Page 54 - 22 February 2013

NEWS BRIEFS
A Tribute to Kenny Moore
On January 20, 2013 assistant starter, Kenny “Puff ” Moore was involved in a starting gate accident at Hialeah Park, which resulted in his death after spending a week
in ICU. It was a terrible blow to the starting gate crew community, as well as those who knew him from around the racetrack. I met Puff after moving from Los Alamitos to Santa Fe in 1990. In fact, he helped pull me out of the gates when I broke my leg in July of that same year. Puff was only about 16 years old then and had just started working on the starting gate that summer. Eventu- ally, he became one of the best gate hands around, working at Santa Fe, The Downs at Albuquerque, SunRay Park, Ruidoso Downs, Zia Park, Sunland Park and Hialeah Park. He had the best attitude of anyone I ever knew who worked on the gates. Puff was a real professional. He worked as hard as he could to assist trainers with their horses, good and bad alike. His easy going, happy, and always positive demeanor reflected in
his work. Puff was a real big guy, but he handled his horses with really light hands. Some people work with horses all their lives and never develop that kind of feel. He had plenty of it, and that’s what made him one of the great ones in his chosen profession. While I was outriding at Albuquerque this past summer and fall, I got to spend a lot
of time with Puff. I’m glad I did, and now I will miss him a great deal. He is survived by his wife, Skeeter, and children Shay Lynn, Mathew and Kenneth, and they too, will miss him more than ever.
I have to say, the guys on the gate are re- ally the unsung heroes of Quarter Horse rac- ing. Because of the danger involved they take tons of abuse and have to make split-second decisions. In Quarter Horse racing, and we all know it to be true, getting away from the gates is a big factor when it comes to win-
Sincerely, Robert Edwards Belen, NM
ning and losing. These guys never get much praise for the work that they do. I guess it goes without saying. Their names are not listed on the program like trainers, jockeys, owners and breeders. To the general public they are just the guys leading the horses in. As fellow horsemen, we all know how impor- tant a role they play in the equations of win- ning races. I just think sometimes we tend to forget the fact that it takes a whole team to win a race. It always has and always will. Even though it takes everyone’s contribution to the team effort, sometimes a race is won because of one outstanding thing a team member did, whether it was the horse, the rider, trainer, groom, or gate hand.
So that explains why I believe, sometimes they deserve all the credit because I am sure some of those big winners won because of the handle those horses got and the school- ing they received. How many times have
we seen the best get beat because the not so best got away in front of everyone else. It’s just part of the whole scheme of things in racing. But believe me when I say this, those guys try just as hard to win as anyone else.
I am guilty as anyone for forgetting that. I did win some big races, and hundreds that weren’t. Most of them were won because of the way we got away from the gate. Serious- ly, 99 percent of the time I couldn’t have got to winner’s circle without those guys help.
There were a few gate hands that I really clicked well with and won more races with than others. But that was back in the day when things were done different than they are now. Even though I can’t remember everyone, I can still remember a bunch of those guys who were just as responsible for my success as anyone else. So, with that being said, thanks a million for your great hands and your dedication to a job that seems to be shaded from praise.
Ethics Aside
Ethics Aside si 106 (Mr Jess Perry-Daring Difference, Victory Dash) will stand his first year at stud in 2013 at M&D Racing Inc. in Loxachatee, Florida. The 2006 sorrel stallion has banked $136,344 winning two stakes races, the Grade 2 Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge and the Roble Rojo Bonus Challenge. He has also been honored with two AQHA divisional titles, Central Hi-Point Aged Stallion & East Hi-Point Aged Stallion.
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52 SPEEDHORSE, February 22, 2013
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