CTFoundation OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES PRESIDENT
Mrs. Ada Gates Patton VICE-PRESIDENT
Gail Gregson TREASURER
James Murphy SECRETARY
Noreen Sullivan Mrs. Jeanne L. Canty, Ex Offcio President
Jeff Blea, DVM Tracy Gantz Jane Goldstein Thomas S. Robbins John W. Sadler Peter W. Tunney Warren Williamson Amy J. Zimmerman Mrs. Kenneth M. Schiffer, Director Emeritus
Ada Gates Patton Gives Shoeing Clinic in Panama Ada Gates Patton, president of the California Toroughbred Foundation and a longtime respected farrier, conducted a shoeing clinic Nov. 22 at the Hipódromo Presidente Remón, the racetrack in Panama City, Panama. Gates Patton traveled there at the invitation of the Association of Toroughbred Owners of Panama. She spent the next three days going to individual barns and working with racetrack farriers on selected horses with a variety of issues. “I found the farriers to be highly skilled, excellent craftsmen who just needed a few refnements that they absorbed and facilitated immediately,” said Gates Patton. “Te horses themselves had a high level of condition. Tey looked ft and healthy and ran well in wet conditions.” Te high humidity and constant rain present special challenges for racehorses’ feet, Gates Patton found. But the farriers appreciated her presence, her support for their good work, and her deep respect. One of the races on the Nov. 20 card was named in her honor, and she presented the trophy to the winning trainer. Because she speaks Spanish, Gates Patton was able to speak the language during interviews with the local racing television and radio media. A glossy magazine for women called Ellas also interviewed her. Gates Patton was able to tell them stories of shoeing such horses as champions Miesque and Chinook Pass and Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Wild Again. “Te Panamanian people were lively, warm, and passionate about their horses,” said Gates Patton. “Tey, of course, revere Laft Pincay Jr. and have a statue of him in the track paddock. It was an extraordinary week with a lot of successes, and it was an honor to be there.”
memorial donations The CTF accepts donations in memory of relatives and friends, with all such donations allocated to Scholarship Funds of the Foundation and to the Carleton F. Burke Memorial Library. Please remember members of our industry with a donation to the CTF memorial fund. Donations may be sent to CTF, P.O. Box 60018, Arcadia, CA 91066-6018.
18
CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED
❙ January 2017 ❙ www.ctba.com
PHOTOS COURTESY DAVID BEITIA
2017