Page 15 - June_2023

TRACK CHATTER
THE MONTH IN REVIEWby Jennifer K. Hancock
SAM THOMPSON AWARD
Five Quarter Horse jockeys have
been named finalists for the 2023 Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award, which was developed to honor those jockeys whose lives and character positively impact the Quarter Horse racing industry both on and off the racetrack.
The five jockeys nominated for the 2023 Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award are Rodrigo Vallejo, Francisco Calderon, Cruz Mendez, Jesus Ayala and Eduardo Nicasio.
First given in 2011, the Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award was modeled after the long-standing George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, which has been given to Thoroughbred jockeys since 1950. The late Sam Thompson, a Quarter Horse jockey who was well liked and highly respected both on and off the racetrack, died tragically as a result of injuries suffered in a riding accident at Los Alamitos in 2008.
Thompson was known for his traits
of being a leader in the jockeys’ room throughout his career, representing fellow riders as a Jockeys’ Guild senator and the room representative at Los Alamitos. He also served as a council member of the Los Alamitos division of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America.
Originally developed as a joint effort between Speedhorse Magazine and the Jockeys’ Guild, 2023 marks the first year that the Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award will be presented by the Sam Thompson Memorial Foundation. The nominee that garners the most votes will be presented the Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award during a special ceremony at Ruidoso Downs on All American Derby-G1 day on Sunday, September 3, 2023.
Previous winners include: Roy Brooks (2011), Gilbert Ortiz (2012), G. R. Carter Jr. (2013), Cody Jensen (2014), Eddie Garcia (2015), Ramon Sanchez (2016), Cesar De Alba (2017), Ricky Ramirez (2018), Esgar Ramirez (2019), no award given in 2020 due to COVID, Jimmy D. Brooks (2021) and Cody Smith (2022).
INDIANA INCREASES BREEDER AWARDS
The Indiana Quarter Horse Breed Development program approved by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission for 2023 will offer increased breeder awards for program participants. Breeder’s awards have been increased from 12.5 percent to 17.5 percent and will be paid as follows to the breeder of any registered Indiana-bred
which finishes first, second or third at Horseshoe Indianapolis:
• First Place Award – 17.5 percent of total purse *50 percent (Award capped at $5,000)
• Second Place Award – 17.5 percent of total purse *30 percent (Award capped at $3,000)
• Third Place Award – 17.5 percent of total purse *20 percent (Award capped at $2,000)
In addition, the program for 2023 will continue to offer Owner and Stallion Awards at the same level they were for 2022. Overall, $2.7 million dollars will be available for purses during the 2023 program with up
to 109 program races being offered. An additional $1,254,939 is scheduled to be paid for Owner, Stallion and Breeder Awards.
“We made the increase to Breeder’s awards with the hope that breeders will reinvest in the Quarter Horse Breed Development Program. Now is a great time to breed, race or buy an Indiana Bred to participate in this lucrative program,” stated Lance Finlinson, Chairman of the Quarter Horse Breed Development Advisory Committee.
Annually, the program offers more than $3.9 million in incentives to owners, breeders and stallion owners through purses and awards. Visit the Indiana Quarter Horse Breed Development website at www.in.gov/hrc/qh to learn more.
Got Good News to Share? Do you have a positive story that you’d like to share? Send photos and news items to jennifer_k_hancock@hotmail.com.
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