Page 154 - May 2017

Trotter Receives Chester A. Reynolds Award
Johnny Trotter received the Chester A. Reynolds award at the 2017 Western Heritage Awards ceremony at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City on April 21. Established in 1990, this special award is named in honor of the Museum’s founder and is presented to a living honoree or group that embodies the Western lifestyle and perpetuates the legacy of the American West with an unwavering commitment to Western ideals and values. Among other things, Trotter was the 2006 recipient of the Tri-State Fair Western Heritage Award, was the AQHA’s president in 2014, was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2015, and is an avid team roper.
Ruidoso Grandstand Improvements Ready For Opening
Improvements to the grandstand and track at Ruidoso Down are ready for the open-
ing of summer season. Improvements to the grandstand include new box seats on the lower level and painting of the box seat area and All American Turf Club. Additional material has also been added to the racing surface, and the safety rail between the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred tracks has been replaced.
North Dakota House Defeats Historic Racing Bill
The North Dakota House on April 4 defeated a bill that would have expanded gam- ing 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. The CEO of the North Dakota Association for the Disabled, a non-profit that conducts charitable gaming, said in a letter that the bill would have been “devastating” to charitable gaming in the state.
Los Alamitos Director Of Operations Retires
After 45 years of working at Los Alamitos, Howard Knuchell retired from his posi-
tion of Director of Operations on April 11. Knuchell began his career at the track dur- ing the Horsemen’s Quarter Horse Racing Association Meet in 1972 as an usher in the box-seat section of the upper grandstand. He rose to Director of Operations in the early 1990s, with his responsibilities including staff management and overseeing the parking lot at night, the ticket and program selling booths, and the cross over gates. Knuchell noted his most important moment of work- ing at the track was when he met his wife, Melodie, who currently is the track’s Director of Simulcasting and Director of Stakes Nominations.
Pari-Mutuel Commission to Oversee Wyoming Breed Registrar
The Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Commission will now oversee all aspects of the Wyoming- Bred Breeder Awards program, including the accreditation and payout of breeder funds. The Wyoming racing season begins at Wyoming Downs on June 24.
RMTC, Hopkins Receive RMTC Awards
The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) and long-time Maryland Racing Commission executive director Michael J. Hopkins received the highest awards given by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) at the ARCI’s 83rd annual conference on Equine Welfare and Racing Integrity on April 20. The RMTC received the William May Award, which recognizes an individual or entity that has had a profound positive impact on professional racing. Michael J. Hopkins received the Len Foote Award, which recognizes exemplary service and contribution to racing integrity by a commission executive director as chosen by their peers.
Tony Guymon Reaches 1,000-Win Milestone
Tony Guymon won his 1,000th career Quarter Horse race with a wire-to-wire victory aboard Branquino in a 330-yard maiden at Los Alamitos on April 29. Guymon received the 2016 PCQHRA Jockey Special Achievement Award after winning races at major Quarter Horse tracks, including Sunland Park, Remington Park and Ruidoso Downs. Some of his biggest rides include Worth Doing in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, One Proud Eagle in the Kindergarten Futurity, and Bannister in the Wild West Futurity.
Remington Hosts Extreme Racing For Charity
Remington Park hosted an Extreme Race Day for Charity on April 23, with Clydesdales, zebras, ostriches, miniature donkeys and camels all taking the stage to compete on the track in between the regular horse racing program.
152 SPEEDHORSE, May 2017
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