Page 178 - June 2016

Breeders/Trainers Reach Milestones
According to an AQHA release, Vessels Stallion Farm LLC became the second all-time leading breeder in January with over $30 mil- lion in breeder earnings, while Dr. Ed Allred
is the all-time leading breeder with over $52 million. Breeder Bobby Cox surpassed the
$20 million mark earlier this year and will be inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2017. Cox is only the third breeder to ever reach this milestone and joins Vessels Stallion Farm LLC and Dr. Edward Allred. Janis and Mac Murray’s MJ Farms broke the $10 million mark in March and became the #11 all-time leading breeders. All-time leading trainer Paul Jones passed the $80 million mark in trainer earnings in April. Jones also pushed past 4,000 wins, moving closer toward Blane Schvaneveldt’s high of 5,186 victories. Judd Kearl reached $10 million in trainer earnings in February.
Dr. Graham Receives Texas A&M Special Achievement Award
Texas A&M
University and The
Association of Former
Students bestowed
one of their 2016
Distinguished Alumni
Awards to Dr. Charles
W. Graham, a 1953
graduate and one of
only 261 former stu-
dents to be recognized
with this honor. Graham, a leading equine veterinarian, created the state’s oldest continu- ous stallion breeding operation - Southwest Stallion Station. He was influential in the funding and construction of Texas A&M’s new Veterinary and Biomedical Education Complex, has been a director of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), was a founder of Frontier Bank of Texas,
a director of the AQHA, and is a member
of the AQHA Hall of Fame and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, among many other accomplishments.
Racing Law Updated In Michigan
Two bills cleared the Michigan Senate on May 10 without the provision to allow tracks to operate electronic betting. Under the legislation, wagers placed on live races would be deposited in track-specific “horsemen’s simulcast purse amounts,” designating the money for the track at which it was wagered. George Kutlenios, president of the Michigan Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, said
the organization intends to ask the Michigan Gaming Control Board to pursue advance deposit wagering through administrative rule, rather than a legislative change.
Abigail Kawananakoa Honored at CSU
Celebrated breeder
and direct descendant
of the Hawaiian royal
family, Princess Abigail
Kawananakoa, was given
an honorary doctorate
from the Colorado State
University (CSU) on
May 13. Kawananakoa
was recognized for her
dedication to global
equine health and to
cultural preservation in Hawaii. A breeder of multiple Champions, the acclaimed horse- woman is perhaps best known as the owner of 2-time Champion A Classic Dash, Champion Significant Heart, as well as Evening Snow, the first horse of any breed to run the quarter-mile from a standing start in less than 21 seconds. She was the AQHA Champion Owner in
1994 and 1995, the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association honored her for her contributions to the sport in 2012, and she also provides philanthropic support to revive and honor Hawaiian history and culture.
Prairie Meadows Loses Non-Profit Status, May Appeal
Stemming from an audit that launched
in November of 2014, the Internal Revenue Service plans to strip Prairie Meadows of
its non-profit, tax-exempt status. Prairie Meadows and Mystique Casino in Dubuque, which are the only casinos in the nation organized under 501(c)(4) of federal tax law, provide millions to government entities, com- munity groups and philanthropic causes. The loss of Prairie Meadows’ non-profit status could cost millions each year. Although the IRS has not commented on the case, reasons to pull the nonprofit status include excessive salaries, too much unrelated business income, and operating an enterprise that competes with the private industry. Prairie Meadows intends to fight the ruling and has hired an attorney who is the former head of the IRS non-profit division.
Possible Return To Live Racing In Kansas
It is possible that after eight years, The Woodlands Racetrack may reopen their doors after the Unified Government Commission met on April 28 and unanimously passed a special-use permit for the owner of the track to start planning a horse racing, electronic gam- ing, and an entertainment facility. Track owner Ruffin Woodlands LLC will now go to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission for an operating license as well as backing on a bill to allow track owners to keep more profits than currently allowed.
Ivan Carnero April Jockey Of The Month
Jockey Ivan Carnero,
who most recently won
the $337,000 Remington
Park Oklahoma-Bred
Derby-RG3 aboard
A Tres Of Paint, was
named the AQHA-
Jockeys’ Guild Jockey of
the Month for April. As
of May 9, Carnero is the
top jockey at Remington
Park with 10 wins. The
23-year-old jockey was also the winner of the richest race in Quarter Horse racing in 2015, the $3 million All American Futurity-G1 at Ruidoso Downs aboard Jess Good Candy. Carnero led all riders in the month of April with 23 wins from 92 mounts and was second in earnings with $446,813.
Uncertain Future For Idaho Racing
According to the Idaho Statesman,
Idaho lawmakers pulled the plug on histori- cal racing, forcing Les Bois Park to unplug its 200 historical-racing machines. During the 16 months that they were legal, these machines were responsible for $127.5 mil- lion in wagers, as well as purse increases of 72% in just the first year of operation. The repeal of these machines went into effect in September of 2015, just two years after they were installed in an effort to save Idaho’s live racing. The loss of revenue generated from these machines has caused Les Bois Park to close its doors. With Idaho’s flagship track darkened, the future of the state’s horse rac- ing industry is uncertain.
LQHBA Names Additional Champions
The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association named three additional Champions for 2015: Co-Champion 3-Year-Old Gelding Icanonlyemagine (Swingin Jess-Real Or Imagined, Dash For Cash), bred by Daniel Trahan and owned by Bobby Cox; Co-Champion Aged Mare Scooter Prize (First Prize Perry-Royal Baby Scooter, A Royale High), bred by John K. Leger and owned by Ana L. Alvidrez; and Co-Champion Aged Stallion Heza Fast Rogue (Heza Fast Dash-Miss Jess Rogue, Mr Jess Perry), bred by Triple M Farms, LLC and owned by Brock Broussard and Jacques Bourque.
176 SPEEDHORSE, June 2016
news briefs