Page 14 - Speedhorse, December 2018

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by Jennifer K. Hancock
JOCKEYS HONORED
The Jockeys’ Guild held its 2018 Annual Meeting, sponsored by TVG Betfair USA, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dec. 10 - 11. The assembly was attended by active and retired jockeys from the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse industries. Matt Nielsen of Stonecrest Partners provided an update on the retirement plan that has been established for members of the Guild.
Focusing on the health and welfare of the jockeys, the riders heard from retired NFL
player Randy Grimes with Transformations
Drug & Alcohol Treatment Center, and Dr. Gerald Kaforey of After the Impact. Members were informed about treatment opportunities for athletes suffering from addiction or depression. John Velazquez, G.R. Carter, Mike Smith, Ricky Ramirez, Javier Castellano and Joel Campbell dis- cussed the need for new generations of leadership for America’s jockeys.
The Eddie Arcaro Award was presented to Barry Broad; the Laffit Pincay Jr. awards were given to John Velazquez for his lifetime achieve- ments as well as to Mike Smith for his outstanding year; the Jacky Martin Award was given to G.R. Carter Jr.; and the Ron Turcotte Award went to Gary Birzer. David Cohen was awarded Comeback of the Year Award, Irad Ortiz Jr. was the Turf Jockey of the Year, and Drayden Van Dyke was the Breakthrough Jockey of the Year.
The riders in attendance elected John Velazquez and Mike Smith as Jockeys’ Guild co- chairs; Ricky Ramirez, Julian Leparoux and Javier Castellano as vice chairs; Joel Campbell as trea- surer; and Rodney Prescott as secretary. Joe Bravo and Alex Birzer were re-elected, and Joe Talamo was newly elected as a members of the board of directors. Ramon Dominguez was appointed as an ex-officio member of the board.
OSCAR ANDRADE JR. PILOTS FIRST WINNER
Oscar Andrade Jr., the 17-year-old son of record-setting jockey Oscar Andrade Sr. and graded-stakes-winning trainer Elena Andrade, rode his first winner after piloting Eladin Flores’ One Cool Winner in the seventh race on Nov. 4
at Los Alamitos. Andrade had ridden only twice before his first win, both of those previous mounts
Elena Andrade and Oscar Andrade Jr.
coming aboard My Friend Cindy. All three of his mounts have now hit the board at Los Alamitos, and all three have been trained by his mother.
“It’s amazing,” said the young Andrade after the win. “I just want to thank my parents for helping me, giving me opportunities, teaching me and being patient with me. I know it’s kind of hard, but they’ve been there for me through it all. It’s like a dream come true. I never thought this moment would happen, but here I am.”
AAEP CONVENTION
The American Association of Equine Practitioners’ held their 64th annual convention in San Francisco, California on Dec. 1-5, with over 100 hours of continuing education offered cover- ing all aspects of equine medicine.
“The educational program...brought together many of the leading minds in equine medicine to dispense solutions that attendees can use to promote healthier patients and grow their practices,” said AAEP Executive Director David Foley. The conven- tion saw more that 5,100 attendees. Recipients of
THE MONTH IN REVIEW
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SPEEDHORSE, December 2018
Jennifer K. Hancock
TRACK CHATTER