Page 13 - September 2018

AQHA described the new process as an important step in their effort to better connect the performance and registration records of American Quarter Horses worldwide with the records and studbook database maintained by the association, which currently records the data of nearly 6 million American Quarter Horses.
In Brazil, ABQM has thrived with the Quar- ter Horse business for nearly 50 years, and pro- duces race and performance horses capable of competing on a global scale. While an estimated 60% of Quarter Horses in Brazil are eligible to be registered with AQHA, only about 1% are currently connected with AQHA’s records.
Additional incentives for Brazilian owners to register their horses with AQHA are being launched.
GARCIA HITS 150
Jockey Eddie Garcia was honored Aug. 4 for his 150th stakes victory at Los Alamitos Racecourse.
Garcia became the first jockey to reach the milestone at Los Alamitos when he rode Ron Hartley’s Black Fryday to win the Governor’s Cup Derby-RG3 on July 28. Born in Tala, Jalisco, Mexico in 1964, Garcia began his riding career at Laurel Brown Racetrack near Salt Lake City when he was 16. His first stakes victory at Los Alamitos came in the 1986
Los Alamitos Invitational Championship-G1 on Easy Conversation, a gelded son of Easy Sage trained by Blane Schvaneveldt for owner Juliana Winters.
Since then, Garcia has won several of
the sport’s major futurities, including the 1993 All American Futurity-G1 aboard A Classic Dash, the 1996 Los Alamitos Million Futurity-G1 with Corona Cartel, and the 2008 Los Alamitos Two-Million Futurity-G1 on Tres Passes. The all-time leading Quarter Horse rider at Los Alamitos with 2,655 wins, he also has ridden Four Forty Blast, Separatist and Sign Of Lanty.
Garcia has won eight Quarter Horse riding titles at Los Alamitos, with his first coming at the 1987 winter meet. In 2015, he was the winner of the Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award, a peer-elected award presented annually to a jockey whose personal character on and off the racetrack reflects positively on Quarter Horse racing.
HEROES SOUGHT
A hero is a person who is admired or ideal- ized for courage, outstanding achievements
or noble qualities. There are heroes all around the horse-racing industry and the Race Track Chaplaincy of America wants to recognize these selfless servants.
The Race Track Chaplaincy of America is currently seeking nominees for the 16th annual White Horse Awards. This year’s program will take place on Nov. 1 at Churchill Downs Race- track in Louisville, Kentucky, just prior to the beginning of the Breeders’ Cup World Cham- pionships being held at the track. The awards are intended as a way to recognize those unsung heroes of horse racing, whether their actions
are headline-grabbing or the quiet and not-so- obvious kind of heroism.
Nominees are being sought for the following three awards:
• White Horse Award, which is given to indi- viduals who have done something heroic on behalf of human or horse;
• Tribute to Excellence Award, an award given to an individual who consistently demon- strated professional excellence and leadership in the horse racing industry;
• Community Service Award, which recog- nizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the welfare of racetrack chaplaincy ministries.
To submit a nomination for award, visit www.rtcanational.org/events. The deadline for submission is Sept. 14.
The White Horse Award was established in 2003 to recognize individuals within the horse rac- ing industry for their acts of selflessness and bravery. The most recent recipient was Angie Cheak who was instrumental in saving 43 Thoroughbreds aban- doned in desperate conditions on a Kentucky farm.
INDIANA ADVISORS NAMED
Every year, horsemen and -women are given the task to make recommendations to the In- diana Horse Racing Commission to ensure the Indiana Quarter Horse racing program contin- ues to grow, while maintaining a balance with the open racing program at Indiana Grand Race Course and Casino in Shelbyville.
Lance Finlinson, Randy Thompson and Chris Duke are serving on the Indiana Quarter Horse Breed Development Advisory Committee to further the sport of horse racing in the state.
Finlinson has been involved with the Quarter Horse industry off and on for 20 years. Finlinson initially joined the Advisory Committee in mid- 2017 and was recently named the chairman.
“My goal with the program is to listen to the Quarter Horse owners and try to make In- diana the best place to race horses in the United States,” Finlinson said.
The barn where Thompson raises Quarter Horses has been owned by his family since 1930. Thompson got into the industry in 1993, when he purchased a race-bred mare named Prissy Mar- shal, who was in foal to Born Runner, the name- sake of one of the Indiana-sired stakes races.
“My goal for the program has always been to improve the quality of Indiana horses, as well as to make it a profitable investment for horse owners, breeders and stallion owners,” Thompson said.
Duke raises Quarter Horses used in barrel rac- ing and flat racing at Duke Racing Horses. Duke has been active in the racing industry for 15 years Seeing the industry prosper in his home state has driven Duke to get involved at the ground floor.
“I want to continue to grow Quarter Horse racing and breeding in Indiana and to help our program become more prominent throughout
the country,” Duke said. “These men bring so many years of experience and knowledge from all aspects of the Quarter Horse industry,” said Jessica Barnes, director of racing and breed development for the Indiana Horse Racing Commission. “They are driven to help our program continue to grow in terms of horses, breeders and payouts.”
In 2007, legislation was passed which ap- proved slot machines at Indiana’s pari-mutuel racetracks. The Indiana Quarter Horse Breed Development Fund receives 30% of the revenue generated from slot machines that is allocated for Quarter Horse Racing.
The Advisory Committee seeks feedback and suggestions from program participants and can be reached at quarterhorse@hrc.in.gov.
Eddie Garcia, with hand raised, with Jockeys’ Guild Regional Manager Darrell Haire and fellow jockeys in the winner’s circle after becoming the first jockey to win 150 Quarter Horse stakes races at Los Alamitos.
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