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“Everything we do in the Racing Department at AQHA is for the betterment of the member, and your feedback is always welcomed.”
AQHA UPDATE
November 2022
by Janet VanBebber, AQHA Chief Racing Officer
As I write this submission, I am just back from the 2022 installment of the AQHA Racing Conference and Bank of America Challenge Championships. For the first time since the program began in 1993, AQHA’s premier racing event was held east of the Mississippi. Our friends at Horseshoe Indianapolis rolled out the red carpet for us and put on a fantastic show. If you were among the attendees, I am sure you noticed what a great facility they have, and how all their staff worked to make it a memorable experience. It was indeed a festive environment, and it looked to me like everyone had fun.
There are a lot of good things I can say
about the races, but I am certain you will have other opportunities in this magazine to read about each one. So, I will only say this: How about DANJER? The reigning AQHA World Champion was impressive when besting the field in his usual dominating fashion. Running into
a headwind, he was only a few tics off the track record. I know for a fact that there were people in the crowd just to see his performance, and they didn’t go home disappointed. I grew up in the era of Easy Jet, Dash For Cash, and Cash Rate, and I was indeed a fan of those great horses. It’s so nice to have a horse in today’s industry that draws
a fan base that rivals that of those historical runners I remember so well. I am sure it’s his
star quality that helped draw a crowd of 8,750 people, and handle of over $950,000.
The AQHA Racing Conference was a great event, too. I appreciate everyone who attended
the Affiliate Workshop, the AQHA Racing Committee meeting, the AQHA Racing Council meeting, and the Owner’s Celebration. All had engaging conversation, and if you weren’t there, we welcome you to attend next time! The meetings are open, and it’s a good means of gaining industry insight. The thing about the weekend’s gatherings that brought me the most joy was the engagement of the young people present. We had five Youth Racing Experience finalists as well as ten students
Pictured are Wendy Davis and Janet VanBebber with Youth Racing Experience finalists Sydney Sargent, August Whitman, Kendall Dirksen, Gracie Potter and Mimi Cate Copeland. Also pictured are Katie Reynolds and Helen Hardy.
24 SPEEDHORSE November 2022
from the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program on hand. They were paired with trainers for experience on the backside, were given insight to the racing office and regulatory body and attended the panel discussions during our Racing Committee meeting. They were very attentive, soaking-up every word spoken and asking a lot of good questions. Those of us who have been in the industry for decades found their presence refreshing, even encouraging.
Next year we will host the Bank of America Challenge Championships and the AQHA Racing Conference at Lone Star Park. The night of the Championship race card will be October 21, 2023... we can’t wait to see you in Texas!
But for now, I am focused on more immediate events. Next up on my itinerary
are the Texas Classic trials at Lone Star Park, followed by a quick trip to Kentucky for a Race Track Chaplaincies of America National Board Meeting, then right back to Oklahoma for the Heritage Place Fall Mixed Sale. I hope that by the time you read this, we’ve had a chance to say “Hello!” at one of those functions.
While in my office there are several initiatives I am working on with my team. We are securing
the development of programming to rollout
the use of microchips as part of racing Quarter Horse’s identification on January 1, 2024. We are working on AQHA Racing Challenge reform to introduce some modifications to the program and help grow participation. We are initiating a bleeder study in hopes of helping substantiate the need to maintain a Quarter Horse’s opportunity to use furosemide. We are engaged with entities in both domestic and foreign countries to expand regulated racing for our breed. We have received approval from the Racing Committee and the Racing Council to make a modification to the speed index calculation to better reflect a horse’s performance. And probably most importantly, I am collaborating regularly with lab directors and racing commissions to find more effective means of deterring those seeking an unfair advantage.
If you are interested in knowing more about any of these topics, feel free to reach out to me. Everything we do in the Racing Department at AQHA is for the betterment of the member, and your feedback is always welcomed. The Racing Department team enjoy serving you and this great industry. Please don’t ever hesitate to call on us.
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse