PIERATT'S/SALLEE HORSE VANS RECOGNIZE GROOMS

OF AMERICAN QUARTER HORSES RACING AT THE RED MILE;

OTHER SPECIAL EVENTS TO BE OFFERED

Grooms of racehorses will have their hard work recognized during the sixth annual American Quarter Horse race meet on July 17-18 at the Red Mile in Lexington. For every race, Pieratt’s Appliances and Televisions and Sallee Horse Vans of Lexington are sponsoring the Best Turned Out Horse & Groom Award. The groom of the best-looking horse as determined by a judge in the paddock will receive $75.

Pieratt's President Bruce Pieratt has long been a fan of Quarter Horse racing.

“Having graduated as an Oklahoma State Cowboy, I’ve always had an appreciation and love for the Quarter Horse,” said Pieratt, who played football at Oklahoma State University. “My wife and my first purchase after we were married was a mare at the Tattersalls Quarter Horse sales in Lexington. We chose to sponsor the 'Best Turned Out Horse and Groom' in each race because we wanted the public to recognize the efforts of the backside handlers and grooms who care for these shining athletes.”

Quarter Horses, the drag-racers of horse racing, are able to exceed 55 mph in a quarter-mile dash. At the Red Mile, sprinters from across the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest will compete for a total of $130,000 in purse money. Races include four $15,000 stakes races and a 100-yard race, the Scootin' & Bootin' Sprint.

Post time for the first race each night is 7:30 p.m. Parking is $3 a vehicle, and admission is $2 per person.

Other events include:

· The KyQHRA Kick-Off Party on July 16 at the historic Round Barn at the Red Mile. The fundraising event, which begins at 6 p.m., will feature live and silent auctions, food catered by Matt Falcone's Bayou Bluegrass Catering, music by Tom Cool & the Cooligans and a cash bar. Admission is a suggested $10 donation to the KyQHRA. Please RSVP to Brittany Rose at (859) 983-5511.

· At the Red Mile Clubhouse during the races, Bayou Bluegrass Catering is presenting its popular Red,White and Blue Barbecue. Reservations for the feast, which features barbecue and Cajun specialties, can be made by calling (859) 233-0814.

· The Dash for Cash Blastoff handicapping contest with a $500 grand prize awarded each night. In a total of five races each night, players must select a horse that finishes in the top five in the first leg of the contest; a horse that finishes fourth or better in the second leg; a horse that finishes third or better in the third leg; a horse that finishes first or second in the fourth leg; and the horse that wins fifth leg. The player who wins all five legs will receive $500. If two or more players are successful, a drawing will be held at the end of the evening to determine the winner. If after any leg, there is only one contestant remaining, he or she will be declared the winner. The contest is sponsored by the American Quarter Horse Association and Chestnut Farm.

· A raffle to win the Kentucky-bred racehorse The Country Side. A two-year-old colt by champion The Down Side, The Country Side is out of Country True, a daughter of the Thoroughbred Is It True, who won the 1988 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The drawing to determine The Country Side will take place on Saturday immediately before the race in which he will compete. The raffle winner also will receive any earnings of The Country Side. Last year's raffled horse, Streakin Traffic, won the race for Dave Holzwarth of Georgetown, Kentucky. Raffle tickets are $10 each and are available from the KyQHRA at the races.

This year, the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association, the horsemen's organization that conducts racing at the Red Mile, has raised approximately two-thirds of the purse monies for the meet. Despite the current economic challenges, a number of sponsors from Kentucky and throughout the country have returned and have been joined by new sponsors. To date, they include:

Airdrie Stud * Alltech * American Quarter Horse Association, TX * Ariat * BB&T Insurance * Belle Mere Farm, OK * Brett Construction * Burnett Ranches, TX * Chestnut Farm * Clark’s Pump n Stop * Cobra Farm * Cox Vet Lab, SC * Crestwood Farm * The FDD Dynasty Syndicate & Vessels Stallion Farm, CA * Fayette Heating & Air * Fortune Realty * Futurity Hill Farm * Gerald Coltharp * Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center * The Hays Group (Dr. Talmadge Hays) * Eucklie Henson * Hubbard Foundation, NM * Heritage Place, OK * JEH Stallion Station, OK, NM, TX * Jerald Collins & Ashley Meeks, GA * Kentucky Equine Education Project * Kentucky Quarter Horse Association * Keeneland * Kentucky Downs * Lazy E Ranch, OK * Lexington Blacktop * Paul Miller Ford * Pieratt's Appliances and Televisions * Powell Walton Milward * Rickey Thompson, LA * Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital * Sallee Horse Vans * Powell Walton Milward * Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital * Billy Smith, NM * Track Magazine, TX * Traditional Bank * Twin Creek Farm * University of Kentucky Equine Initiative * University of Louisville Equine Industry Program * Vessels Stallion Farm, CA, & Benny Rosset, Brazil * USA Embroidery * Williams Racing Stable

For additional information,

· Visit KyQHRA's page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Kentucky-Quarter-Horse-Racing-Association/70428545368?ref=ts

· Visit the KyQHRA website at www.kyqhra.com

· Contact Anne Doolin, KyQHRA Executive Director: Phone: (859) 983-0520. E-mail: dabighorse2@aol.com

Two More Stallion Seasons Available

SECOND DOWN KELLY, GEORGIA HALO SEASONS AVAILABLE TO BENEFIT

KENTUCKY QUARTER HORSE RACING ASSOCIATION

Multiple Grade 1 qualifier Second Down Kelly and stakes winner Georgia Halo have been added to the list of stallions with a 2010 breeding donated to benefit the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association. The KyQHRA, the horsemen's group that puts on the American Quarter races that are annually run at the Red Mile in Lexington, is in the process of raising two-thirds of the purse monies to be offered at this year’s meet on July 17-18. Monies raised from the sale of the breedings go directly to purses, which also supported by cash sponsorships from many other supporters.

Rickey Thompson donated the breeding to Second Down Kelly, a son of First Down Kelly who stands at Thompson's Triple TTT Farms in Pitkin, Louisiana. In his career, Second Down Kelly ran first, second or third in 22 of 44 races and earned $129,539. He recorded a Speed Index of 90 or better in 21 races at distances from 250 yards to 440 yards. At stud, Second Down Kelly has been represented by Cashdown Nocharge, winner of the 2007 restricted QHRA of Indiana Stallion Service Auction Derby at Hoosier Park.


Jerald Collins and Ashley Meeks donated the breeding to Georgia Halo, who won the 2008 Los Alamitos Stakes at the Red Mile. A black son of Gran's Halo (TB), Georgia Halo ran first, second or third in 11 of 25 races, including a third-place finish in the John Deere Turfway Park Stakes. He stood an abbreviated first season at stud in 2008 before returning to training, and his first crop of foals arrived this year. In 2009, Georgia Halo stood at JDC Speedhorses in Callahan, Florida.

Second Down Kelly and Georgia Halo join the six stallions with 2010 breeding previously donated to the KyQHRA: nationally prominent stallions Mr Eye Opener, FDD Dynasty and No Secrets Here; Kentucky-based stallions Kool Quick Kid and Check R Six Twist; and the stakes-winning Thoroughbred Devilment, who also stands in Kentucky.

Breeders interested in purchasing a season to any of the above stallions should contact KyQHRA Executive Director Anne Doolin at (859) 983-0520 prior to July 1, 2009. That date is also the closing date for early nominations to the Red Mile stakes races. Condition sheets, stakes entry information and nomination forms will released this weekend..

For additional information about the KyQHRA:

Visit KyQHRA's page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Kentucky-Quarter-Horse-Racing-Association/70428545368?ref=ts


Visit the KyQHRA website at www.kyqhra.com

Contact Anne Doolin, KyQHRA Executive Director: Phone: (859) 983-0520. E-mail: ADoolin@kyqhra.com

Stallion Season Available

Six stallion owners have donated a 2010 season as a sponsorship to benefit American Quarter Horse racing in Kentucky. Breedings to noted stallion Mr Eye Opener, FDD Dynasty, No Secrets Here; to Kentucky-based stallions Kool Quick Kid and Check R Six Twist; and to the stakes-winning Thoroughbred Devilment have been donated to the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association and are available for purchase.

KyQHRA is the horsemen's group that puts on the races at the Red Mile, which will be held for the sixth consecutive year on July 17-18.

“The monies raised from the breedings go directly to purses,” said Anne Doolin, KyQHRA Executive Director. “We’re very appreciative of the donations to some of the sport’s best stallions. This year, we have to raise two-thirds of the purses to be offered at the Red Mile, and these contributions are vitally important to help us maintain our purse level at $135,000 over two nights. We’re within reach of our goal, and these breedings, along with cash sponsorships from many other supporters, are the reason.”

Mr Eye Opener, a son of Dash For Cash, stands at Dee and Betty Raper's Belle Mere Farm in Norman, Oklahoma. For the past three years, the Rapers have donated a breeding to the stallion to KyQHRA. Mr Eye Opener annually ranks among the top stallions in the nation. His noted runners include All American Futurity (G1) winner Eyesa Special and recent Heritage Place Derby (G1) winner Cuz Eye Said.

Frank “Scoop” Vessels has donated the breeding to All American winner No Secrets Here. The son of First Down Dash earned more than $1.6 million while hitting the board in 17 of 19 starts. He is standing his first season at stud at Vessels Stallion Farm in Bonsall, California. Last year, Vessels donated a breeding to Fishers Dash, which was purchased by Gerald Coltharp.

Billy Smith of New Mexico donated a season to multiple champion FDD Dynasty, who also stands at Vessels Stallion Farm. FDD Dynasty, a son of First Down Dash, won eight of 11 lifetime starts, three of them graded, and retired with earnings just under $1.2 million. His first foals arrived this year.

Kool Quick Kid, a son of Royal Quick Dash out of multiple graded stakes producer Hava Zevi, stands at Williams Racing Stables Inc. in LaCenter, Kentucky. Kool Quick Kid, standing his first season in the Bluegrass, has several 2-year-olds this year and is enrolled in both the Kentucky Breeders Incentive Fund and the AQHA Incentive Fund. He is a three-quarter brother to $670,000-earner WRS Special Shoe, who won last year’s $353,500 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1).

Check R Six Twist, a 3-year-old son of Check Him Out, is a homebred racing for KyQHRA board member Gerald Coltharp of Sedalia, Kentucky, and will enter stud in 2010. Out of the Six Fols mare Mimis Lil Dream, Check R Six Twist has two wins in seven starts and earnings of $12,726. Last year, the colt qualified to the All American Congress Futurity (G3) at Beulah Park. He has a career-high 98 Speed Index.

Devilment enters stud next year for KyQHRA President Eucklie Henson of Benton, Kentucky. By Peaks and Valleys, Devilment won five of 14 races, including stakes on dirt and on turf, and earned $247,174. In 2007, Devilment was second in the Fair Grounds Breeders' Cup Handicap (G3). Henson test-bred the stallion to several of his own mares this year, and all are in foal.

Breeders interested in purchasing a season to any of the above stallions should contact Anne Doolin at (859) 983-0520 prior to Monday, June 15.

For additional information about the KyQHRA:

• Visit KyQHRA's page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Kentucky-Quarter-Horse-Racing-Association/70428545368?ref=ts
• Visit the KyQHRA website at www.kyqhra.com
• Contact Anne Doolin, KyQHRA Executive Director: Phone: (859) 983-0520. E-mail: ADoolin@kyqhra.com

Awards Banquet 2008

KENTUCKY QUARTER HORSE RACING ASSOCIATION

NAMES CHAMPIONS OF 2008, CELEBRATES ACHIEVEMENTS FOR YEAR

The Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association (KyQHRA), which is working to establish American Quarter Horse racing in Kentucky, held a joint convention, dinner and awards gala with the Kentucky Quarter Horse Association on December 6 at the Crowne Plaza Campbell House in Lexington. During the event, the KyQHRA named its 2008 champions and inducted the newest member into its Hall of Fame while it recognized achievements in Kentucky and across the sport by horses and horsemen with connections to the Bluegrass State.

Among the highlights of 2008:

• The fifth annual Quarter Horse meet at the Red Mile in Lexington, which drew horses and horsemen from across the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest who competed for $136,376 in total purses for two nights of racing in mid-July. The Red Mile offers the only recognized Quarter Horse racing in the state.

• The victory by Streakin Traffic, the grand prize of a KyQHRA raffle, during the Red Mile meet. The raffle winner was Dave Holzwarth and his wife, Sandy, of Georgetown. The Holzwarths have been involved in reining horses and are now participating in racing.

• The win by Kentucky-born trainer Heath Taylor in the $1.9 million All American Futurity (G1), the sport's most famous race, on Labor Day at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico. Taylor was born in Carrollton, grew up participating in Quarter Horse racing with his family in Kentucky and is a graduate of the University of Louisville. He currently is the year's second-leading trainer by money earned and races won.

• The first Quarter Horse race on Polytrack with the return of sprint racing to Turfway Park in Florence for the $25,000 John Deere Turfway Park Stakes on September 12. Total handle on the race was $191,883.

• A win by Taylor with WRS Special Shoe, who is owned by Randy and Gwen Williams' Williams Racing Stables of LaCenter, in the $353,500 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) on November 8 at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana. One of the year's leading older horses, WRS Special Shoe has earned $247,614 in 2008.

KyQHRA honors for 2008 went to:

Top Two-Year-Old: Check R Six Twist, bred, owned and trained by Gerald Coltharp of Sedalia. By Check Him Out, the colt won two of six races while racing in Louisiana, Kentucky and Ohio and earned $12,726. One of his wins came at the Red Mile. Check R Six Twist also qualified to the historic All American Congress Futurity (G3) at Beulah Park near Columbus, Ohio.

Top Three-Year-Old: WRS Sweet Date, bred and owned by Williams Racing Stables Inc. of LaCenter. By Agouti, WRS Sweet Date made five starts in Oklahoma and Iowa before running fourth in the John Deere Turfway Park Stakes. She earned $5,729.

Top Aged Horse: Travina, bred, owned and trained by Calvin Newton of Loretto. By First Illusions, the four-year-old filly scored her one win in seven starts in an August 12 maiden race at River Downs near Cincinnati. The earner of $3,675 also raced at the Red Mile and in Indiana.

Breeder of the Year: Williams Racing Stables.

Hall of Fame inductee: Ed Ashcraft

Ashcraft is a longtime resident of Owenton, where he is involved in real estate development. Meanwhile, he donates a great deal of time and effort to advance the horse industry in Kentucky as a member of the board of directors of the KyQHRA and as the organization's treasurer. He also is a member of the board of KEEP (Kentucky Equine Education Project) and has served as the KEEP County Team Leader in Owenton since KEEP’s inception in 2004.

With his wife, Debbie and son, John, Ashcraft owns Ashcraft Farms in Owenton. The family breeds Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds and stands two stallions, the Quarter Horse Zimo, by Strawfly Special, and the Thoroughbred Cat's Career, by Mr. Prospector. Ashcraft, a lifelong horseman, became involved with racing about 20 years ago. He also owns and trains both Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds and keeps his runners at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington.


Ashcraft is the third person to be inducted into the KyQHRA Hall of Fame, following Marcus Connelley of Salyersville (in 2007) and Keith Coltharp of Mayfield (2008).

In 2009, Quarter Horse racing will return to the Red Mile on July 17-18. The KyQHRA will release more information about the meet as it becomes available.

HORSES AND HORSEMEN COVER THE MILES TO COMPETE AT THE RED MILE

Horses that last raced in Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan and Oklahoma are headed to Lexington for the fifth annual American Quarter Horse meet at the Red Mile on Friday, July 18, and Saturday, July 19. These sprinters have been nominated to the four stakes races worth a total amount exceeding $60,000.

“The Red Mile meet has certainly achieved ‘event’ status,” said Anne Doolin, executive director of the Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association (KyQHRA). “I think it’s a combination of Kentucky hospitality, the involvement of so many sponsors that allow us offer solid purses, and a great racing surface and starting gate crew.

“Once horsemen race here, they can’t wait to come back, and they bring new people with them,” she added. “This year, we’re getting a new contingent of horses from the Carolinas, as well as some first-timers from Louisiana. We truly appreciate the out-of-state horsemen who ship in to support this meet, especially with the increase in gas prices.”

Ron Raper, the eighth-leading trainer in Quarter Horse racing by wins in 2007, will travel nearly 500 miles from his base at Mt. Pleasant Meadows in Michigan to compete for the second consecutive year at the Red Mile. Last year, Raper was the leading trainer of the meet, winning eight of the 18 races.

Another trainer making the journey to Lexington is Donnie Strickland, who is bringing horses from his bases in Louisiana and Oklahoma. In 1996, Strickland won the sport’s most famous race when he saddled Streakin Flyer to win the $1.9 million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.

Nine races are scheduled each evening at the Red Mile with the first race at 7:30 p.m. The four stakes are the $15,000-added Enchanted Stakes for three-year-old fillies at 300 yards; the $15,000-added Fort Harrod Stakes for two-year-olds at 300 yards; the $15,000-added Los Alamitos Stakes for three-year-olds and up at 330 yards; and the $15-000 added John Deere Lexington Challenge Sprint Stakes, for three-year-olds and up at 250 yards, part of the American Quarter Horse Association’s John Deere Bonus Challenge program.

Through the participation of numerous sponsors, some $130,000 in purse money is available over the two nights of racing, matching the amount awarded last year. Race sponsors represent prominent members of the Quarter Horse industry nationwide and the Thoroughbred industry in Central Kentucky, as well as local businesses. The American Quarter Horse Association of Amarillo, Texas, also is providing a vast array of support.

Sponsoring races this year are Burnett Ranches from Texas; JEH Stallion Station, with divisions in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas; Vessels Stallion Farm and Los Alamitos Race Course in California; Belle Mere Farm and Lazy E Ranch in Oklahoma; and the R.D. and Joan Hale Hubbard Foundation of Ruidoso, New Mexico. Race sponsors from Kentucky are Airdrie Stud, Ashford Stud, Kentucky Ale, Paul Miller Ford & Fortune Commercial Properties, and Taylor Made Farm and WinStar Farm. TVG, the interactive horse racing network that includes racing from Los Alamitos and Ruidoso Downs, also is sponsoring a race.

Other sponsors include Brett Construction, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Hallway Feed, Kentucky Downs, Keeneland, University of Louisville’s Equine Industry Program, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture’s Equine Initiative, Jeff Bowling, Ashcraft Farms, and Dr. and Mrs. Talmadge Hays.

The Red Mile’s barn area opens the afternoon of Monday, July 14. The Racing Office opens to take entries for both nights on Tuesday, July 15. Entries for the Friday card close at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 16, with the Saturday card closing at 11 a.m. the same day. Gate works will be available on Wednesday and Thursday, July 16-17, beginning at 8 a.m.

Special activities in conjunction with the race meet include:

• The KyQHRA Kick-Off Party on July 17 at the historic Round Barn at the Red Mile. The fund-raising event, which begins at 6 p.m., will feature live and silent auctions, entertainment and food. Admission is a suggested $10 donation to the KyQHRA.
• A free handicapping contest that will award a total of $1,000 for each night of racing.
• A raffle to win the racehorse Streakin Traffic. The three-year-old, Kentucky-bred gelding is by Streak And Dash and is out of Straight1away Josie, a daughter of 1992 All American Futurity winner Dash Thru Traffic. The drawing to determine the raffle winner will take place on July 19 immediately before the race in which Streakin Traffic will compete. The winner also will receive any earnings of Streakin Traffic. Raffle tickets are $10 each and are available from the KyQHRA.

Additional details about the meet, including condition sheets and information about local hotels, are available online at www.kyqhra.com. For more information, contact:

• Racing Secretary Mike Smith by e-mail at smithracing155@yahoo.com or by cell phone at (317) 442-6893.
• KyQHRA Executive Director Anne Doolin by e-mail at dabighorse2@aol.com or by cell phone at (859) 983-0520.

KyQHRA Recommendations to the KY House of Representatives

To: The Honorable Jodie Richards and Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives
From: The Kentucky Quarter Horse Racing Association
Re: House Bill 550
Date: February 25, 2008
______________________________________________

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The current bill before committee in the House of Representatives relative to legislation seeking a constitutional amendment which would permit casino gambling in the Commonwealth of Kentucky is very important to every horse owner in this Commonwealth, but it is especially so to those breeding and racing American Quarter Horses. Currently we have a short meet at The Red Mile which is insufficient to serve the breeders and owners of racing quarter horses in Kentucky. If properly drafted and passed, this bill offers us the opportunity to establish a race track offering racing dates with purses sufficient to sustain a healthy and prosperous breeding and racing program here. Currently we do not have a track primarily for quarter horse racing even though the American Quarter Horse is the most popular horse in the state with approximately 38,000 horses of the breed owned by Kentuckians. We believe it would be wise for the legislature to consider the positive economic benefits of passing legislation that would assure the establishment of a quarter horse racing facility. To that end we are making the following requests for your consideration when drafting a final bill for consideration by the House:

• The ninth track license be reserved for a quarter horse track.
• That six casino licenses be reserved for horse racing tracks. If this is left out of the constitutional amendment, the legislature will have to revisit this possibly contentious issue later on. Let the people decide the issue when it is voted on.
• That the quarter horse track have one of those licenses reserved for it.
• That the bill earmark the areas of expenditure for the casino revenue with the exact percentages being left to the discretion of the legislature.

Your consideration of our suggestions and requests is most appreciated.


The Kentucky Quarter Horse Association, Inc.
Eucklie Henson, President

New Website, New Features

This blog is a new feature of the re-launched KyQHRA website. We hope it will make it easier for us to share information with one another more quickly and efficiently than by snail mail alone. There is a lot going on that will affect Quarter Horse racing in the near future. The expanded gaming bill proposed by the governor today gives us a great opportunity for the future.

If you have questions about the bill, send Ed Ashcraft an email at ed@kybloodstock.com and he will answer your question and post it here so that others can share in the information.

If we don't have your email please get it to us so we can include you in our distribution list. Please send an email to webmaster@kyqhra.com to be included in future updates and news releases.