the care, rehabilitation and
Auctioneer Keith Babb was inducted into the National Auctioneer Association Hall of Fame.
68 SPEEDHORSE, January 2018