Category Archives: Racing Sources

Champions, Top Runners Fill Los Alamitos Winter Trials

Q-Racing Journal, January 25, 2012 –  This weekend’s trials for the $200,000 Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1) and $232,650 Los Alamitos Winter Derby (G1) themselves have a Grade 1 feel, as a number of champions will be on display.

Champions Rylees Boy, Cold Cash 123, Jess You And I and Hez Our Secret are all set to run at Los Alamitos. The horses with the 10-fastest times will return for the finals on February 16-17, and the Winter Championship winner receives the year’s first invitation to the Champion of Champions (G1) in December.

In the Winter Championship trials, the first provides a matchup of Rylees Boy with El Aguila Real.

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One Dashing Eagle Named World Champion

Q-Racing Journal, January 16, 2013 – Freshman colt One Dashing Eagle is the 2012 World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse. He also is the champion 2-year-old and champion 2-year-old colt.

Owned by Jose and Gustavo De La Torre with Jorge Carmona’s San Gregorio Racing Stable of Norco, California, One Dashing Eagle made history by winning three million-dollar futurities and setting a single-season earnings record of $2,079,065. He won six of seven races, including the $2.4 million All American Futurity (G1), $1,073,000 Golden State Million Futurity (G1) and $1,001,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity (G1). One Dashing Eagle joins a select group of 10 horses chosen as world champion in their freshman year, with the most recent being Stolis Winner in 2008.

Bred by American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame members Allred Bros. of Mesa, Arizona, One Dashing Eagle is by champion and leading freshman sire One Famous Eagle and out of the First Down Dash mare One Sweet Dash. His trainers include Jose and Ugo De La Torre and Eloy Navarro, and his jockeys include Ramon Sanchez and Adrian Loza.

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Long and Short Highlight Louisiana Downs Opener

Q-Racing Journal, January 11, 2013 – The long and the short of American Quarter Horse racing highlights opening day of the Louisiana Downs season with the $15,000 Marathon Stakes over 870 yards and the $15,000 Harrah’s Dash at 250 yards topping Saturday’s program.

Kellie Hebert’s Mr Fallen Angel (Oak Tree Special-Angels Quick Dash by Royal Quick Dash) tries for his second-straight stakes win in the Marathon after taking the 870-yard Au Revoir Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths while leading for the entire race. The 4-year-old gelding from the Randy Hebert barn moved up from the claiming ranks to take the Au Revoir Stakes. Previously, he raced to two wins and a pair of second-place efforts in four starts from the $5,000 to $10,000 claiming level.

Mr Fallen Angel has found his distance at 870 yards with two wins and two second in four starts, his four most recent efforts.

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Florida Gold Coast Quarter Horse Show Circuit Wrap Up: December 27-31, 2012

Photos By: Shane Rux

Tampa, FL – January 3, 2013 – The Florida Gold Coast Quarter Horse Show was a huge success, welcoming top riders from across the country as they competed for the winning honors.  Held December 27-31, 2012, at the Florida State Fairgrounds’ Bob Thomas Equestrian Center in Tampa, FL, the Florida Gold Coast Quarter Horse Show featured five full days of events including Hunters, Equitation, Reining, Western Pleasure, Trail Riding, Driving, Showmanship and Halter classes. The show ended on the 31st to help exhibitors take advantage of the six shows needed to accumulate points before the end of the year for the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA).

Tommy Sheets, one of the AQHA’s leading trainers, was thrilled to compete at this year’s event. “The Florida Gold Coast Quarter Horse Show provides us with a great facility to come show our horses in multiple arenas with multiple judges at one time,” he commented. “They always hire expert judges for this show. This is one of the most prestigious horse shows in our industry; the level of horses is the upper end of the show horses. With AQHA starting a new progressive program and intermediate program, it has also encouraged all levels of horses to come to this show. The weather has been wonderful here. We’ve had multiple circuit champions in the Trail and Western Riding events. The office staff has also been very accommodating to meeting the trainers’ and exhibitors’ needs.”

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Florida Gold Coast Quarter Horse Show Circuit Welcomes Top AQHA Judges

Tampa, FL – December 11, 2012 – The Florida Gold Coast Quarter Horse Show will be welcoming six top American Quarter Horse Association judges for this year’s competition. Scheduled for December 27-31, 2012 at the Florida State Fairgrounds’ Bob Thomas Equestrian Center in Tampa, FL, the Florida Gold Coast Quarter Horse Show features five full days of events including hunters, equitation, reining, western pleasure, trail riding, driving, showmanship and halter classes. This year, the show ends on the 31st to help exhibitors take advantage of the six shows needed to accumulate points before the end of the year for the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA).

The judges for this year’s Florida Gold Coast Quarter Horse Show include:

Brian Ellsworth from Kendall, Wisconsin, who is an AAAA Rated, and has held his AQHA Judges Card for 32 years, He is also a NSBA Judge. Ellsworth has had the opportunity to judge the Youth, Amateur and Open AQHA World shows. He has also judged the Quarter Horse Congress, NSBA Breeders Championship Futurity and APHA World Shows. He and his wife Patty own and operate Ellsworth Quarter Horses.

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Top Reiners Line Up at AQHA World Championship Show

Craig Schmersal on his way to winning Individual Silver at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. (Shannon Brinkman)

Lexington, KY – The final American CRI of the year takes place this weekend at the AQHA World Championship Show as reiners from across the country look to close out their 2012 season on a high note. A total of 13 horse-and-rider combinations are set to contest the CRI3* in Oklahoma City, OK on Friday, November 9. This weekend’s competition has added significance as it also serves as the first qualifier for U.S. reiners looking to compete at the selection trials for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Craig Schmersal (Overbrook, OK) will look to showcase the skills that helped him earn Team Gold and Individual Silver at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Schmersal is among the most decorated reiners in the U.S. having represented his country three times in World Championship competition. He will ride San Juan Ranch’s Whizs Katrina in Oklahoma City.

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Trainers Suspended Following Medication Rulings

Q-Racing Journal, October 9, 2012 – The American Quarter Horse Association today has announced that it is taking action regarding 11 trainers who were recently suspended by the Louisiana Racing Commission and the Zia Park Board of Stewards (New Mexico) as a result of horses testing positive for Class I drugs.

The 11 trainers include Alvin Smith, Jr., John D. Soileau, Lamont Charles, Alonzo Loya, Kyi Lormand, Heath Taylor, Anthony Agilar, Gonzalo Gonzales, John Henry Bassett, Jeffery Heath Reed and Carlos Sedillo.

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AQHA Calls for Industry Action on Medication Use

Q-Racing Journal, June 29, 2012 – In November 2010, the American Quarter Horse Association gathered together a group of industry experts, including horsemen, officials and medication experts, to discuss the state of medication use in American Quarter Horse racing. Since then, the Association has worked with industry leaders to address matters regarding the use of medications. With recent occurrences of serious medication violations, the Association confirms its stance on the proper use of medications in racing American Quarter Horses, and calls for the industry to further address the issues.

“The American Quarter Horse Association firmly believes racing must be fair and clean for all involved,” said American Quarter Horse Association Executive Vice President Don Treadway Jr. “We also know that recent events are not representative of the actions of tens of thousands of our members, owners and trainers. We continue to work to develop more uniformity within the industry and to further deter the few who seek to cheat.”

AQHA Statement on Medication Use

The American Quarter Horse Association continues its longstanding support of the racing industry and its horsemen. This includes racing that is clean, fair and provides a great experience for the horse, jockey, owner and fan base. AQHA continuously works to ensure not only the integrity and welfare of American Quarter Horses, but also the integrity and welfare of the entire horse industry.

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Upcoming All American Futurity Trials Feature Leading Vote-Getters

Three of the top four ranked 2-year-olds in the latest AQHARacing.com-Horseplayernow.com National Top 10 polls are entered in Thursday’s trials for the All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs. Among the 26 jam-packed trials will be appearances by No. 2-ranked High Rate Of Return (Trial 21), No. 3 Feature Mr Bojangles (Trial 19) and No. 4 Mighty B Valiant (Trial 1). The All American Futurity hopefuls also include this week’s No. 10-ranked runner, The Long Knife (Trial 16).

There was little change to the 2-year-old rankings this week, as West Coast-based Separate Fire remained on top and awaits lucrative challenges at Los Alamitos this fall. Pollsters shuffled the positions this week for No. 6 Osbaldo and No. 7 Adolph Tres Knockout in the only minor shift among the juveniles.

The older-horse rankings remained unchanged at the top, as Rylees Boy continues his hold on the top spot once again this week. Noconi edged back into the poll at No. 10, nosing out last week’s No. 10 Prospect To The Top, for the final spot in this week’s rankings. Among the top-rated older horses competing in Friday’s trials to the All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso will be No. 3-ranked Cold Cash 123 and No. 6 Llano Teller.

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Champion Leading Spirit Gets His AQHA Supreme Race Horse Title

The Q-Racing Journal, August 12, 2011 – Champion Leading Spirit earned his AQHA Supreme Race Horse award in 2008, although due to a clerical error, he was only recently awarded his trophy. The honor is given by AQHA to a horse that during its racing career earns $500,000 or more and wins at least 10 races, including two or more open Grade 1 stakes races.

Leading Spirit is a 2003 gelding by Special Leader out of the Special Task mare Sandras Task.

Bred by Dr. Barry Thompson of West, Texas, he is co-owned by Thompson and Dan and Jolene Urschel.

Leading Spirit won 10 of 19 starts, finished second three times and third four times, with earnings of $811,413 in a career that spanned 2005-2008.

The 2005 champion 2-year-old gelding won five stakes, including the Grade 1 West Texas, Ruidoso and Rainbow futurities. He also won the 2007 First Down Dash Handicap (G3) and 2008 Bank of America California Championship Challenge (G2).

Leading Spirit also finished second in the 2007 Go Man Go Handicap (G1) and 2008 Independence Day Handicap (G3). He was third in the 2007 California Championship Challenge (G2) and Z. Wayne Griffin Director’s Stakes, and was a finalist in the 2007 Los Alamitos Invitational Championship (G1).

The Supreme Race Horse award is recorded by hand, and Leading Spirit’s award was overlooked. AQHA apologizes to Dr. Thompson, the Urschels and Leading Spirit’s connections for the oversight.

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104