Page 15 - June 2018 Speedhorse

SAM THOMPSON AWARD NOMINEES
Since 1950, the Thoroughbred industry has honored jockeys whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and the sport with the George Woolf Memorial Award. Created to honor the memory of one of the greatest Thoroughbred riders of all time, the George Woolf Memorial Award is prized as one
of the most prestigious awards in all of sports. Thoroughbred jockeys vote for their peers, and the winner is honored in a special ceremony at Santa Anita Park each year.
The Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award was developed by Speedhorse in conjuction with the Jockeys’ Guild to give Quarter Horse jockeys an equally prestigious, peer-elected award. Modeled after the George Woolf Memorial Award, the Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award rewards Quarter Horse jockeys for positively representing our sport and being role models for their peers, on and off the racetrack. Each year, The Jockeys’ Guild finds worthy nominees who meet the guidelines set forth for the award. It is not a performance-based award or a popularity contest. The major emphasis is on riders whose careers and personal character have had a positive influence on Quarter Horse racing. The Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award is the first of its kind in Quarter Horse racing.
The nominees for the 8th Annual Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award are:
Jorge Martin Bourdieu
Jorge Martin Bourdieu was born on December 23, 1974, in Moreno, Argentina. He began riding at age 16 in the South American country where his father was a trainer. “That is what
started my love of the sport,” said Bourdieu, who came to the United States in 1995 and began
his riding career here in 1999. He became a U.S. citizen in 2015. A few of his most memorable wins were in the Four Corners Futurity, the Lineage Championship (three times), the Zia Derby,
and eight AQHA Challenge races. Some of the best horses he has piloted include Miracle Snow, Jesscuzican, Bringin It On and Block N Tackle. While riding primarily in the Southwest, Bourdieu has won five leading Quarter Horse titles at various tracks, and in 2015, he was named the AQHA Regional West/Southwest Champion Jockey. “My Quarter Horse career has been blessed,” Bourdieu said. He resides with his wife, Krystal, in Phoenix, Arizona, and has five children.
Jimmy Dean Brooks
Jimmy Dean Brooks was born on July 18, 1965, in Blanchard, Oklahoma, where he has lived all his
life. His father, Champion jockey Roy Brooks, who was the first winner of the Sam Thompson Memorial Award in 2011. “My dad taught me everything I know. After Dad finished third in the All American, I thought I could do that,”
he said. Brooks said his first big win came in
the 1984 No Burner Allowance at Blue Ribbon Downs, where he set a new track record. He counts 2-Time World Champion Refrigerator as the most memorable horse he ever rode. Brooks was in the irons for Refrigerator’s first four outs and trips to the winner’s circle. “He was awesome,” Brooks said, “and as fast a horse I have ever been on.” Among other races Brooks counts among his best are winning the All American Derby with Feature Hero, Ruidoso Futurity with Chick On The Take, Ruidoso Derby with Rock You, and the Remington Park Futurity twice with Flying Dino and Coronado Cartel. Brooks has suffered his share of spills. “I broke my pelvis around 2007 and was off for around six months,” he said. “When I got back, I started riding for Eddie Willis, and I can’t thank him enough for calling me and asking me to work for him.” Brooks married his high school sweetheart, Tina, in 2012. He has a son, and she has a daughter, both of whom are on their own. Brooks and his wife are now grandparents. “My wife supports me 100 percent. She’s my backbone.” As far as the future, Brooks said he plans to keep racing as long as he can and as long as he’s having fun.
John Hamilton
John E. Hamilton was born June 9, 1964, in Baytown, Texas. In 1976, his family moved to Newton, Texas, where
he was introduced to racehorses by classmate Charles “Dink”
McMahon. Hamilton’s first win as a jockey came at Delta Downs in 1982 aboard Speedys Dun. Hamilton’s earliest achievement came in the LQHA Breeders’ Futurity aboard JJ Diamond Jess. Some of his other memorable accomplishments include winning the AQHA Distance Challenge Championship aboard Run And Pray, the Delta Downs Breeders’ Derby aboard Angelas Toast, the Charger Bar Handicap aboard Texas Chatterbox, the MBNA Challenge Championship aboard Feature Jess Rockin, and the Firecracker Futurity aboard Ronnie James. Hamilton and his wife, Sharon, have four children. Quincy Hamilton,
the oldest, has also made his way to the top of the jockey standings in Thoroughbred racing. With six grandchildren now, Hamilton is at the height of his
personal life, as well as his career, and is spending as much time as possible with his family. He attributes all of his success and gives all the glory to his Savior, Jesus Christ.
Ricky Ramirez
Named the 2015 AQHA Champion Jockey, Ricky Ramirez was born May 17, 1985, in Odessa, Texas. His father owned and raced Quarter Horses, and Ramirez began riding in match races there when
he was 13. He obtained his jockey license at 18. Ramirez’s first win was in a 2003 maiden race at Gillespie County Fair aboard his father’s horse, Hooked On Fuel. His racing career hit full stride in 2008 when he crossed the finish line first aboard Hearts Runway in the New Mexican Spring Futurity-G1 at Sunland Park. He has
won more than 40 stakes including 19 Grade 1 races and is consistently on the All-Time Money Earned list. “To be a jockey is all I ever wanted to do,” he said. “I can’t remember ever wanting to do anything else besides ride racehorses for a living.” Ramirez and his wife, Alejandra, reside in Odessa, Texas, with their young son and daughter.
INDIANA HORSE RACING COMMISSION COMMENCES HAIR TESTING AT INDIANA GRAND
The Indiana Horse Racing Commission incor- porated the use of hair into their testing protocol for the finalists of the $75,000 Harley Greene Der- by. The trials were held May 19 and the finals were June 2 at Indiana Grand Race Course and Casino.
This testing is to determine if Clenbuterol is present in any equine hair sample. Indiana Horse Racing Commission rules prohibit the use of Clenbuterol on Quarter Horses, specifically stating that the presence of Clenbuterol shall not exceed the limit of detection in urine, plasma or hair. Any horses testing positive for the drug will face regula- tory sanctions, which can include the forfeiture of any purses earned, the horse being places on the stewards’ list and disciplinary actions for the trainer.
“Horsemen and the Quarter Horse Racing Association of Indiana have been instrumental in instituting this new level of testing,” said IHRC Executive Director Mike Smith.
“We applaud the Indiana commission for tak- ing this positive step in ensuring we are running a clean program in Indiana,” said Lance Finlinson, an owner, breeder and member of the Quarter Horse Breed Development Advisory Committee. which was established to promote the Indiana Quarter Horse industry. “This is a huge step for- ward for Indiana Quarter Horse Racing.”
For more information, visit http://www. in.gov/hrc/.
SPEEDHORSE, June 2018 13
tTrRrAaCckK CchHhaAatTTteEeRr