APOLLITICAL PENCE IS 2021 PCQHRA HORSE OF THE YEAR
CAROL COOPER IS PRESENTED WITH FRANK N. VESSELS MEMORIAL AWARD
Dunn Ranch’s Apollitical Pence, who scored his second consecutive Champion of Champions victory last year, has been named the 2021 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Horse of the Year. The announcement was made during a special awards video show that premiered on Friday evening and is now available on demand here. The awards show can also be accessed via LosAlamitos.com.
Hosted by Michael Wrona, the PCQHRA Awards celebrate the achievements of California’s Quarter Horse breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys, and champion horses of the 2021 season.
Bred by Dunn Ranch and Womack Cavender Farms, Apollitical Pence won the Grade 1, $600,000 Champion of Champions in gate to wire fashion and crossed the finish line ¾ lengths ahead of nearest pursuer. The son of Apollitical Jess is only the fourth horse to win back-to-back runnings of the Champion of Champions. Apollitical Pence also won the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials and was third in the Grade 1 Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Winter Championship and fourth in the Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap last year. Ridden by Armando Cervantes and trained by Monty Arrossa.
“Pence has been a blessing to own,” owner Matt Dunn said. “I’d like to thank all the people involved from the start with this horse. It’s been a long road and we’ve been a lot of places. We still own his momma and raising babies out of her so it’s an exciting future.”
Apollitical Pence was also named the PCQHRA champion aged gelding. He has already began his 2022 campaign, having posted the fastest qualifying time to Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship final to be held on Sunday, February 20.
Carol Cooper, a PCQHRA Board Member for over 30 years and a founding member of the Women Behind Horse Racing, an organization that played a key role in promoting Quarter Horse racing in the 1980s, was presented with the 2021 Frank Vessels, Sr. Memorial Award. Carol was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the sport of Quarter Horse racing. She co-owned the AQHA champion Chingaderos, who won 23 races and $853,404 in his racing career and raced the 2020 Mr Jet Moore stakes winner Alamode among the many horses she campaigned.
The complete list of award winners follows below with the special awards video featuring each nominee and honorees.
2021 PCQHRA AWARDS
HORSE OF THE YEAR
APOLLITICAL PENCE
Owner: Dunn Ranch
Breeder: Dunn Ranch/Womack Cavender Farms
CHAMPION TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT
GOLDEN BOI
Owner/Breeder: M&G Farms, Inc.
CO-CHAMPION
TWO-YEAR-OLD GELDING
BOMB CYCLONE
Owner: Rosenthal Ranch, LLC.
Breeder: Steve D. Burns, DVM
FAVORITE HONEY
Owner: Five Livestock Company, LLC, and Steve M. Wright
Breeder: Silver Racing Farm, LLC.
CHAMPION
TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY
SHE GOES UP
Owner/Breeder: Edward C. Allred
THREE-YEAR-OLD COLT
FAVORITE COLOSSUS
Owner/Breeder: Jeff and Michelle Cravens
THREE-YEAR-OLD GELDING
FLASH BAK
Owner: Dutch Master, III
Breeder: Jim Streelman or Bill Dale
THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY
APOLLITICAL PATTY
Owner: Julianna Hawn Holt
Breeder: Jim Walker
AGED STALLION
MENTAL ERROR
Owner: Bobby Simmons
AGED GELDING
AGED MARE
KISS THRU FIRE
Owner/Breeder: Gentry Farms (Robert Kirk Gentry)
MOONIST AWARD
COLLEGE SCANDAL
MOST IMPROVED HORSE AWARD
A DASH OF SIGN
Owner: Reliance Ranches. LLC
Breeder: The Mixer Ranch
INTERMOUNTAIN HORSE OF THE YEAR
CHICKS FAYVORITE
Owner/Breeder: Martha F. Wells
DISTANCE HORSE AWARD
BALLAST POINT
Owner: Paul C. Jones and Thompson Racing, Inc.
JAMES V.A. CARTER AWARD
Outstanding Broodmare
REMEMBER ME ROSE
Owner: Steve D. Burns, DVM
Breeder: MLA International Company
THREE BARS AWARD
Outstanding Stallion
FAVORITE CARTEL
Owner: Steve D. Burns, DVM and Bobby Cox
Breeder: Paul C. Jones and Thompson Racing, Inc.
OWNER OF THE YEAR
EDWARD C. ALLRED
OWNER SPECIAL RECOGNITION
HOWARD NICHOLS
BREEDER OF THE YEAR
STEVE BURNS, DVM
Breeder SPECIAL recognition
SILVER RACING FARM, LLC
TRAINER OF THE YEAR
JAIME H. GOMEZ
TRAINER SPECIAL RECOGNITION
JUAN ALEMAN
JOCKEY OF THE YEAR
RUBEN LOZANO
JOCKEY SPECIAL RECOGNITION
ARMANDO CERVANTES
VAL TONKS MEMORIAL AWARD
CO-WINNERS
DIEGO HERRERA AND HENRY REYNOSO LOPEZ
SAM THOMPSON MEMORIAL AWARD
Presented by P.C.Q.H.R.A. to
SCOTT CRAIGMYLE
For an individual who displays leadership within the Los Alamitos racing community
SPECIAL P.C.Q.H.R.A
RECOGNITION AWARD
PRESENTED TO
RUBEN ESCALANTE
For his contribution to Quarter Horse Racing
SPECIAL P.C.Q.H.R.A.
TVG
For its contributions to Quarter Horse Racing
FRANK VESSELS, SR.
MEMORIAL AWARD
CAROL COOPER
In Recognition of an Outstanding Contribution to the Sport of Quarter Horse Racing
LEADING MONEY-EARNING
TWO-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED COLT
Cal-Bred Breeder: M&G Farms, Inc
TWO-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED GELDING
Cal-Bred Breeder: Steve D. Burns, DVM
TWO-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED FILLY
Cal-Bred Breeder: Edward C. Allred
THREE-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED COLT
Cal-Bred Breeder: Jeff or Michelle Cravens
THREE-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED GELDING
OTHER WORLD
THREE-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED FILLY
ROVING KIND
AGED CAL-BRED STALLION
AGED CAL-BRED GELDING
POWERFUL FAVORITE
Cal-Bred Breeder: James Markum & Steve D. Burns, DVM
AGED CAL-BRED MARE
Cal-Bred Breeder: Gentry Farms
CAL-BRED HORSE OF THE YEAR
THOROUGHBRED OWNER OF THE YEAR
OSCAR PRIETO CASILLAS
THOROUGHBRED JOCKEY OF THE YEAR
EDUARD ROJAS FERNANDEZ AND EDGAR PAYERAS
THOROUGHBRED TRAINER OF THE YEAR
JESUS URANGA
1,000 YARD HORSE OF THE YEAR
OH JERRY
Owner/Breeder: William L. Hedrick
MIXED-BREED JOCKEY OF THE YEAR
FRANCISCO ORDUNA ROJAS
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