Page 65 - February 3 2019

LEVERNE PERRY
Gordon Crone Special Achievement Award
Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Executive Director Leverne Perry is an active leader in the racing
community and state government. Holding his LQHBA position since 1987, Perry has served on the AQHA Racing Committee since 1992, and was also a member of the Graded Stakes Subcommitee for two years and the Racing Champions Selection Committee for six years.
Dedicated to promoting and improving American Quarter Horse racing in Louisiana, Perry has worked extensively with the state
government to help develop gaming legistalion favorable to American Quarter Horses. Louisiana now has one of the strongest state-bred programs in the nation, paying more than $3.8 million in breeder awards and more than $340,000 in stal- lion awards in 2010. The purse of the LQHBA Breeders Futurity-RG1 is expected to top $1.1 million in 2012, making it the first state-bred race in excess of $1 million. American Quarter Horses now run a minimum of 148 days each year at all four Louisiana racetracks.
Perry also helped develop the LQHBA
Youth Scholarship Program, which has distrib- uted nearly $240,000 in scholarships over the past decade.
Perry was instrumental in Louisiana’s host- ing of the Bank of America Racing Challenge Championships. Louisiana has now hosted the event twice—in 2008 at Evangeline Downs and in 2010 at Fair Grounds.
“The LQHBA board of directors and the people, it’s just like family,” said Perry. “It’s great and it’s been a pleasure for me to do what we do there.”
The Gordon Crone Special Achievement Award is presented to recognize the achievements of an out- standing man in the American Quarter Horse racing industry throughout the last year. The Gordon Crone award recipient is selected by a vote of the AQHA Racing Committee.
Kansas horseman Gordon Crone worked to promote the sport of American Quarter Horse racing in his home state and across the country. Crone and his wife, Juanita, became involved in the sport in the early 1970s. Crone was inducted to the Kansas Quarter Horse Racing Association Hall of Fame, served on the AQHA Racing Committee and helped develop what is now the Bank of America Racing Challenge.
Previous Winners:
2010–Dr. Steve Fisch
2009–Paul C. Jones
2008–John Andreini
2007–Dee Raper
2006–Russell Harris
2005–Jerry Windham
2004–Duayne Didericksen 2003–R.D. Hubbard
2002–Edward Allred, Jim Helzer, Ben
Hudson (tie) 2001–Joe B. Turner, Jr.
2000–Frank “Scoop” Vessels III 1999–John Bassett
1998–Jack Brooks
1997–Blane Schvaneveldt 1996–Edward C. Allred 1995–Joe Kirk Fulton 1994–Spencer Childers
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Stacy Pigott/Speedhorse