Page 21 - Speedhorse April 2021

it. Opinions were offered that the management of Los Alamitos is merely trying to protect the integrity of racing at the Southern California oval, and has implemented stringent measures to do so. Others said that in not abiding by the berths promised in the conditions of the race, that the race was indeed restricted.
In the two days between Friday’s Graded Stakes meeting and Sunday’s Racing Council meeting, Los Alamitos issued a press release out- lining new conditions for the 2021 running of the Champion of Champions. Consequently, by the time the topic was presented Sunday after- noon to the AQHA Racing Council, the param- eters had changed. The Racing Council opted to table the discussion at this time and monitor the implementation of the new conditions.
RACING COMMITTEE
The Racing Committee holds a two-part meeting during the AQHA Convention, start- ing Saturday afternoon, and reconvening on Sunday morning. I always feel a great responsi- bility to collaborate with the Chairman to offer an agenda that is robust enough to be of value to the industry, and one that the members consider a good investment of their time. It’s a lofty aspiration.
Before reporting on the outcome of the meet- ing, I wish to thank Mark Brown for his three years of service as Chairman. I say it often, but it’s worth repeating: one of the joys I have in this role is to collaborate with long-time friends in an effort to improve the industry. Such is the case for Mark and his wife Peggy. I first met them in the late 1980’s when Mark purchased a yearling from my consignment at a PCQHRA Sale. To have the opportunity to work with him in this capacity has been a pleasure. Mark has stayed
very engaged as Racing Committee Chairman, and all of us owe him our gratitude.
I was disappointed that many of the pre- sentations I projected were hindered by poor acoustics in the meeting room, and visibility of the screen was not the best either. Apologies to the Committee members for that. Nonetheless, I think we had a productive meeting that imparted good information. Here are a few of the measures addressed during our meeting:
• 11 Champion Selection Committee members assigned, with three alternates.
• Endorsement of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund proposal to create an improved funding mechanism.
• Close the Small-Medium-Large Champion Breeders Task Force and leave the Champions Selection criteria the way it is.
• Approve the recommendations of the Challenge Task Force to modify the enroll- ment structure of the Challenge (a scale was proposed making it less cost prohibitive for horses of racing age) and re-introduce the Bonus Challenge (specifics to follow in another article).
The last item of business was to elect a new
Racing Committee Chairman since Mark had completed his maximum three years. Twenty- one people were nominated, and ultimately eight expressed a willingness to be on the ballot and fulfill the role. In keeping with his custom when he was a jockey, GR Carter crossed the finish line in front of the others and will serve as our next Chairman. I am excited to work with GR in this capacity and know that his knowledge of the industry will serve all of us well. As Chairman of the Racing Committee, GR also becomes a member of the AQHA Racing Council. Congratulations GR!
AQHA RACING COUNCIL
Other than the aforementioned Graded Stakes discussion tabling the matter regard- ing the Champion of Champions, the Racing Council accepted Chairman Jorge Haddad Mestre’s report regarding the remaining rec- ommendations allocating grades. During the meeting Council members also:
• Approved the Racing Committee’s recom-
mendation to accept the Challenge Task
Force’s recommendations.
• Appointed their own allocation of 10
Champions Selection Committee members, plus an alternate and entertained discussion about the one-day versus two-day format.
It was recommended to staff that the Champion Selection Committee return to the historical two-day format and allow for more time for discussion in consideration of the important decisions being made.
• Discussion regarding the AQHA Racing Conference that is conducted in conjunction with the Bank of American Racing Challenge: We typically invite panelists to that meeting who will engage the membership with insight regarding hot topics impacting the industry. If you have subject matter that you think would be of interest, please feel free to reach out to me. Remember, any of the action items above
are ‘recommendations’ until presented to the AQHA Executive Committee for approval.
This concludes my summary of the various race-related meetings held during the 2021 AQHA Convention. If you did not make it this year, we hope to see you in Las Vegas in 2022. Our Convention is the best venue to allow your voice to be heard. I encourage you to participate!
Until then, I look forward to seeing you at the races.
AQHA RACING UPDATE
SPEEDHORSE April 2021 19