Acting Zippy was voted Horse of the Meet for the 2009/2010 Thoroughbred Meeting at Sam Houston Race Park. The five-year-old chestnut gelding made his mark while winning the Grade 3 $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup on Saturday, January 30. Two weeks prior to this monumental win, he claimed top honors in one of The Park’s $20,000 allowance races.

“We used this allowance race as a prep race for the Connally,” commented owner/trainer Don Bennet. “He had a chip placed in his leg from an injury and had taken quite a bit of time off, so we wanted to make sure he got in a good race before the Connally, and he came out and won it.”

The victory in the John B. Connally stakes marked Acting Zippy’s first-ever graded stakes win. Acting Zippy is owned and was bred by Carl Bowling and Ellen Thompson from Florida. Acting Zippy holds an overall record of 10 wins in 33 starts and found his way to the winner’s circle two out of four times at Sam Houston Race Park.

“I’m really happy for Acting Zippy,” commented Bennet. “He’s a good horse with a marvelous personality, and he loves racing here in Houston. Our team really feels Sam Houston Race Park is one of the best racing facilities in America, and we’re pleased to be here every winter.”

Bennet stated Acting Zippy’s next move will be up to West Virginia for the $1 Million Charles Town Classic on April 17.

Trainer of the Meet ended in a tie between Karl Broberg, with 33 wins in 163 starts and purse money totaling in $268,580, and veteran Sam Houston Race Park trainer Danny Pish, finishing with 32 wins in 158 starts and purse money totaling $288,220. Both trainers ended the meet with a win percentage of 20.25%.

Owner of the Meet for the 2009/2010 Thoroughbred Meet went to one of the nation’s elite, Steve Asmussen. Asmussen rounded out this season with 10 wins in 35 starts and $118,056 in total purse money. His win percentage of 28.57% was over 16% higher than any other owner from this meet.

Finishing with an astounding 63 wins, veteran jockey Paul Nolan was awarded top honors as The Park’s leading rider. Nolan finished the meet an impressive 14 wins ahead of the competition and tallied $557,717 in purse money. He has recently relocated to Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, where he has started the Thoroughbred meet and aims to capture another leading jockey title this season.

The 2010 American Quarter Horse meeting will open on Friday, April 30 and will continue through Saturday, August 14 at Sam Houston Race Park. The 2010 Verizon Wireless Concert Series on the Bud Light Stage will open with the first post-race show featuring The Marshall Tucker Band and Molly Hatchet following live racing and Kentucky Derby events on Saturday, May 1. For details on all live racing and concert events, visit www.shrp.com.