The Racing Career of Amardine

Amancio Alonso is a licensed real estate broker who previously served 20 years as president of Macmillan Oil Company in Miami. He assumed the latter position in 1995, at which point Macmillan had annual sales of $750,000, and helped drive annual sales to more than $700 million by the time he left the company in 2015. In addition to his pursuits in real estate and oil and gas, Amancio Alonso has owned race horses for more than four decades. His horse Amardine recorded a victory for his stable in 2020 with a first-place finish at the Sam Houston track on March 18.

Amardine won the race, which carried a $15,000 purse, despite unfavorable odds. The horse was given 10/1 odds to win the race, whereas second and third-place finishers, Can't Touch This and Milli Starr, had 5/1 and 7/2 odds to win the race, respectively. Four other horses also had better odds than Amardine.

The victory was the second of Amardine's career. The horse won its first race in June 2019 at Gulfstream Park. It had competed in seven races as of July 10, 2020, and also has two other top-three finishes. Amardine has earned $37,160 in prize money to date. The horse is trained by Rylee Grudzien and jockeyed by Timothy Thornton.

The FHBPA Scholarship Program

Currently based in Miami, Florida, Amancio Alonso is an active participant in the horse racing industry and owns multiple race horses. Amancio Alonso is also a member of the Florida Horseman’s Benevolent Protective Association (FHBPA), which offers a range of charitable programs that include an annual scholarship program.

The FHBPA scholarship program provides funding for post-secondary studies to students who maintain good academic standing with their schools. The scholarship is annually renewable, and is available to students who come from households that earn less than $75,000 per year. In addition, applicants must be in an approved horse-related field (or be a dependent of someone who is involved in equestrian activities), and be full-time residents of Florida. New applicants may also be required to pass a personal interview.

While the scholarship is only available to those who fulfill these specifications, there are no restrictions on the field of study for scholarship recipients, and study may take place at any accredited trade school, college, or community college. 

Equibase Issues Statement on the Timing Accuracy of GPS Technology

A Miami-based business executive and racehorse owner, Amancio Alonso has achieved numerous successes in the corporate world and owned horses for over four decades. He previously served as the president of Macmillan Oil Company. Owning a variety of thoroughbred racehorses, Amancio Alonso follows horse racing industry developments on Equibase.

Equibase was established in 1991 to ensure North America’s Thoroughbred racetracks benefited from a uniform and industry-owned database of racing information and statistics. Equibase recently released a statement in response to the inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the reporting of races across 11 North America racing venues. In the statement, Equibase officials addressed concerns about the timing accuracy of a GPS technology the organization had deployed at several racetracks. Equibase stated it was conducting a comprehensive analysis of all GPS timing data installations with an aim of improving quality control efforts.

Additionally, the statement indicated the organization was working closely with speed figure makers and other key stakeholders within the racing community. The ultimate aim is to develop an integrated timing and tracking system that takes into account both times provided by the beam system and GPS positional data to ensure a comprehensive dataset. Equibase also stated it had no plans of replacing another beam system until it was satisfied any replacement made will either achieve or surpass the set accuracy standards. 

FHBPA Elects Board Members, Selects New Executive Director

Amancio Alonso has enjoyed a more than four-decade career as an owner of Thoroughbred racehorses. Based in Miami, Amancio Alonso belongs to the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (FHBPA).

The FHBPA comprises horse owners and trainers doing business in the state’s vibrant Thoroughbred racing industry. As part of its efforts to represent the interests of its more than 6,000 members, the organization recently made a pair of significant leadership changes.

In March, FHBPA announced the election of three owners and two trainers to its Board of Directors. These five members will join a 15-member leadership body currently being headed by Stephen Screnci. The election winners, some of whom have previously sat on FHBPA’s board, will each serve for three years.

Subsequently, in early June, FHBPA announced the naming of a new executive director. Taking office on June 12, Kevin Scheen brings to the organization a history in horse racing that dates back to his youth in Louisville, Kentucky, where his father raced Thoroughbreds. He comes to FHBPA having most recently spent 15 years as Florida state steward, in which capacity he oversaw Gulfstream Park and Calder Race Course.

Adopting a Horse through Florida TRAC

Amancio Alonso served as president of Macmillan Oil Co. in Miami, Florida, for 20 years. A racing horse owner for more than 40 years, Amancio Alonso holds membership in the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent Protective Association, which provides information on how to adopt a thoroughbred horse through Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care (TRAC).

A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Florida TRAC aims to help retired thoroughbred racehorses transition to a second career by offering professional, individual training prior to pairing them with an adoptive family. Adopted horses may participate in polo, the show horse world, and therapeutic riding. Some adoptive families simply adopt a retired thoroughbred as a companion.

Individuals interested in providing a loving home to a retired thoroughbred can view the horses available on Florida TRAC’s website, which allows visitors to filter available horses by color, gender, and birth year. Those not ready to adopt can make a difference by sponsoring a horse, which contributes to the extra care needs provided by FLTRAC staff prior to adoption. To learn more about how to adopt or sponsor a thoroughbred, visit FLTRAC.org.