Page 186 - June 2021

NEWS BRIEFS
TQHA Yearling Sale Has New Dates
The Texas Quarter Horse Association has moved their 24th Annual TQHA Yearling Sale to July 23-24 at the Exposition Hall at The Freeman in San Antonio, Texas. The first sale of the season will feature approximately 250 Accredited Texas- Bred yearlings, who will be eligible for the 2022 TQHA Sale Futurity. The sale was originally scheduled for July 30-31.
Retama Dates Transferred To Sam Houston
The Texas Racing Commission on May 18 ap- proved the transfer of dates from Retama Park to Sam Houston Race Park due to the February winter storm that caused significant damage
to Retama’s grandstand, barn area and racing office. Repairs will not be complete in time, so Sam Houston will host Retama’s 20-day meet beginning on June 23 and running through Aug. 7.
Ontario QH Owners Eligible For Benefit Payments
Ontario Horse Racing on May 19 announced that Quarter Horse owners can access certain purse funds that remain available under the Long-Term Funding Agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. in the event that live racing at Ajax Downs is suspended due to CO- VID-19. The available funds correlate directly
to the Long-Term Funding Agreement purse funds that have been foregone as a result of the lockdown measures from cancelled May race dates at the track. Additional funds may become available if live racing continues to be prohibited at the track. “We are pleased to be in a position to offer these equine benefit payments to the Quar- ter Horse industry,” said Ontario Horse Racing Chair John Hayes. The Quarter Horse Equine Benefit eligibility requirements and application can be found at ontarioracing.com.
operating a feedlot for nearly 70 years. His other passion was Quarter Horse racing, in which he campaigned alone or in partnership such horses as Mighty B Valiant, Mighty Invictus, Jess Cu- ervo, Jess B Glory and many others. He won the 2000 All American Futurity with 2-time Cham- pion Eyesa Special, that he co-owned with Terry Bell and Jim Pitts. Hill and partner Bell’s You and Me Partners was inducted into the Oklahoma Racing Hall of Fame in 2012. Hill is survived by four children, several grandchildren, and many other family members and friends.
Jockey Agent Neil Bricks Passes Away
Longtime jockey agent Neil Bricks passed away onMay8attheageof69.AnativeofNew
York, Bricks was a mainstay at Los Alamitos Race Course first working as a groom, then exercise rider, jockey and finally as one of the track’s top agents. Among his leading riders are Ramon Guce, Cesar De Alba, Eddie Garcia, Ramon Sanchez, Vinnie Bednar and many more. Bricks is survived by many family members and friends.
Trainer Roberto Dominguez Passes Away
Trainer Roberto Dominguez, 68, passed away on May 8 following a battle with cancer. Dominguez has saddled the earners of over $2.2 million, includ- ing top earner Renewed and Grade 3 winner Mate- rialist. Perhaps his most memorable night of racing came in 2016 when he saddled Favorite Aquaholic to win the California Breeders’ Freshman Stakes and Scholarly to win the California Breeders’ Fresh- man Fillies Stakes. The night before he passed, Dominguez saddled the Thoroughbred Elemental to a wire-to-wire New Track Record victory at Los Alamitos on May 7. Dominguez is survived by many family members and friends.
John Whipp Passes Away
Wyoming horseman John Whipp, 79, passed away on May 17. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Whipp attended the University of Kentucky and received an agricultural degree, and then was accepted into their College of Medicine. In the 70’s, Whipp interned at Camp Pendleton Naval hospital and became a Lieutenant Commander of the U.S. Navy medical corps. He completed his orthopedic residency at UCLA Medical Center
and moved to Wyoming to be a ski doctor. He married Marie Weyer in 1978 and they raised five children on their Wyoming ranch. Together they raised/raced over $750,000 in Quarter Horses earners since the 80’s. They have raised many fu- turity and derby winners and received numerous breeder of the year awards in the state. Whipp, a longtime member of the AQHA, is survived by his wife, three daughters, a son, and numerous family members and friends. Memorial contribu- tions can be mailed to the LCCC Foundation designating funds to the JP Whipp Memorial Scholarship, which is available for students pursu- ing a degree in Agriculture, at 1400 E. College Dr., Cheyenne, WY 82007.
SPEEDHORSE PHOTO ARCHIVE ANSWER
The photo on page 183 shows Blues Girl Too (Corona Cartel-Run The Dash, Sixa- run) winning the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity-G1 in 2006. Scoring a 102 speed index in the race, she defeated fastest qualifier FDD Dynasty by a head. This earned the filly $816,480 as the winner’s share of the nearly $2 million dollar purse. Trainer Joe Basset and jockey Saul Ramirez Jr. clinched the lucrative win for breeders/owners Lucky Seven Ranch. Making all of her starts at Los Alamitos Race Course during her two-year campaign as a runner, Blues Girl Too lit the board in each
of her thirteen starts with a total earnings of $2,032,328. Blues Girl Too earned an im- pressive race record with four Grade 1 wins over her career, including the Champion of Champions, Golden State Derby, and Mil- dred N Vessels Memorial. She also set two New Track Records during her race campaign. Recognized for her successes as a futurity horse, she was named AQHA Champion Two Year Old and Champion Two-Year-Old Filly in 2006. Her crowning achievement came the next year after three Grade 1 wins when Blues Girl Too was named the 2007 AQHA World Champion, Champion Three Year Old and Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.
After completing her outstanding career on the track, Blues Girl Too was retired to the broodmare pasture. She has produced 13 win- ners from 15 starters, including 2-time stakes winner Blues Man Won. Her legacy continues with her two-year-old filly Blues Girls Favorite by Favorite Cartel, who broke her maiden at Los Alamitos on April 30, 2021, for breeder/ owner Lucky Seven Ranch.
Homer Hill Passes Away
Homer “Bud” Hill, 90, passed away on April 29 in Lubbock, Texas. Born in 1930, Bud was a life- long resident of Castro County in Texas. He was devoted to farming and ranching, owning and
184 SPEEDHORSE June 2021