Page 163 - May 2018 Speedhorse

Hazel Park Raceway Closes
After nearly 70 years, Hazel Park Raceway in southeast Michigan announced that the property was in the process of being sold.
The announcement came on April 5, just one month before the scheduled opening day and one day after horsemen were turned away at the backstretch gate during the track’s scheduled ship-in day. Ownership group Hartman & Tyner has been in the midst of upheaval and a legal battle, which escalated since the death of co-founder and CEO Herbert Tyner in 2015. Earlier this year, the company sold its Mardi Gras Casino and Resort in West Virginia.
Cesar De Alba Wins 1,000th Quarter Horse Race
Jockey Cesar De Alba won his 1,000th Quarter Horse race when he piloted Stevieb Flashofcash to a head victory in a maiden event at Los Alamitos on April 14 for Five Livestock Company LLC and trainer Monty Arrossa. De Alba began his career in 2002 at Los Alamitos riding Thoroughbreds, winning 301 Thoroughbred races before making a full- time switch to Quarter Horse racing. He has won 970 Quarter Horse races at Los Alamitos, including Grade 1 victories aboard Moonist, BH Lisas Boy, Time For Jess, Little Talks, Strength In Numbers and Bon Accord.
Racing Integrity Teams
The AQHA is teaming up with racetracks and racing commissioners to deploy Racing Integrity Teams (RIT) to help provide a higher level of compliance with rules and laws and to increase racing integrity. The RITs assist local racing commission and track staff, performing inspections of barns, stalls or cars, and share knowledge and intelligence with local enforce- ment teams. Multiple teams were deployed to the Quarter Horse meet at Sam Houston Race Park on April 6-7. According to the Texas Racing Commission, approximately 140 vehicles and trailers were inspected with 71 prohibited items seized. All violations were filed with the Texas Racing Commission Board of Stewards. The RITs are one step in AQHA’s commitment to protecting the welfare of the American Quarter Horse and protecting the interest of the public.
LQHBA Honors Donald G. Kelly With Lifetime Achievement Award
The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA) awarded Donald G. Kelly, 76, with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his extraordinary contributions and dedica- tion to the organization at the LQHBA Awards Banquet on March 24. Kelly, who began breed- ing Quarter Horses in Louisiana in 2000, served as the attorney for the LQHBA from 1998-2011.
Tampa Bay Downs To Host 8 Quarter Horse Races
Tampa Bay Downs, a Thoroughbred racing facility, will host eight Quarter Horse races this year on July 1. This is a change
from last year, when the Florida track held one Quarter Horse race to keep its Quarter Horse racing permit active.
Inaugural TVG Telethon Raises $217,730 for PDJF
The inaugural Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) telethon on April 8, hosted by TVG Network in association with Betfair Exchange and the Jockeys’ Guild, raised $217,730 to assist in the care of 59 permanently disabled riders.
2018 AQHA Standing-Committee Reports Available
The American Quarter Horse Association Executive Committee met April 3-5 in Amarillo, Texas, to review the standing-committee recommendations approved at the 2018 AQHA Convention by the AQHA Board of Directors, except for those related to bylaw changes and rules of registration, for which final approval lies with the board of directors. Even though some agenda items were not approved, careful consideration, discussion and debate were devoted to each item. Visit AQHA.com to read full committee reports.
ARCI Conference Review
At the AQHA Racing Committee meet- ing during the Bank of America Challenge Championships, a discussion was held regarding the minimum weight for American Quarter Horse jockeys. The AQHA and the Jockeys’ Guild collaborated to recommend
a rule change for the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) model rules to provide a Quarter Horse jockey’s
minimum weight of 124 pounds. The rule change was presented at the ARCI Conference on Equine Welfare and Racing Integrity, which unanimously approved the measure, which was also passed by the ARCI Board without objec- tion. Also discussed at the conference, held at the beginning of April, was the potential thera- peutic value Bisphosphonates, a class of drug that prevents the bone-density loss, for older racehorses along with the potential harm for young horses; and the emerging drug threats, including “research chemicals” bought online. Dr. Dionne Benson, executive director of the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium, said they are starting “double blind testing” of testing labs, sending out doctored samples and legitimate post-race samples to see if the lab detects what the staff put in the samples.
Idaho To Vote On Historical Horse Racing
An initiative authorizing historical horse racing in Idaho has gathered enough signa- tures to be placed on the November ballot for a vote by the people.
So Rapido Dies
Graded stakes winner So Rapido (Corona Cartel-Sinous, Mr Jess Perry) recently died. Owned by Rachuan Saurez, the sorrel colt earned $122,317 winning the 2017 Sam Houston Derby-G3. He was also a finalist in the 2016 Texas Classic Futurity-G1.
Exercise Rider’s Daughter Killed In Storm
Carly Stephanie Ortiz Osorio passed away on April 13 when a tornado came through Haughton, Louisiana, causing a large tree
to fall on the RV in which she was sleeping. Carly’s father, Amaniel Ortiz, is an exercise rider at Louisiana Downs.
Jim Boyle Passes Away
Longtime Oregon horseman James “Jim” Chester Boyle passed away on April 18 at the age of 70. Boyle was a member of the American Quarter Horse Association and spent many years raising, training and running Quarter Horses. He enjoyed researching pedigrees, always looking to breed the best possible horses. Boyle is survived by his wife, Joan, and four children along with many other family members and friends.
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