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Matt Vance Named Executive VP Of Racing At Remington, Lone Star

Officials with Global Gaming Solutions recently announced Matt Vance has been named executive vice president of racing for Remington Park in Oklahoma City and Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Skip Seeley, Global Gaming Solutions CEO, said Vance's thorough knowledge of the horse industry and his passion for working collaboratively with horsemen, jockeys, racing fans and employees played an instrumental role in this decision.

“For several years, Matt has overseen racing operations at Remington Park and over the past couple years he has served in an advisory role at Lone Star Park. His leadership and commitment to horse racing helped us navigate a very trying time during the pandemic at both tracks. He led the 2020 Quarter Horse Season through uncharted territory that enabled racing to continue throughout the pandemic. He then used that experience to guide health and safety protocols and operations in Grand Prairie when its season opened.”

Seeley noted that Vance also received the 2020 Gordon Crone Special Achievement Award from the American Quarter Horse Association for his work during the pandemic.

As executive vice president for both tracks, he will oversee all mutuels/simulcasting, operations, track maintenance and racing operations.

“It is an honor to be able to live my passion for horse racing every day and to do that alongside some of the best horsemen, jockeys and fans in the sport,” said Vance. “As we build on our current successes, which include purse increases at both tracks, I look forward to working with our committed employees in both states to enhance our horsemen and patron experience.”

Vance has served as vice president of racing operations at Remington Park since 2015. He has worked in the racing industry for over 35 years, starting with Louisiana Downs in 1986 then to Remington Park from 1988-1997. He moved to other tracks for six years and eventually returned to Remington Park in 2003 for the construction of the casino, and the transition to new ownership in Global Gaming Solutions in 2010. During his tenure, Vance has played a key role on the leadership team that has helped the track soar in quality and popularity in recent years.

For more information about Remington Park, visit https://www.remingtonpark.com/. To learn more about Lone Star Park, go to https://www.lonestarpark.com/.

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Full Time: Pedroza Plans To Ride 7 Days A Week Between Ellis Park, Indiana Grand

Ellis Park's riding colony the past few years has been pretty much an extension of Churchill Downs' jockey population. This summer the Ellis jocks' room also will look a lot like Indiana Grand.

Ellis Park opens Sunday June 27 and runs through Sept. 4. With racing Fridays through Sundays, its schedule dovetails seamlessly with Indiana Grand, which this year runs Mondays through Thursdays. The only overlap between the tracks three hours apart is Thursday, July 1.

One could ride full-time at both tracks — if one doesn't mind riding seven days a week all summer. And Marcelino Pedroza doesn't. He, along with DeShawn Parker and Fernando De La Cruz, headlines the prominent Indiana jockeys looking to make hay at the Pea Patch.

“I'm so young, that if I can do it right now, why not?” the 28-year-old Pedroza said. “I missed a lot of days last year, probably rode only three months. So I feel fresh.”

Pedroza was sidelined for four months in early 2020 with a fractured collar bone, returning to ride nine races in May before an elbow injury kept him off another 3 1/2 months. He came back as strong as ever, winning 49 races at New Orleans' Fair Grounds over the winter to finish sixth in the standings. He currently leads at Indiana Grand with 27 victories since that meet began April 13.

Parker possesses 5,864 career victories, including leading the nation in 2010 and 2011. The jockey, who began riding in 1988, spent much of his career in West Virginia and then Texas before relocating in 2017 to Indiana Grand, where he already is No. 8 all-time in victories. He won his first Indiana Grand title with 106 victories during last year's COVID-shortened meet and currently ranks third with 18. Parker was honored in March as recipient of the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, voted on by riders nationally to recognize one of their own for an outstanding career and character.

The Peruvian-born De La Cruz won Indiana Grand's 2014 and 2016 riding crowns. He is the track's all-time riding leader in purse earnings at more than $25 million in the track's 19-year history. His 35 stakes victories in the state also are a record. He joins all-time track leader Rodney Prescott as the only jockey with more than 1,000 wins at Indiana Grand.

Jose Batista, who has 14 wins at Indiana Grand this meet, likewise will ride both tracks. In addition to record purses at Ellis Park, clearly the jockeys are hoping that a greater presence this summer in Kentucky sets up opportunities in the fall at Churchill Downs and Keeneland.

“There are a lot of good horses to ride in Kentucky,” De La Cruz said on the Churchill Downs backstretch. “That's the reason I'm with my agent walking around here, trying to get some good business.”

The Panamanian-born Pedroza was a fixture at Ellis earlier in his career. He won 20 races to tie for third in the 2015 riding standings and also was third in 2013 with 23.

Pedroza also leads at Indiana Grand this meet in purse earnings ($698,156) and mounts (161) as he pursues his third riding title at the Shelbyville track. He was leading rider in 2017 and then ran away with the 2019 Indiana Grand title, his 152 wins and $3,407,744 in purses records for the 120-date meet.

“Last year I was hurt, so that doesn't count,” Pedroza, who lives in Louisville, said recently at Churchill Downs. “And the year before that, I was doing so well at Indiana that I wasn't thinking about (riding at Ellis). I wasn't riding here at Churchill, so I wasn't worried about riding anywhere else than Indiana. Now I'm thinking to do more.”

While he has ridden sparingly at Churchill Downs so far this meet, Pedroza has made the most of limited opportunities. That includes winning the $150,000 Aristides Stakes on Bango and finishing second in the Grade 3 Matt Winn aboard O Besos, who four weeks earlier rallied to be fifth in Pedroza's first Kentucky Derby. Both horses are trained by Greg Foley.

“It was a great experience, I don't even have the words,” Pedroza said of the Derby. “It was a big dream come true. No excuses. The horse ran big.”

Asked about Pedroza, Foley said, “Marcelino is a good rider, period. A good kid, class act. I like him. I wouldn't have ridden him in the Derby if I didn't think he could ride.”

The Indiana jockeys will add to an already strong riding colony that should feature most of the Churchill Downs regulars. That includes 2020 Ellis leader Joe Talamo, 2019 champ James Graham, Corey Lanerie (five Ellis titles), Rafael Bejarano (two titles), two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Julien Leparoux, former apprentice Eclipse Award winners Brian Hernandez and Shaun Bridgmohan, along with Miguel Mena, Adam Beschizza, Gabriel Saez, Mitchell Murrill, Colby Hernandez, Declan Cannon and others. In addition, Louisville product Drayden Van Dyke will be based at Ellis Park for the first time this summer after making the move to Kentucky earlier this spring from California.

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Pendergest, Reeves Highlight Second Session Of Racecourse Manager Certification Program

The inaugural Racecourse Manager Certification program, an online curriculum for turf surface maintenance personnel, will host its second session on Monday, June 14 at 11 a.m. ET, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and University of Kentucky announced today.

Entitled “Cultivation of Turf for Compaction and Wear,” Monday's two-hour session will feature presentations by Keeneland Director of Racing Surfaces Jim Pendergest and Atlantic Tractor's Jamie Reeves, who will present John Deere research and development findings.

Topics and participants include:

“Turfgrass aeration – why, how, when.” – Mike Boekholder, Boekholder & Associates;
“How often in practice: Lessons from Del Mar, Woodbine, Fair Grounds and Churchill Downs.” – panel discussion led by Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., Director of the Racetrack Safety Program at the University of Kentucky and Executive Director of the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory (RSTL);
“Tractor selection (100 hp with creep), tires and tow versus 3-pt. (John Deere Research and Development)” – Jamie Reeves, Atlantic Tractor;
“Topdressing and surface maintenance. What can you add or use to eliminate wear and divots? Why pick one thing over another?” – Geoffrey Rinehart, MS, Turfgrass Management Lecturer, University of Maryland, and Logan Freeman, Mountain Branch Golf Club, Joppa Maryland;
“Divot mix, germinating seed and the use of cutouts.” – Jim Pendergest and John N. “Trey” Rogers, III, Ph. D., Professor of Turfgrass Research, Michigan State University;
“Selection of cultivation equipment.” – Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Beth Guertal, Ph.D., Professor of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University.

Individuals who pre-register at https://www.ntra.com/rmcp/ will be sent a Zoom link prior to the Monday's webinar.

The Racecourse Manager Certification program curriculum is designed for those already engaged in careers with turf surface maintenance. The online classes are free. Individuals who complete the video courses and pass a test that requires a $50 fee will receive a certificate of completion from the University of Kentucky. Participating Thoroughbred racetracks that enroll their personnel will receive credit toward future accreditation by the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance.

The curriculum for the turf management course was developed by Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., Director of the Racetrack Safety Program at the University of Kentucky and Executive Director of the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory (RSTL).

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Longtime Racing Executive Robert Bork Passes At Age 83

Robert Bork, who made a tremendous impact on the racing industry for over four decades, passed away peacefully at his home in Houston on June 11, at the age of 83.

Bork attended La Salle University in Philadelphia and after graduating, worked as an agent with the Internal Revenue Service. When Thoroughbred racing was legalized in Pennsylvania in 1969, he was hired by the Rooney Family and served as a controller at Philadelphia Park. He became vice president and general manager of Philadelphia Park and general manager of Garden State Park in New Jersey. He followed that as vice president, general manager and chief operating officer of Arlington International in Chicago.

Sam Houston Race Park opened as the first Class 1 racetrack in Texas in 1994. The following year, Bork was hired as its senior vice president and general manager. Under Bork's leadership, the northwest Houston racetrack came into prominence as one of the premier evening tracks in the country. Promoted to president of Sam Houston Race Park in August, 2002, he also held the position as senior vice president and general manager of (greyhound racing) Valley Race Park in Harlingen, Texas.

Supporting national initiatives for the racing industry was also a priority for Bork, who served as director and secretary of the Thoroughbred Racing Association (TRA) and chaired its 2020 Technology Committee.

Bork was intrigued by the challenge of developing a racetrack in a new market after working at previously established properties.

“It is an interesting balancing act when you run a racetrack,” he explained. “You want to take care of your fans, because without their support, your business cannot grow. You also have to work closely with the horsemen and try to meet their needs and communicate with them on an ongoing basis. Finally, you have to have a good management team behind you, and we have a solid, dedicated group of professionals working at Sam Houston Race Park.”

Dan Bork, who serves as assistant racing secretary/stakes coordinator at Churchill Downs and racing secretary at Ellis Park, speaks proudly of his father's accomplishments in the racing industry.

“I lost count very early in my career about how many times I was asked if I was Bob Bork's son,” he said. “My dad was known as an industry leader and greatly admired by so many accomplished horsemen and racing executives. It was way more than a job for him; he truly loved the sport of horseracing.”

Dwight Berube, who worked for Bork throughout his Sam Houston Race Park tenure, is now the racetrack's vice president and general manager.

“Bob Bork set a tremendous foundation for the growth of Sam Houston Race Park when he was hired in 1995,” said Berube. “Throughout his 12-year tenure, he was admired by horsemen, horseplayers and employees and initiated many programs that have been emulated by racetracks across the country.”

Bork is survived by his wife of 58 years, Judith Bork; children Dina Ruggerio, Dan Bork and Michael Bork and seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, Robert Bork Jr; brother William Bork and sisters Janet and Karen.

The family wanted to extend their sincere appreciation to the physicians and healthcare team at M. D. Anderson for their exceptional care and kindness. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center or the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

Funeral arrangements are pending and a Celebration of Life honoring Bork will be held at Sam Houston Race Park in the near future.

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