Page 35 - February_2023

BROODMARE EARNS HONOR
Rock Candy SA has earned the honor of being named an AQHA Dam of Distinction.
The award recognizes the accomplishments of racing broodmares. To qualify for the award, a mare must meet one or more of the following criteria:
Dams that produced two or more individual AQHA racing champions.
Dams that produced at least three individual Grade 1 stakes winners.
Dams that produced at least two foals ranked in the top 10 money earners of any particular year, as of December 31 of that year, and two Grade 1 stakes winners.
Dams that produced at least three foals that were in the top 10 money earners of any particular year, as of December 31 of that year.
When the award was created, a grandfather clause also allowed mares that had produced at least three individual stakes winners prior to 1983, and those wins were the equivalent of a Grade 1-quality race, to be accepted.
Rock Candy SA is a 2013 brown mare by Good Reason SA and out of Send Me The Candy by Leaving Memories. Her dam is a half-sister
to Jess Send Candy, dam to Champion and All American Futurity-G1 winner Jess Good Candy.
Rock Candy SA was bred by Womack/ Cavender Farms and is owned by Valeriano Racing Stables LLC of Odessa, Texas.
To date, the mare has produced six winners from eight starters who have earned $1,684,855.
Among her runners are All American Derby-G1 winner A Pollitical Candy V ($837,113) and Texas Classic Futurity-G1 winner Rock A Jess V ($675,823). The two Grade 1 winners were both in the top 10 money earners at the close of 2022, to earn the mare the Dam of Distinction award.
INVESTING IN YOUTH
The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association awarded one $5,000 scholarship and five $2,000 scholarships to further the education of Louisiana students on Dec. 17, the six scholarships totaling $15,000 were awarded at Evangeline Downs.
LQHBA Executive Director Bruce Salard and LQHBA board members assisted with the drawings. Carter Zerangue, of Opelousas, won the $5,000 scholarship. The 18 year old was thrilled when his name was called.
“To watch such great races and have
my name drawn for the scholarship was amazing,” said Zerangue, who will graduate from Opelousas Catholic High School in 2023. “I am considering Nicholls State and Louisiana State University for next year. The $5,000 will really help, as my goal at this point is to attend medical school to become an anesthesiologist.”
The LQHBA Scholarship Fund was the vision of the late Jim Mitchell and Executive Director Emeritus Leverne Perry, and it continues to be supported by the association. More than $800,000 has been earmarked
for this program since its inception in 2001. Louisiana stallion farms contribute a stallion service as the primary funding for the program.
The scholarship giveaway coincided with
the running of the state’s richest Quarter Horse race, the 400-yard $1-million Louisiana QHBA Million Futurity-RG1. San Lorenzo Jet and Tha Duke finished in a dead heat for the win and split the winner’s share of the purse.
Evangeline Downs recognized its leading jockey, trainers, and owner during its 46-date autumn Quarter Horse meet, which ended Dec. 20.
Arturo Alvarez was Evangeline Downs’ leading jockey with 38 wins from 216 mounts. Alvarez also topped all jockeys with mount earnings of $897,601. Mario Trujillo Jr. and Dale Keith topped all Evangeline Downs trainers with 16 wins each, as Trujillo started 53 runners and Keith started 93. Jesus M. Marquez was the meet’s leading trainer in starter earnings at $398,190. Evangeline Downs’ leading owner, Jose O. Barron, won nine races from 30 starters. Rogelio Marquez Jr. led all owners in purse earnings at $397,650.
For more information on the LQHBA Scholarship Program, visit LQHBA.com, and for more information on Evangeline Downs, visit www.evdracing.com.
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