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NEWS BRIEFS
Quarter Horse Racing In Australia
Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa racing is set to run in Australia with the mid-October licensing of Speedhorse Australia Pty. Ltd,
no affiliation to Speedhorse Magazine. The application is for Short Course Sprint Horse Racing in Queensland beginning in 2023. The license will be the official fourth code of racing in Queensland, along with harness, greyhound, and Thoroughbred racing.
Andrew Offerman New NYRA VP, GM
Andrew Offerman has been appointed Vice President and General Manager for the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), and will oversee frontside operations at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. Offerman most recently served as Senior Vice President of Racing Operations
at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota. Offerman also holds advisory and governance positions with the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) Advisory Committee; Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America (TRA); American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Racing Committee, and Vice Chair of the Thoroughbred & Quarter Horse Breeders’ Fund Advisory Committees
of the Minnesota Racing Commission. “My experiences at Canterbury Park have prepared me for this next chapter and I’m thrilled it will be at the finest and most important racing organization in the country,” Offerman said. “I’d like to thank Canterbury Park and its racing community for their support throughout my tenure.”
Ruling: NM Tracks Can’t Use Purse Money To Pay Insurance
New Mexico District Court Judge Victor
S. Lopez has determined that the New Mexico Racing Commission (NMRC) improperly required horseman, through their purse accounts, to pay half of racetrack-obtained insurance premiums for jockeys and exercise riders in violation of state statute. According to the New Mexico Horsemen’s Association (NMHA), over $9 million was used from purse accounts at New Mexico’s five racetracks to pay insurance premiums since 2009. The method of funding insurance premiums has been in effect since 2007 and was made in agreement with NMHA. In his order, Lopez wrote, “It is neither the commission’s nor this court’s role to decide and implement policy which would essentially allow the skimming
of racing revenue for the admittedly favorable purpose of protecting jockeys and exercise riders who may sustain injuries in the course of engaging in the inherently dangerous profession of horse racing.” The ruling could affect Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) fee collection, and the NMRC is seeking a “fair and efficient way for New Mexico horsemen to pay those fees.”
Signs Of Livewire To Stand First Year at Bob Moore Farms
2020 Paint colt Signs Of Livewire (CRM Livewire-Signs Of PYC QH, PYC Paint Your Wagon) will stand his first year at stud in 2023 for a $2,500 fee with considerations at Bob Moore Farms in Norman, Oklahoma. Signs Of Livewire has earned $217,811 thus far from a perfect 6-for-6 race record, including wins in the 2022 Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Futurity-G1, Speedhorse Graham Paint & Appaloosa Futurity-G1 and Oklahoma Paint & Appaloosa Futurity-G1. He was the fastest qualifier in the trials to each of these races and has won five of his six starts in wire-to- wire fashion. Signs Of Livewire currently tops
the list of horses to win the Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Triple Crown, having won the first two legs. If he wins the Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Futurity Championship at Will Rogers Downs
on Nov. 15, he will become just the second horse to win the coveted Speedhorse Triple Crown
after Painted Turnpike scored in 2015. Bred by Alexia Willis, owned by Jeff Adams, trained by
Dee Keener and ridden by Jesus Salazar in all of
his races, Sings Of Livewire is currently the #13 all-time leading Paint money earner and the leading money earner of 2022.
Trainer Donnie Strickland Passes Away
Longtime horse trainer Donnie Lee “Hoss” Strickland, 67, passed away Sept. 25. Born in 1955 in Four Oaks, North Carolina, Strickland
was living in Sallisaw, Oklahoma at the time of his passing, and was a
member of the Blue Ribbon Fellowship Church. Strickland was a leading trainer of over $9.8 million in money earners. Among his top horses was 1996 All American Futurity-G1 winner Streakin Flyer, who earned over $1.1 million for owner Southern Rose Ranch. Some of his other top runners are Remington Park Futurity-G1 winners Flying Dino and Game Streaker, AQHA Challenge Championship-G1 winner Feature Jess Rockin, and Oklahoma Futurity-G1 winner First Easy Dash. Strickland is survived by a son and
a daughter, three grandchildren, and numerous other family members and friends.
Manuel Pizana Passes Away
Manuel Pizana passed away following a tragic accident on Oct. 16 at the age of 30. Born in Brownsville, Texas, Pizana leaves behind a legacy in his family, MP Racing and his Outstanding Pizana Racing team. His dream was to become a respected horse trainer, which he accomplished in his short life, and he was also an entrepreneur in the alfalfa business. As a trainer and as an owner, Pizana was ranked among the leaders by wins in 2021. He was known as compassionate and thoughtful individual who was also innovative, and he always put the needs of others ahead of his own. He is survived
SPEEDHORSE PHOTO ARCHIVES
Can you identify the horse in this photo? Here’s a hint: She was named Champion in 1998 as well as in 2000. The answer is on page 207.
198 SPEEDHORSE November 2022
Myriam Maynard, Speedhorse
Kurtis Coady, Coady Photography