Page 178 - June 2018 Speedhorse

2018 Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The 2018 Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Aug. 4 at Retama Park Race Track. The induct-
ees include Bold Venture, Tom Durant, Jim Helzer, Julianna Hawn Holt, Corey Johnson, One Famous Eagle and Todd Pletcher, with Champlain Mike Bingaman receiving the JoAnn Weber Distinguished Service Award. Call Ryan Grammer at (210) 651-7045 for reservations or more information.
2019 AQHA Hall of Fame Inductees Announced
Six horses and five American Quarter Horse Association members have been selected for induction into the 2019 AQHA Hall of Fame. The horses are Harlan, Mr Jess Perry, Tiger Leo, Vital Signs Are Good, Zippos Mr Good Bar and the Thoroughbred mare Trippy Dip. The indi- viduals are Billy Allen, AQHA Past President Johne Dobbs, the late J.M. Frost III, the late Hans Hansma and AQHA Past Executive Director of Publications Jim Jennings.
Painted Turnpike Makes History
Paint racing’s all-time leading money earner, Painted Turnpike, notched his 10th straight victory with a wire-to-wire win in the Grade 1 Mister Lewie Memorial at Remington Park on May 18. Owned by Nolan Pevehouse, 3-time World Champion Painted Turnpike is trained by Matt Whitekiller and was ridden by jockey Cody Smith. The win boosted the five-year-old colt’s earnings past the $400,000-mark, making him the first Paint racer to reach this status. He is also the only horse to ever win the Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Triple Crown, a feat he did in 2015.
Havanah Goodtime & Josue Ponce Set Remington Park Records
AQHA Dam of Distinction Havanah Goodtime made history when her 2016 brown colt Sunnysyde (by Heza Fast Dash) won the Heritage Place Futurity-G1 on June 2. The vic- tory marks the third consecutive year Havanah Goodtime has produced a Heritage Place Futurity winner: her 2015 brown filly Nymeria (by Bigtime Favorite) won the 2017 event, and 2014 sorrel colt Duponte (by American Runaway) won the 2016 stakes. Trainer Josue Ponce also became the only trainer to win three consecutive Heritage Place Futurities – Duponte in 2016, Nymeria in 2017 and Sunnysyde in 2018.
Purse Increase At Ruidoso Downs
Ruidoso Downs on June 4 announced they will increase overnight purses 10% immedi- ately. This increase will also be retroactively paid to owners who won overnight races in the first two weeks of the meet.
Jockey Larry Payne Announces Retirement
Larry Payne on June
1 announced that he was retiring as a jockey. His final race was a victory aboard Heroswideopen in the first race at Remington
Park on June 1, making his total career wins 2,499 with over $32 million in earnings.
Jon Schuster Honored by QHRAI at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino
Longtime Indiana Grand Racing & Casino vice president and general manager Jon Schuster was honored
with a special recognition award by the Quarter Horse Racing Association of Indiana (QHRAI) on June 2. QHRAI president Paul Martin made the presentation with QHRAI executive director Dianne Bennett, longtime QHRAI director James Noel and Indiana Grand director of racing Kevin Greely. “We want to recognize Jon for his work with QHRAI over the years,” said Martin. “We appreciate all of his efforts and his friend- ship over the years to promote Quarter Horse racing in the state of Indiana. This special recognition award symbolizes our gratitude for what he has done for us.”
Padgett Suit Against Ruidoso Downs Dismissed
A lawsuit filed by James Padgett and Race Horses by Diamond G. Ranch Inc. against All American Ruidoso Downs LLC was dis- missed by the Lincoln County 12th Judicial District Court on May 21. The suit claimed that Padgett’s denial of stalls and exclusion from racing for the upcoming summer rac- ing season was unreasonable. Judge Steve E. Blankenship disagreed and dismissed the case.
DHS Announces 15,000 Additional H-2B Visas For 2018
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen on May 27 announced that an additional 15,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas will be available for Fiscal Year 2018. Nielsen determined there are not sufficient qualified U.S. workers available to perform temporary non-agriculture labor to satisfy the needs of American businesses.
Yavapai Downs Expected to Race Next Year
The Arizona Racing Commission unani- mously approved a three-year temporary permit for the new ownership group of Yavapai Downs, paving the way for horse racing in 2019. This will be the first live race meet at the track since 2010.
Ontario Racing Officials Sign Funding Agreement
The Ontario Racing Board of Directors
on May 9 announced the signing of an his-
toric funding agreement with the Ontario Government, which will allot up to $105 million annually to horse racing industry stakeholders over a 19-year period. The funding will be used to sustain horse breeding and racing, including purse management, operational expenses and capital improvements.
Wyoming Governor Approves Hair-Testing Rule
Wyoming Gov. Matthew Mead signed rule changes allowing for hair testing on equine athletes, effective immediately. The new language clarifies and gives direction regard- ing what equine testing samples are permis- sible, and corrects language regarding banned controlled substances.
Wyoming Youth Racing Experience
Wyoming Downs will host a youth racing day during its upcoming meet. The track will host the event on June 29-July 1. Applicants must be between 15-18 years old. The application can be found by visiting www. wydowns.com
Wyoming Downs All Breed Race Bred Horse Sale
Consignments are being accepted for the first annual Wyoming Downs All Breed Race Bred Sale to be held Aug. 18 at the track in Evanston, Wyoming. Consignments will be received through June 15. For more information, contact Jodi Lopez at jlopez@wydowns.com or call 307-789-9000. The catalog will be available to download at www.wydowns.com/horse-sale.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham Named Humane Society Horseman Of The Year
The Humane Society of the United States on May 17 announced U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham as its Humane Horseman of the Year. The award is given to individuals who demon- strate an outstanding commitment to protect American equines. Graham is being recog- nized for his ongoing leadership to protect horses and burros from cruelty. Since 2011, Sen. Graham has led efforts to pass legislation to ban horse slaughter operations in the U.S. and end the export of American horses and burros for slaughter in Canada and Mexico. He has also been a leader on legislation to prevent tax dollars from being wasted to open horse slaughter plants in the US.
176 SPEEDHORSE, June 2018
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