Page 13 - April 2016

a Courage Award. This year, in recognition
of the 10th Anniversary of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, the award was pre- sented to legendary jockey Ron Turcotte in recognition of the courage and determination of the more than 60 riders who depend on the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Michael Straight, critically injured in an on-track acci- dent in 2009, accepted the award on behalf of Ron Turcotte.
To learn more about the Jockeys’ Guild, visit www.jockeysguild.com
Jockey Michael ybarra inJured
Jockey Michael Ybarra sustained injuries including a broken nose, fractured eye socket and bleeding in the brain from a spill at Rillito Park in Tucson, Arizona on March 13.
In an effort to assist Ybarra on his recov- ery, a GoFundMe page, www.gofundme. com/vmu63wg4, has been set up to help pay expenses. As of March 23, $5,160 of the $8,000 goal had been raised.
Ellie Stilson, who set up the page, wrote, “While the swelling in his brain has already started to go down, he faces a long road to recov- ery in addition to an expensive one. Those of us who know Michael know he is one of the kind- est and hard working people you could hope to meet. Michael also has a wife and one and a half year old daughter. Any donation, no matter how small, will make a difference to the family.”
Get well soon, Michael!
SprinterS return to SaM houSton
Sam Houston Race Park opened its spring American Quarter Horse meet with a 10-race program and Military Appreciation Day on March 25. The Houston, Texas track will race on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays through May 16.
Sam Houston Race Park’s stakes schedule is topped by the 330-yard $100,000 added Sam Houston Futurity-G2 on April 23, a program that also features the 350-yard $35,000 added Sam Houston Derby-G3 for 3 year olds. Other top stakes include the 440-yard $95,000 added Bank of America Sam Houston Championship Challenge on April 16, the 440-yard $50,000 Sam Houston Classic-G2 on May 7, and the 350-yard $35,000 added John Deere Sam Houston Juvenile Challenge-G3 on May 14.
For more information on the spring Quarter Horse meet at Sam Houston, visit www.shrp.com
leS boiS park cloSeS
Without historical racing terminals and no new legislation in the works in Idaho, Les Bois Park is shuttering. In a letter from Treasure Valley Racing President John Sheldon on
the Les Bois Park website, racing fans were informed of the decision.
The letter reads:
“Dear Les Bois Park Fans,
As you may be aware, we will be closing our Turf Club Bar & Grill and Simulcast Facility, effective end of day on Sunday, March 20th.
After being granted the simulcast license from the Idaho State Racing Commission in December, Treasure Valley Racing kept simulcast operations going in order to miti- gate the overhead costs of keeping Les Bois Park open during this time when the future of live racing remained uncertain and the horsemen were pursuing a solution. But the Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee has elected not to hear the Idaho Horsemen’s gaming commission bill this session. In the absence of another revenue source, we don’t believe running Les Bois Park is financially viable and therefore are closing down all operations.
We are deeply saddened about what
this means for the future of horse racing in Idaho, and the thousands of people involved in the iconic horse industry.
On behalf of the Treasure Valley Racing Group, and the 300 employees who worked to bring the best entertainment and racing experience to you, thank you for your loy- alty and support during this difficult year.” In 2013, the Idaho legislature approved
a law allowing historical racing terminals at Idaho tracks, but in 2015 voted to ban the machines.
Idaho Governor Butch Otter attempted to veto the ban, but after the fight was taken to the state’s courts, it was determined that the veto did not happen within the allotted time allowed.
newS froM new Mexico
Longtime racing official Ismael “Izzy” Trejo is the new executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission.
The son of Thoroughbred trainer Milo Trejo, the younger Trejo spent his boyhood summers at the Downs of Santa Fe and the New Mexico State Fair. He is a 1995 gradu- ate of the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program, where he received a bach- elor’s degree in animal science. Trejo earned his stewards’ accreditation in 2003 from the University of Louisville and has served as a state steward for the West Virginia Racing Commission since 2011.
Trejo has also served as an Association Steward at Turf Paradise in Arizona and a rac- ing official at Colonial Downs in Virginia.
Sunland park newS
In other Land of Enchantment racing news, the New Mexico Livestock Board lifted the quarantine at Sunland Park Racetrack in March following the EHV-1 outbreak.
Sunland Park is now able to open its barn area to outside horses and allow horses cur- rently stabled on site to leave the area. On Jan. 21, the property underwent a full barn-area quarantine that affected nearly 1,600 horses.
Racing at Sunland continues through May 3, and the track broke ground on a four-story, 78-room hotel March 18. The cowboy-themed hotel will be called “The Hotel at Sunland Park Racetrack.”
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