Page 10 - September 2019

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by Jennifer K. Hancock
THE INDUSTRY MOURNS DEBBIE SCHAUF
Sad news of the passing of Debbie Schauf quickly spread across the Quarter Horse racing industry on Aug. 11. A fierce supporter of Quarter Horse racing, Schauf, who was a former Kansas state legislator, was an expert in racing rules and legislation, and as the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing As- sociation and a member of the AQHA Racing Council, she tirelessly fought to improve all aspects of the sport.
In 2001, Schauf received the Mildred N. Vessels Special Achievement Award, and she accepted the John Andreini Special Recognition Award on behalf of OQHRA in 2009.
Services were held Aug. 22 at Heritage Place.
Thank you, Debbie for all that you did for the indus- try. You will be greatly missed. See memoriam on page 80.
SUNLAND DONATES TO VICTIMS’ FUND
Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino is donating $100,000 to be distributed between the El Paso Com- munity Foundation’s El Paso Shooting Victims’ Fund and the Paso del Norte Community Foundation’s
El Paso Victims Relief Fund. The gift is intended to support the many victims of the mass shooting that recently shook the US-Mexico border region, which includes the city of El Paso as well as the surrounding counties in southern New Mexico.
“As a part of the greater El Paso area, we feel very connected to this close-knit community,” said Ethan Linder, director of marketing for Sunland Park Race- track & Casino. “Many of our employees and most
of our visitors live in El Paso, so we’ve all really been impacted by this terrible tragedy. That’s why we didn’t think twice about making this donation that will go to help our friends and neighbors.
Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino is also encouraging others to donate as well. “If you’re able, we invite everyone to make a donation – no matter the amount. Every little bit helps,” said Linder. “This is a time for everyone in our area to come together and support one another.”
Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino will be announc- ing plans for a benefit event to help raise additional funds to assist those affected by the shooting which took place in El Paso on Aug. 3. More information is available at www.sunland-park.com.
WRONA NAMED LOS AL ANNOUNCER
Michael Wrona has been named the full-time track announcer at Los Alamitos Race Course starting with the opening night of the Quarter Horse and Thor- oughbred season on Dec. 27.
Wrona will follow the longtime voice of Los Alami- tos Ed Burgart, who is retiring from the announcer’s
booth at the Orange County track at the end of the current meet on Dec. 15. Prior to assuming fulltime du- ties, Wrona will call the two-week Los Alamitos Winter Meet, which begins Dec. 5.
The 53-year-old Australian-born Wrona has called races at many of the top racetracks in America. In do- ing so, he has earned a reputation as one of the game’s most entertaining and accurate announcers and his signature call of “Racing!” as horses fly out of the gate is among the best-known in the sport.
“It’s a great honor to be selected as Ed Burgart’s successor at Los Alamitos,” Wrona said. “However, it’s also a somewhat daunting task because Ed personifies Los Al and is truly irreplaceable. I am humbled that (Los Alamitos Race Course owner) Dr. Ed Allred has placed his trust in me, and I shall do my utmost to represent Los Alamitos with class and distinction.”
A native of Brisbane, Australia, Wrona began calling races in Australia at the age of 17. The first track at which he called was Kilcoy near the Queensland capital. He also called harness and greyhound races around Brisbane until traveling to the United States to serve as Hollywood Park’s announcer in 1990. In addition to Hollywood Park, Wrona’s impressive resume of tracks includes Santa Anita, Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fields and the Fresno and Sonoma County Fairs in California, plus Chicago’s Arlington Park, Retama and Lone Star Park in Texas, the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Arizona Downs in Prescott, and just this April he opened Century Mile in Edmonton, Alberta. Wrona also called the final three days of the LA County Fair Meet at Los Alamitos in 2014 and the entire Los Alamitos Summer Meet in 2015. Wrona will call races at the famed Ken- tucky Downs from Aug. 31- Sept. 12.
THE MONTH IN REVIEW
Jennifer K. Hancock
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SPEEDHORS, September 2019
TRACK CHATTER