Page 87 - Speedhorse February

Speedhorse Archives
An Even Start
NOTE: For the first time in the history of Oklahoma horse racing, at Remington Park this season a long overdue new rule will take effect which will enhance the fairness of Quarter Horse trials.
were more than twice as many applications as there were stalls available.
The Skoal Dash For Cash Futurity and the Brut Faberge Futurity had been established and were about to change the nature of California Quarter Horse racing. Both futurities boasted purses in excess of $500,000 and had been highly promoted. For decades before, the California futurities had been the almost exclusive domain of California-based trainers. The purses of those races had been lucky to reach six figures. Consequently, there were usually no more than four or five trials to determine the finalists. But these new races with their rich purses drew nominations from around
by Scott Wells
In the fall of 1981, I was training a stable
of Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos Race Course. Future AQHA Hall of Fame inductee
Donald “Curly” Smith was president, general manager and absolute dictator of Los Alamitos and had been in that position for as long as anyone cared to remember. Millie Vessels owned the property that she and her husband had developed but when it came to do with
anything related to operations, there was only one authority and that was Curly Smith.
Critically, that included even the right to participate at Los Alamitos, as it was Curly
who approved or rejected stall applications. And at Los Alamitos in those days there
Curly Smith
Speedhorse Archives
SPEEDHORSE February 2025 85