Page 59 - January 2018

Health; The Lighter Side; Behind The Lens photography spreads; Speedhorse Snapshots; Around The Globe; coverage of stakes races at the Hipodromo de las Americas in English and in Spanish; The Backside; Legal Talk; and our American Graded Stakes Standing rankings.
Speedhorse, in conjunction with The Jockeys’ Guild, developed the Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award in 2011. The accolade is named in honor of the late Sam Thompson, a leader
in his field during his riding career who passed away in 2008 after suffering a fatal riding accident. The peer elected award honors an individual jockey whose personal character
on and off the racetrack reflects positively on Quarter Horse racing.
We have also developed a more friendly website presence, which includes a detailed stakes schedule for tracks across the country, our stallion auction and the latest in news coverage.
We continued to publish our well-received special editions, such as the Champion issue, Broodmare issue, Special Sale issue, Juvenile Sires issue, Freshman Sires issue, Million Dollar Sire issue, and our Stallion Register, which is a highpoint of the year for many in the Quarter Horse industry. We have branched out and added other special issues to the mix, including a Barrel Stallion Register,
a special Crossover Barrel issue, and a Paint & Appaloosa Champion issue - all industry favorites.
Speedhorse began a race program in 1991,
with the first races contested at the old Trinity Meadows in Texas. They were known as the Gold & Silver Cup Race Series at the time and included a futurity, derby, and maturity for Quarter Horses, a futurity and derby for Paints and Appaloosas, and an All-Breed Sprint Race. We may have dropped the “Gold & Silver Cup” from the name, but we continue to run a “gold standard” race program that attracts runners from across the nation. Our races currently run at Remington Park and Tulsa Fair Meadows in Oklahoma, and at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Speedhorse initiated the first Triple Crown for Paints and Appaloosas in 2012. The Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Triple Crown is contested for 2 year olds and offers a $5,000 bonus, and
a $35,000 coupon toward the purchase of a
SportChassis LLC Hauler, and many other awards. It is the only program of its kind for the Paint and Appaloosa breeds.
Tied into our race program is our Speedhorse Stallion Auction. Beginning in December
and running through the end of June, stallion owners donate stallion breedings that are then made available to the public for purchase. Proceeds from the auction are dedicated to added money and stallion awards that are paid in the Speedhorse Races that run at Tulsa Fair Meadows. In 2017, Speedhorse added over $50,000 to the Speedhorse races, with the help of many stallion farms that donate breedings to the Speedhorse Stallion Auction.
Our subscriber base encompasses the world - from here in the U.S. to Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Italy, England, and beyond.
Speedhorse is made up of a small, dedicated group of individuals, many of whom have been a part of the organization for decades. We strive to create a quality publication each and every month. We hope you have enjoyed the last 50 years. Here’s to the next 50!
In the upcoming year, Speedhorse will run select features from our past issues. We hope you enjoy this “look back” at racing through the years.
1969
Kaweah Bar was named 1968 World Champion. Latonia Race Course in Kentucky held the state’s first pari-mutuel Quarter Horse race. Tomey Jean Wieburg became the first woman in the history of Los Alamitos Race Course to win a race. President of the American Horse Council stated that the horse industry contributed more than $7 billion to the nation’s economy. President of Los Alamitos Race Course reported that the State of California was the winner of the 78-night race meet, receiving a record amount of $3,335,345 in mutuel takes and breakage. Midway Downs scheduled First Annual Futurity. Melvin Hatley & Grafton Moore staged one of the most successful events the Quarter Horse Racing industry had ever seen when they
sold a total of 80 head of horses for a grand total of $1,001,950-the first million-dollar production sale in Quarter racing history.
1970
Easy Jet was named 1969 World Champion. Santa Fe Downs was granted a racing license and broke ground. A new speed index rating system was introduced. The AQHA Race Horse Identification Program of tattooing horses began. Walter Merrick became the first recipient of the Quarter Racing World Golden Sprint Award for his outstanding accomplishments in the Quarter Horse racing industry. Quarter Racing World subscribers
were offered special group Accident and Sickness insurance coverage for the first time. The race track stadium at Portland Meadows was burned to the ground. AQHA approved Quarter Horse racing began in Western Canada. The Governor of New York signed a bill clearing the way for pari-mutuel betting at licensed Quarter Horse race meets in the state. The Western Idaho Fair launched the state’s
first nationally recognized horse racing season. An economic survey research project of the National Association of State Racing Commissioners began. The American Horse Publications was formed to promote all facets of the horse industry. The U.S. Senate voted to increase horse research funding by $160,000. The FDA approved the use of DMSO for external treatment in horses to reduce swelling. The Racing Division of the AQHA held its first Racing Seminar and Round Table Discussion in California. A new world record price was set when Bud Warren sold half interest in Jet Charger for $150,000. Farnam Companies announced the Farnam Horse Library, a set of books on popular horse subjects. Gov. Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law to increase the amount taken from the mutuel pool, as well as a measure
to guarantee one or more races for Appaloosas if sufficient numbers of the breed were available, at California tracks. In Memoriam: Dee Garrett, breeder &/or owner of World Champion Vandy’s Flash, and Champions Vanetta Dee & Vannevar, passed away at 61; The great mare & AQHA Supreme Champion Barbra L, grandam of Champion Little Blue Sheep, died at 23; Kid Meyers, AQHA’s first Supreme Champion & sire of Champion Mr Kid Charge, died; 2-time Champion sire Parr Passum, a leading sire of money earners from 1949-1969, died; Rocket Bar, Thoroughbred sire & broodmare sire of multiple Quarter Horse Champions, died.
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