Page 69 - Speedhorse June 2019

Rogelio Marquez, Martha Claussen and Rogelio Marquez Jr., who said, “Having Martha come up to you in the winner’s circle and congratulate you and give you an interview is such a special experience. You know you’ve done something right in Quarter Horse racing when that happens!”
where she progressed to showing in English
and equitation. Then, during high school, she and a group of friends would drive five minutes across the Peace Bridge on Sunday afternoons to watch Thoroughbred horse racing at Fort Erie
in Ontario, Canada. “I absolutely fell in love with horse racing,” she says. “I always loved it; I adored the beauty and athleticism of racehorses.”
She continued to nurture her passion for horse racing as she attended college at the University of Miami in Florida, a half-hour drive from Hialeah Park.
Her Professional Path
Martha’s post-college career included sports marketing with International Management Group (IMG), where she managed the Houston-based Virginia Slims tennis tournament for over 10 years.
When tobacco became controversial and the tournament was faced with having to find a new sponsor due to the young and impressionable age of players in that era, IMG offered Martha another position — in Cleveland. She had done some cross- promotions with Sam Houston Race Park
during her stint with IMG, so, because of her love for horses and racing, she explored the opportunities there. She joined Sam Houston Race Park in 1997 as publicity director.
She stayed on in that capacity until 2007, then continued as a freelance marketing and publicity consultant while taking on other clients in the horse industry.
“That was a great 10 years,” she says. “We did both Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred racing. The interesting thing, though, was that when I began working at Sam Houston, I’d never seen a Quarter Horse race.”
She recalls overhearing some people talking at a Thoroughbred race years before. “Quarter Horses? If you blink, you’ll miss them,” Martha heard one person say.
“With 16-, 20-, and 24-second races,
I guess you could look at it that way,” she says. “But from the first time I saw a Quarter Horses race, I never, ever, ever thought about it that way again because they’re so powerful and incredibly athletic. I was just drawn
to them. I thought, What a terrible way to dismiss a breed. And that fueled my interest in Quarter Horse racing.”
Horses — and People
Beyond the horses’ speed, power and beauty, Martha says, “What I really, really, really love about Quarter Horse racing is the people. I’ve met so many incredible people since I’ve been doing publicity and writing and handicapping for Quarter Horses. I’ve made enduring friendships.
“The passion they have when they breed
a horse and when they own a horse and when they purchase a horse at a yearling sale and
see them win a futurity — there’s no way to describe that,” she adds. “I’ve seen so many people for whom it’s been the thrill of a lifetime and something they share with their families. I’ve seen so many memories of a lifetime with so many different people while I’ve been in the industry. I see it year after year, and it’s never ordinary because everybody feels it so strongly and with such passion. It’s something I enjoy and I marvel at.
“I’ve had incredible memories covering Thoroughbred champions, too, but for some reason, for me, the people in Quarter Horse racing are just so thrilled when they have a big victory, and the stories behind them have been very, very inspiring for me.”
SPEEDHORSE, June 2019 67