7 Women Honored for Contributions to Racing

Seven California women were honored at the first "Outstanding Women in Thoroughbred Horse Racing Awards" luncheon at Santa Anita Park Wednesday.

Assembly member Carol Liu (D-La Canada Flintridge) and The Los Angeles Turf Club, Inc., hosted the event.

Honored were Leigh Ann Howard, general Manager of San Luis Rey Downs Training Center and Valley Creek Farm; Julie Krone, jockey; Betty Mabee and Trudy McCaffery, owners and breeders; Jenine Sahadi, president of California Thoroughbred Trainers; Bernie Thurman, general manager of Bay Meadows Race Course; and Amy J. Zimmerman, director of broadcasting at Santa Anita.

Assemblymember Liu presented resolutions to each honoree commending her significant contributions to the Thoroughbred horseracing and breeding industry.

Liu said she wants to point out the contributions of women to the sport, which provides tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to the California economy and is an integral part of the state's history.

"We believe that highlighting the contributions of individuals with whom potential fans can identify will help to create a new generation of horse racing enthusiasts," she said. "Given women's long, and often unheralded, history of involvement in all aspects of horseracing, organizing an event to honor them seemed most appropriate."