2010 TABA Awards:

“This” Is Why We Race

by Darla Ripley

(Sam Houston Race Park – Houston, Texas – Sunday, January 23, 2010) – It was opening day of the Thoroughbred meet at Sam Houston Race Park last Sunday. The Arabians only had a 5 ½ furlong maiden race as the first race on the card, not a big stakes race. The Texas Arabian Breeders Association Board of Governors had its usual 2010 close-of-business meeting, followed by the first 2011 Annual Meeting scheduled before the first race at 5:00 pm.

The TABA Awards presentation was set to begin at 6:30 pm with TABA hosting and a cash bar available - same three event scheduling TABA has done for almost two decades adhering to TABA bylaws concerning meetings and TABA’s duty to fulfill its mandate as the manager and promotional liaison of the Accredited Texas Bred program for Texas Arabian horse racing.

But something was different at this awards presentation, some kind of special bond, or special energy was in the room. Michelle Morgan had served as TABA hostess and presenter of the TABA Awards for many years, working hard to come up with new and fun ways to spice up the event. She did a great job every year, but some years were better attended than others. This first meeting and event of the year has simply presented a challenge to attract attendance.

Maybe it is the time of year being just after the busy holidays, maybe it is the idea that if you are not receiving an award, why go, or maybe it is the usual case of simply not justifiable to put in the effort necessary since it is not usually scheduled around a big race that has challenged attendance sometimes falling below even a quorum.

Whatever the reason, given the really big challenges in our sport overall, and our breed in particular, we’ve been suffering, I did not hold much hope that this award night would attract many people, nor offer any really “feel good” vibes either.

But last Sunday was a surprise. Last Sunday saw Arabian racing participants from the usual TABA Board members, to trainers from across the country attend. And that says something when SHRP has no stalls for Arabians which forced all these trainers to stable at Retama Park in San Antonio in order to haul to Houston to race. And last Sunday even saw Rick and Suzanne Flammer from Brenham in attendance. They who hung up their racing silks nearly a decade ago found a reason to be there.

It wasn’t a large group, maybe 26 to 30 people in total, but SHRP Group Sales representative, Mark Smith, went out of his way to upgrade our suite to the Emirates Suite on the Finish Line keeping the low end suite price TABA had reserved and the service and food were outstanding. So the ambience the suite provided was certainly a plus…but no one there had known that before they showed up.

The point is, they showed up.

No, something else was at work. You could just feel it. Something else made people feel that they wanted to be there.

Leslie Gicewicz is now serving her second year on the TABA Board of Governors. She is a talented photographer and was the TABA Award Presentation official photographer. It was when Leslie emailed the evening’s photos that I finally saw in them what must have made that night seem special; it was the invisible bond of having gone, and continuing to go, through the struggle to keep racing.

We all relate to each other as only we can because we are a small and unique group who understand what it takes to do what we do, whether that be as an owner, breeder and/or trainer. For all our individual preferences on the “shoulds” i.e. how things should be managed, what should be improved, who should be doing what, and so on, in the end, we our own best support group because yes, we are still here, still racing and so very blessed to be.

That was the pervasive energy I felt Sunday night in that room and what I see in the “party pics” now. When it is all said and done, when real push comes to shove in the racing world at large, everyone in that room Sunday night can say, the bottom line is, we’ve got each other’s back.

Thank you everyone for coming and making the TABA kick-off first event and race of 2011 so much fun!

2010 TABA Horse of the Year: CHRISS SWA

(also Darley Nominated for USA´s Horse of the Year)

PEDIGREE: Chndaka x Triss
OWNER: James L. Wetzel, Jr.

2009 TABA Horse of the Year: LACY CRAZY VAZ

PEDIGREE: CHNDAKA x LACY-JAY
OWNER: SAM VASQUEZ

2009 Texas Champion 3-Year-Old Filly
Alla Masquerade
Ala Croixnoire x Grand Masquerade
Owner, Ed & Gail Wilson

2009 Texas Champion 3-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Lacy Crazy Vaz
Chndaka x Lacy-Jay
Owner, Sam Vasquez

2009 Texas Champion 4-Year-Old Filly
Caitsablazing
Kador De Blaziet x Springtyme Sally
Owner, Sam Vasquez

2009 Texas Champion 4-Year-Old Colt
Golly Bret
Kador De Blaziet x GollyGal
Owner, Sam Vasquez

2009 Texas Champion Older Mare
Jessys Princess
Burning Sand x Noble Princess
Owner, Sam Vasquez

No Older Horse Award Presented

2009 Texas Owner of the Year
Sam Vasquez

2009 Texas Breeder of the Year
Sam Vasquez

2009 Texas Trainer of the Year
Elizabeth Brand

2008 TABA Horse of the Year: CAITLYNS HOT

PEDIGREE: BURNING SAND x TIKI DESTINY
OWNER: SAM VASQUEZ

2007 TABA Horse of the Year: KRYPTONITE CS

PEDIGREE: KADOR DE BLAZIET x ZUCCHERA CS
OWNER: ERIC AND RANDI MOREAU-SIPIERE

2007 TEXAS TRAINER OF THE YEAR
ELIZABETH BRAND

2007 TEXAS ACCREDITED BREEDER OF THE YEAR
SAM VASQUEZ

TEXAS ARABIAN BREEDERS ASSOCIATION
2007 CHAMPION
THREE YEAR OLD FILLY
DC WILLFUL SPIRIT
VIRGULE AL MAURY x WIBWILCCA
OWNER: DANIEL AND CLAUDIA SPEARS

2006 TABA Horse of the Year: TOUR DE FRANCE

PEDIGREE: BENGALI D'ALBRET X REIN DANSE
OWNER: TRACKSIDE FARM

2006 Texas Trainer of the Year
JERENESTO TORREZ

2006 Texas Owner and Accredited Breeder of the Year
SAM VASQUEZ

2006 Champion Texas Accredited Three Year Old Filly
VIBVILCCA
VIRGULE AL MAURY X WIBWILCA
OWNER: NORTH STAR RACING

2006 Champion Texas Three Year Old Filly
CAFE LATTE
FALINA DES FABRIES X COOKIES AND CREME
OWNER: TRACKSIDE FARM

2006 Champion Texas Three Year Old Colts/ Geldings
SE BUNKER BUSTER
BURNING SAND X SOARING ALEE
OWNER: JANE R. TEUTSCH

2006 Champion Texas Four Year Old Filly
DANCERS FIRST LUV
LINE DANCER X BS WIKING LUVBUG
OWNER: MARK POWELL

2006 Champion Texas Accredited Four Year Old Filly
SANDYTIKI
BURNING SAND X TIKI DESTINY
OWNER: SAM VASQUEZ

2006 Champion Texas Four Year Old Colts/ Geldings
IKANTOO
KAN YOU RUN X GOLLYS GIGI
OWNER: MANDOLYNN HILL FARM

2006 Champion Texas Accredited Older Mare
AMAZING ZELDA
AMAZING SON X BASKZEL
OWNER: GAY FOWLER

2006 Champion Texas Older Mare
CALVARO
WIKING X CILLARENA
OWNER: LORRAINE CUNNINGHAM

2006 Champion Texas Accredited Older Horse
MAGS MAD MAX
MAKZAN X DARLING DORAA
OWNER: SAM VASQUEZ

2006 Champion Texas Older Horse
ORMOND
FLAMING STREAK X NICOLE BRENT
OWNER: CARLOS MOORE