Page 16 - May_2023

TRACK CHATTER
THE MONTH IN REVIEWby Jennifer K. Hancock
LQHBA HALL OF FAME
The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association inducted breeder and past LQHBA president Glenn Fontenot and stallion Jess Louisiana Blue in the LQHBA Hall of Fame on April 22 at the LQHBA Champions Banquet at Evangeline Downs.
Louisiana native Glenn Fontenot was born and raised in Ville Platte, and the 85-year-old has made notable contributions to the Quarter Horse breeding and racing industry.
A farmer of soybeans, rice and cattle, Fontenot found his true passion in owning and breeding Quarter Horses. He stood stallions including Rays Law and Streakin Jewel, but his top producer was Hemp Meyers.
In addition to breeding and owning horses, Fontenot devoted countless hours of service to the state’s Breeders Association. Fontenot was a tremendous supporter of the LQHBA Yearling Sale and consigned horses annually since the first sale held in Alexandria.
Jess Louisiana Blue is the latest equine inductee into the LQHBA Hall of Fame. Bred by Jumonville Farms in Ventress, Louisiana, the son of the great Mr Jess Perry out of the Louisiana Slew mare The Louisiana Girl was foaled on February 18, 1998.
The 2017 AQHA Champion and LQHBA Champion trainer Kenneth Roberts Sr. trained Jess Louisiana Blue from 2001 to 2004.
“I got him as a 3-year-old,” said Roberts. “Rodney Reed trained him in his 2-year-old season, and I remember watching his races and thinking that he would get better with more distance. He was fairly laid back in his stall, but all business when you took him to the track.”
Jess Louisiana Blue qualified for the Remington Park Derby-G1, Heritage Place Derby-G1 and Louisiana Champions Day Derby-G2 in 2001, but he rose to new heights in his 4-year-old season.
Roberts smiled when he recalled his conversation with Jumonville about running in the 2002 East Championship Challenge-G2.
“J. E. stopped by my office at Delta,” said Roberts. “Mr Jess Perry had won two allowance races at the start of the meet, and J.E. told
me he was considering paying him into the Challenge. He asked me what I thought so I told him I felt he was running at the top of his game, but the payment of $20,000 was a lot
of money. J. E. did not hesitate and told me he was going to do it.”
Jumonville was asked about the conversation and remembered his response to Roberts. “I believe in the horse and believe in you,” he told Roberts.
Jess Louisiana Blue faced AQHA Racing Champion Tailor Fit in that 440-yard stakes, and with Gilbert Ortiz in the irons, surged past Tailor Fit at the wire, setting a New Track Record at Delta Downs of :21.572 as he earned a 109 speed index.
Jess Louisiana Blue concluded his racing career with a third-place finish in the 2002 Louisiana Champions Day Classic-G2 at Fair Grounds. In 25 starts, he won four races, three seconds and five thirds, with career earnings of $170,682. He was honored as AQHA Champion Aged Stallion in 2002.
Retired to stud at Jumonville Farms,
Jess Louisiana Blue wasted no time showing
his prowess as a stallion. Year after year, the Louisiana-bred produced durable runners who were standouts as juveniles and capable of stretching out to the classic distance as aged competitors. Among his leading runners are Jessa Louisiana Zoom ($637,591), Louisiana Senator ($599,408), Jess A Saint ($537,302) and Blue Louisiana Jolla ($416,359). He produced 16 crops, whose earnings have surpassed the $24 million dollar mark.
Jess Louisiana Blue died on December
21, 2019, of natural causes. The 21-year Champion and Grade 1 sire was laid to rest at Jumonville Farms.
This will be the eighth class inducted into the LQHBA Hall of Fame, which was launched in 2016 in celebration of the association’s 50th anniversary.
“Both Glenn Fontenot and Jess Louisiana Blue have made outstanding contributions to Louisiana racing and breeding,” said Bruce Salard, LQHBA executive director. “Our association is pleased to welcome them to the LQHBA Hall of Fame.”
CLAYTON MCCOOK JOINS RMTC BOARD
Veterinarian Clayton McCook will represent the American Quarter Horse Association on the board of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, taking the seat opened with the untimely passing of AQHA Past President Dr. Glenn Blodgett.
For more than two decades, the RMTC has served the racing industry by investing millions in research; developing and implementing a laboratory accreditation program; providing education for officials, veterinarians, horsemen and more; and offering scientific insight when developing model rules to benefit the industry.
The AQHA Racing Council unanimously approved McCook to serve as a new board representative. AQHA Chief Racing Officer
Janet VanBebber also serves as one of the AQHA representatives.
A native Texan, McCook grew up near Fort Worth and attended high school in Springer, New Mexico, where his family operated a small organic farm. McCook has a bachelor’s in biology from Texas Christian University,
a bachelor’s in Spanish from the University
of Texas-Arlington, and a master’s in animal science from the University of Connecticut. He received his DVM from Texas A&M University in 2009.
In 2010, he completed a racetrack internship with Equine Sports Medicine
and Surgery (ESMS) in Weatherford, Texas. McCook stayed on as an associate with ESMS and worked the New Mexico racetrack circuit for a year before transferring to the ESMS Oklahoma division in 2011. He currently works the Quarter Horse meets at Remington Park and Ruidoso Downs, and also works part time at Will Rogers Downs.
He lives in Edmond with his wife Cindy and his daughters Lily and Olivia, ages 14 and 12. In his spare time, McCook volunteers with the Oklahoma Large Animal First Responders, a nonprofit large animal disaster response organization he helped form in 2013 following the devastating tornadoes that affected the Oklahoma City area.
AQHA Racing Council member Dr. Larry Findley will serve as an alternate to the RMTC Board.
REMINGTON INCREASES PURSES
Remington Park increased purses starting with the April 13 card, and American Quarter Horse overnight raced were boosted by $1,000.
This is the first purse increase during Remington Park’s spring season since purses were raised for the final seven dates of the 2021 spring season.
The opening month of the current Remington Park season has experienced positive pari-mutuel handle numbers compared to 2022, warranting an increase in purses.
The Remington Park spring season continues through June 3. Remington Park has provided more than $317 million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005.
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14 SPEEDHORSE May 2023