Page 156 - September 2019

“We must make sure our owners, breeders, jockeys, trainers and bettors are competing on a fair playing field.
TOM LEPIC
by John Moorehouse
NAME: Tom Lepic
HOME BASE: “I have lived in Iowa City my entire life, but my wife and I just finished building our new home which is located
on Lake McBride in Solon, Iowa. We moved there to enjoy our retirement on the lake and to be close to two of our children and eight grandchildren, who also live in Solon.”
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: “I have been the President of IQHRA for the past nine years. I have been in the horse industry since 1972 when I started riding as a jockey. I rode until 1978 and was badly injured and had to stop riding. I resumed in the industry
in 1993 when I partnered on a two-year- old racehorse with my high school friend, David Huffman. The next year, I purchased my first racehorse mare in foal to Mr Eye Opener at the Heritage Place sale. I named the foal Eye The Hawkeye and he is now in the Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame. I was hooked!”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: “I have been the President of the High School Booster
Club here in Iowa City, President of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, and on the Board of Directors of the University of Iowa Community Credit Union.”
FAVORITE HOBBY: “I love playing tennis, golfing and fishing, as well getting a lot of miles in on my bike. I am currently building a youth wrestling club, which will open
in late August. It will be the largest in the state of Iowa.”
As the president of the Iowa Quarter Horse Racing Association, Tom Lepic wants an even playing field for all parties involved. Because of that, regulations in the Hawkeye State are getting tougher.
“We will be post-race hair testing one-third of our stakes races this year,” Lepic said. “The top 12 finishers in the trials will be tested. A positive test will result in DQ from the finals as well as loss of trial purse and the horse will go on the vets’ list until such time that they can present Prairie Meadows with a negative hair test.”
Overseeing Iowa racing is just one of the endeavors that keeps Lepic busy. Find out more about what he does, as well as the best horse he ever has encountered and much more in the latest installment of our Backside feature.
Q. IN ADDITION TO YOUR WORK WITH THE IQHRA, AND BEING AN OWNER, WHAT OTHER ROLES HAVE YOU HAD IN THE INDUSTRY, AND WHICH HAVE YOU FOUND TO BE THE MOST SATISFYING?
A. I am on the AQHA Racing Committee and I am an AQHA Director. I really enjoy working with other committee directors from different states and tracks. It’s always great hearing ideas and learning from those with valued experience.
Q. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE IN YOUR ROLE AS IQHRA PRESIDENT? A. Currently, my biggest challenge is working with Prairie Meadows and the Thoroughbred groups on getting a new five-year horse racing contract signed. Our contract ends this year and we are currently in negotiations for our next contract beginning in 2020. I will let everyone throughout the country know as soon as we finish negotiations and get our contract signed!
Q. WHAT’S AN AVERAGE RACE DAY AND/OR WORK WEEK LIKE FOR YOU?
A. I am a real estate broker and owner of a residential real estate rental company. Both of these keep me very busy, but I always find time to spend an hour or two each day working on my horse racing business as well as my responsibilities as the IQHRA President.
Q. IF YOU WEREN’T WORKING IN THE HORSE RACING INDUSTRY, WHAT TYPE OF JOB WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE TRIED, AND WHY? A. As I mentioned earlier, I work in the real estate field. Before that, I was a school teacher for 11 years. I taught Physical Education and coached wrestling, football and track. I loved teaching and coaching, but when my real estate business became extremely busy, I elected to retire from teaching and coaching.
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SPEEDHORSE, September 2019
John Moorehouse
THE BACKSIDE