There have been some happy doings at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino lately.
Jack Brown, the very first leading jockey when the upper valley track opened in 1959, was honored with a race last Saturday.
Brown became a legend in the sport throughout the Southwest. He not only was a leading jockey at Sunland through its early years but won titles at Bay Meadows in California, Las Vegas, La Mesa Park and various other tracks.
He passed away last May at the age of 80 and it was good to see him remembered at Sunland. Present in the winner’s circle at his race last Saturday were members of his family, which are identified in the accompanying photo.
A SECOND happy doing was the visit of several of this season’s top Sunland jockeys decked out in full uniforms at the El Paso Children’s Hospital last week. They included Larry Gamez, Casey Lambert, D.R. Shepherd, Ry Eikleberry and Lisa Love.
They brought gifts for the children. More than that, they brought smiles to their faces.
Sunland’s new chaplain, Donald Stover, organized and led the operation.
A THIRD happy doing is that El Paso’s Henry Dominguez, one of New Mexico’s most successful trainers, will be back in action at Sunland this week.
Dominguez, a graduate of El Paso’s Austin High School, had quite a year in 2014. He won 110 races, finished second 103 times and third 97 times out of 581 starts and earned $2,316,798. Along the way he also got married.
The year could have been even better but he was suspended for 60 days by the New Mexico Racing Commission. The suspension began on Nov. 22 but will end on Jan. 20. Dominguez appealed the ruling, which was for TCO2, or total carbon dioxide overage. He says a horse from a 2013 Sunland Park race had the overage.
“I ran 400 horses last year (2013), and all of a sudden only one comes up with [an overage] with it,” Dominguez said in a statement. “The limit is 37 [millimoles]. Mine was 37.2. You can’t send (a split) to another lab and have them test because it dissipates.”
Whatever, I know quite a few El Paso fans will be eager to see him back in action.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Which heavyweight fighter won the Olympic Gold medal three times? Answer at end of column.
HARRISON KOHL holds a special place in El Paso sports lore. He was a key figure in getting the Sun Bowl on national television.
Before coming to El Paso he was quite an athlete at Mason City High School in Iowa and later at Drake University. Just the other day I got a long distance call from Lynn Lee, an old friend of Kohl’s. Seems he wants to nominate Kohl for induction into the Mason City Athletic Hall of Fame and wanted to get more information about Kohl. He found that I had included Kohl in one of my books, “El Paso’s Greatest Sports Heroes,” which was published way back in 1989, and wanted to buy one. Luckily I still have some copies in print and gladly obliged. Kohl certainly deserves the new honor.
SPEAKING OF Halls of Fame, start thinking of who you’re going to nominate for induction into the El Paso Athletes Hall of Fame this year. Meeting of the board of directors begin this month. This year’s meeting will be held in the Carroll Hall of First Christian Church, 901 Arizona Avenue at 5:15 p.m. on Jan. 19, Feb. 2 and 16 and March 2 and 16. To nominate someone you must present a resume and photos at the time of nomination. And please, don’t ask someone on the board to do it for you. If you truly believe someone is worthy, show up at one or more of the meetings and do it yourself.
ANSWER to trivia question: Teofilo Stevenson of Cuba in 1972, 1976 and 1980.