Kansas Quarter Horse Racing Association

06/08/2024

It was 50 years ago this week that Tiny's Gay, pictured with John Ward up, won his Kansas (now Ruidoso) Futurity trial at Ruidoso Downs for his seventh consecutive win. The son of Tiny Watch, who broke his maiden at Tumbleweed Downs in Washington State, eventually stretched his win streak to 12 before he sustained the first and only defeat of his career in the 1974 All American Futurity, when Easy Date defeated him by a nose in a race reportedly watched by more than 20 million people on TV.

05/06/2024

Texas-based retired trainer Johnie A. Goodman, 84, passed away on Friday, May 2, 2024, at his residence in Huntsville, Texas, following a house fire due to smoke inhalation, according to his son, Johnie.

Born in Victoria, Texas, Goodman was a long-time resident of Huntsville, Texas, with his partner Pam, after he retired from training.

Goodman trained the earners of more than $9.6 million, including capturing the 1980 All American Derby with Native Gambler and then the All American Futurity with Higheasterjet, who would also go on to win the 1981 Rainbow and All American derbies.

In 1981, the Goodman-trained Special Effort headed to Ruidoso and won the Kansas Futurity, Rainbow Futurity and All American Futurity to become the only horse to date to sweep the Quarter Horse Triple Crown. They would also win the 1982 Kansas Derby.

Goodman also trained classic winner Naturally A Winner to victory in the 1996 Ruidoso Derby (G2).

According to the Goodman family, funeral arrangements are pending.

12/01/2023

11/13/2023

Kansas owner Jeanie Laymon

Hooked N Gone, Flash Bak, and Take A Swig Of This all earned berths to the December 9, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) in Sunday's 400-yard, $20,000 Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trial at Los Alamitos Racecourse.

Hooked N Gone won the Z. Wayne Griffin for owner Regina Laymon, as the homebred sophomore son of PYC Paint Your Wagon covered his trip in :19.631 while defeating Scoops Dynasty by a head at odds of 14-1. Justine Klaiber rode the Oklahoma-bred bay gelding for trainer Eddie D. Willis.

"He left really good," Klaiber said. "He stayed on top of the ground and just kept getting faster."

Hooked N Gone was making just his second career start at Los Alamitos. On October 7, the gelding ran fifth, 2 3/4 lengths behind winner and reigning world champion Empressum, in the 440-yard, $125,000 Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship (G1).

“It’s the first race we’ve won together but he’s made a lot of money," said Willis. "I've known (Regina) for a long time ,and I’ve trained a couple for her during the last couple of years. She’s a real good lady and raised this horse. He’s her baby.

"If he runs that kind of race, he’ll be in front (in the Champion of Champions)," the trainer added. "He can run the distance and he only got beat by a little bit in the All American Derby. He’s just a really good horse.”

Willis was referring to Hooked N Gone's third-place finish, a half of a length behind winner Whiskey Creek, in the September 3, 440-yard All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso Downs. All told, the gelding has won five of 17 starts, including the April 22 Re*****on Park Derby (RG1) for Oklahoma-breds, and he has earned $486,043.

Flash Bak and Take A Swig Of This finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Z. Wayne Griffin. However, because Scoops Dynasty had already earned a Champion of Champions berth with his win in the August 27, $100,000 Go Man Go Handicap (G1), they both earned spots in the Champion of Champions, the sport's richest and most prestigious race for aged runners.

Following are the horses who have earned presumptive berths to the Champion of Champions.

Apollitical Pence - Winner of the Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship
Empressum - Winner of the Vessels Maturity and Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship
Whiskey Creek - Winner of the All American Derby
Scoops Dynasty - Winner of the Go Man Go Handicap
Toxic Relationship - Winner of the Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap
A Tres Of Eagle - Winner of the Bank of America Challenge Championship
Jeriko - Winner of the Los Alamitos Super Derby
Hooked N Gone – Winner of the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trial
Flash Bak – Qualified via the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trial
Take A Swig Of This – Qualified via the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trial

Photo by Amber Mendez

11/02/2023

October racehorse news🐎🐎🐎
* On October 8, at Columbus, Nebraska, Dodge city trainer Mark Esquibel one with HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY. This mare won by 1 1/4 length going 6 1/2 furlongs. Bet Mark Esquibel was happy happy happy🤣
* Quarter horse trainer, Victor Ibarra, wins with JK ZIPPER running 440 yards, at Will Rogers Downs in Oklahoma. This gelding is owned by Jeanie Laymon. Congrats 🐎🐎
* on October 12, at Delta Downs in Louisiana, the Birzer/Birzer and owner Star Veh team up for a win (by a neck) with CAYMAN QUEEN running 6 1/2 furlongs. Great job to all the connections 🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎
* on October 13 at Lonestar Park in Texas, Augusta trainer Charlton Hunt wins for owner Nye Brookeover with BOUT TA LEARN YALL. This two year old gelding won by half a length running 350 yards. 
Great job to all the Kansas owners, trainers, jockeys, and grooms, that are running out of state. 

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09/26/2023

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07/29/2023

🐎🐎 winner winner, chicken dinner. Mark Esquibel wins race four AND race five at Arapahoe Park on July 3. PRINCE OTTO out ran the favorite in race 4 going 5 1/2 furlongs.  🐎🐎🐎in race five, the owner, Tyson Esquibel and trainer, Mark Esquibel out ran the favorite buy 1/2 length with RANCHER, going 6 furlongs. 
What a great team 😉😁
* the Birzer/Birzer combination comes away with another win on July 2 in Iowa with KNIGHT COMMANDER. This gelding went off the favorite and won by three lengths running 6 furlongs. 
😁😁 on July 7, at Fair Meadows in Tulsa, Oklahoma, trainer/owner/breeder, Jeff Rutland wins with DASHING DRIVER running 250 yards. Oh, and this filly is Kansas foaled 👏🏼👏🏼
Congratulations ❤️🐎

04/23/2023

Congratulations Jeanie Laymon and Victor Ibarra

Hooked N Gone, a homebred son of Pyc Paint Your Wagon, scored his first graded stakes victory in Saturday's 400-yard, $189,515 Re*****on Park Derby (RG1) for Oklahoma-bred 3-year-olds at Re*****on Park.

Trained by Victor Ibarra for owner Regina Laymon of Neosho Falls, Kansas, Hooked N Gone stopped the timer in :19.710 while defeating longshot Defours by a half of a length. Cristian Esqueda rode the bay gelding, who posted a 93 speed index and banked $75,806 from his second lifetime stakes win.

Hooked N Gone accomplished his win despite being slow to gather out of the gate.

"It's so frustrating watching him break like that, but man, does he have a lot of heart," said Ibarra.

Hooked N Gone was the eighth-fastest qualifier from four trials run on April 8. He ran fourth in his trial, a half of a length from third-fastest qualifier War Admiral.

"He was coming off of a layoff (from August 19 to April 8), and he had been sick," Ibarra said of Hooked N Gone's trial race. "It was his first race of the year, so you can forgive that."

Hooked N Gone is out of Pretty Girl Kate, a daughter of the Mr Jess Perry stallion Pretty Boy Perry who won the 2007 Kansas Bred Derby (R) at Eureka Downs. Raced in Oklahoma and New Mexico, Hooked N Gone has won three of nine outs and has earned $229,134, and his 2-year-old record included a victory in the Re*****on Park Juvenile Stakes (R) for state-breds.

Aristides ran third and was followed by Racys Pilot, Nunothat, BV Higher Power, War Admiral, RGs Gold Wagon, and BV Dont Look Back. Sixth-fastest qualifier Majestic MW was listed as a trainer scratch.

Photo by Dustin Orona Photography

04/05/2023

Racing at Eureka Downs is one step closer

03/04/2023

ALERT!!! We have a huge opportunity to bring live horse racing back to Kansas!! A license will soon be granted to operate Historical Horse Racing (HHR) in Sedgwick county. HB 2434 has been introduced and a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, March 8, Room 346 south in the Capitol at Topeka. This bill will direct the state tax on HHR back to the horse racing industry through the Kansas Bred Program and the County Fair Horse Racing Fund.
Folks, THIS IS HUGE FOR OUR INDUSTRY!!!
We need a strong showing of support in Topeka next Wednesday!
Plan to attend.
Contact your Senator and Representative and ask them to support HB 2434.

03/04/2023