Quarter Horses

Cauthen, Ouzts, Bourque, Parker, Migliore, Delahoussaye and Baze all have one thing in common--perhaps several, if we are splitting hairs. They all started from the ground up: mucking stalls, grooming, walking hots. All too often nowadays, young upstarts are appearing and eschewing the shank for the helmet, goggles and jock's license, which is why it's so refreshing to spend some time with apprentice Diego Herrera who, at just 17, is wise beyond his years. Herrera is currently eighth in the jockey standings at the Santa Anita meet with six winners....

The Texas Racing Commission (TxRC) will conduct Friday's GII Sam Houston Futurity, a Quarter Horse event held at Sam Houston Race Park, as a non-wagering event after a number of the qualifiers tested positive for Clenbuterol and/or Albuterol in advance of the race. Participants will compete for purse money only and future entries from those trainers whose horses tested positive will not be accepted. Both Clenbuterol and Albuterol are prohibited in Texas. Two separate testing methods were conducted with post-race blood and urine samples drawn May 7 and 8, the...

For the first time, the annual Jockeys and Jeans auction raised funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, including Quarter Horse Industry stallions. Former nine-time Champion Jockey G.R. Carter spearheaded the effort, enlisting Quarter Horse breeders, who spent $31,500 for breeding seasons, while Thoroughbred stallion season buyers paid $36,100. Powered by volunteers, Jockeys and Jeans, founded by five former riders in late 2014, has raised $1.6 million for about 60 disabled former jockeys who receive a monthly $1,000 stipend from the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. The annual Jockeys and Jeans...

The tide is turning on clenbuterol. Within the past month, regulators and racetracks nationwide have announced new initiatives to quell its abuse. New prohibitions are in the pipeline for the New York State Gaming Commission, the Maryland Racing Commission, Gulfstream Park, Oaklawn Park and an alliance of Mid-Atlantic racetracks. On May 1, the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency started banning clenbuterol 28 days out from race day at tracks country-wide. The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) took action four months before that, enacting a years-in-the making, zero-tolerance clenbuterol clampdown that began New...

In the aftermath of Hurricane Laura that devastated structures at Delta Downs last week, the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (LHBPA) made a written plea to the Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) Sept. 2 asking for an emergency order to be handed down that would mandate "immediate access to stalls to stable at both Louisiana Downs and Fair Grounds." The request for stabling involves both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, and is complicated by meets for both breeds ending and starting within the same rough time frame at Louisiana's four...

With the planned May 1 opening of their mixed Thorougbred/Quarter Horse meeting indefinitely delayed, officials at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Iowa, announced Thursday that layoffs for some 1,130 of its workers began this week as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. "Our focus is to reopen as quickly and as safely as possible," said Gary Palmer, President and CEO of Prairie Meadows.  "The health and well-being of our employees, our guests, the horsemen, and our community remain our utmost priorities as we look to resume our casino and...