Edited press release
The Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame will honor those that have enriched the tradition of horse racing in Texas at its 10th annual gala Oct. 4.
The gala and induction of Hall of Fame honorees will be held before and during the races at Retama Park that Saturday, beginning at 4 p.m. The gala includes valet parking, cocktails, a gourmet buffet dinner, wine tasting, induction of the honorees, silent auction, and access to the track’s biggest night of racing, with purses totaling $500,000.
Tickets are $125 per person, and all proceeds from the gala will benefit the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame, a non-profit organization.
Generous sponsorship packages are available. For more information and biographies and/or photos on the inductees, contact Sharolyn Grammer at (210) 651-7000 or retama@flash.net.
The 2008 inductees include racing legends Bill Allen, Bobby D. Cox, Dorothy Scharbauer (now deceased), and Joe Straus, Jr. The Joann Weber Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Mary Ruyle.
Allen has been involved in the horse racing business for nearly 40 years and has owned many horses, from claimers to top-level stakes runners. Allen organized and led Black Chip Stables, owner of Wild Again, the winner of the inaugural Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) in 1984.
Cox began purchasing race horses in 1976, through May 1, he is breeder of 28 stakes winners with total earnings of nearly $8 million. Some of Cox’s goals in horse racing are to win both the All American Futurity and the Champion of Champions.
Scharbauer, who passed away in 2005, was the co-owner of the 1987 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Alysheba, who became the all-time leading earner and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame. She was co-owner of Valor Farm in Pilot Point, Texas with her husband Clarence Scharbauer.
Straus, breeder and owner of Thoroughbred horses, is the founder of the Texas Horse Racing Association and is one of the leaders in the passage of pari-mutuel racing in Texas. He is chairman of Retama Entertainment Group in San Antonio, the management company of Retama Park Racetrack. He is co-founder of Retama Park Racetrack, and partner in Straus and Novak racing stable.
Ruyle was first hired as a bookkeeper in 1988 for the Texas Thoroughbred Association, and ascended the ranks as membership coordinator, accreditation manager, and office manager. Serving TTA for 20 years, she is presently the association’s business manager.
