Page 179 - June 2016

Sam Houston
Meet Leaders
The 2016 Sam Houston Race Park Quarter Horse 24-day meet ended May
16, with Hez Primed An Ready (Prime Talent-Shez Bashful, Special Show) taking Horse of the Meet honors. The 6-year-old gelding was bred by Larry Haigood, and
is owned by Crown Racing and trained by Judd Kearl. Kearl conditioned 37 winners during the meet and scored his seventh Leading Trainer title. Rodrigo Vallejo and Luis Vivanco were named Co-Leading Riders with 32 wins each. Both jockeys have earned this title three times. Pete Scarmardo clinched the Leading Owner title for the third year in a row, winning nine races. Total average daily handle at the track was up 18%, and daily export handle rose 23%.
Senate to Sustain Horse Slaughter Ban in the U.S.
The Senate Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment on May 19 to bar any horse slaughter plants from opening in the United States. The Humane Society of the United States and their allies succeeded in shutting the last three American horse slaughter plants in 2007. With this outcome, the Humane Society should be able to sustain a crucial provision they had secured at the end of 2015 to prevent any of these slaughter plants from opening in the future.
IHC Queen & Court Attend Races at Indiana Grand
Kelsey Sajdera, the newly crowned Indiana Horse Council (IHC) Queen, was joined by the first runner up Adrianna Erdie, second runner up Frances Garrett and Miss Congeniality Gabi Hurley for a night of racing at Indiana Grand on May 14. Sajdera, who was crowned in April at the Hoosier Horse Fair at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, is working on her Masters Degree in Agriculture Education & Youth Development at Purdue University. Sajdera shows pintos and recently expanded into Quarter Horse and Palomino shows. The girls were selected from 18 contestants, all of whom are connected to horses or to the equine industry, in the IHC Queen Contest that represents the entire state.
Elmer January Celebrates Milestone Birthday
Longtime trainer Elmer January, turned 90 on May 14 and was honored at Los Alamitos. Born in 1926, January, the “dean of Quarter Horse trainers” at the California track, recorded his first training victory in 1951. He is the only remaining active member of the current trainer colony who was plying his trade during the inau- gural Los Alamitos meeting in 1951. January was born in Texas, moved to California when he was seven, and became involved with Quarter Horses after serving in World War II. He has won more than 500 races and can be found at Los Alamitos just about every racing night.
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Can you identify this picture? Here’s a hint: this photo was taken in October of 1996 at Retama Park after a victory in the $221,700 Grade 1 Texas Classic Derby. The answer is on page 178.
SpEEdHoRSE pHoto ARCHIvES
SPEEDHORSE, June 2016 177
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