AQHYA National Youth Racing Experience Winners Named

AQHYA National Youth Racing Experience Winners Named

Five AQHYA members earned scholarships totaling $10,000 at the AQHYA National Youth Racing Experience, October 19-22 in Grand Prairie, Texas.

YRE winners with Janet, Wendy, and Billy + awards

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Five AQHYA members gathered to learn more about the racing industry while they competed to earn scholarships worth a total of $10,000 October 19-22 at the 2023 American Quarter Horse Youth Association National Youth Racing Experience during the Bank of America Racing Challenge Championships at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.

This year, AQHA increased the total amount of scholarships offered to the participants to $10,000, allowing all five of the youth competing to take home a scholarship. This year’s award money was generously provided through private contributions from members of the AQHA Racing Committee.

Five scholarships were presented to the highest-scoring youth who completed educational components and participated in on-site experiences during the Bank of America Racing Challenge Championships. The winners are determined from the cumulative score of the application, skillathon contest, on-site participation and interview.

The winners of this year’s AQHYA National Youth Racing Experience were:

  1. Charylet Lee of McAllen, Texas, won the top scholarship of $3,000 and a champion belt buckle.

  2. Javier Canales of Phoenix earned $2,500 and a reserve champion plaque.

  3. Julius “Nick” Culwell of Louisville, Mississippi, earned $2,000 and a top-five plaque.

  4. Paige Soper of Baldwin City, Kansas, earned $1,500 and a top-five plaque.

  5. Robert “Bobby” Culwell of Louisville, Mississippi, earned $1,000 and a top-five plaque.

The AQHYA National Youth Racing Experience introduces youth to the sport of American Quarter Horse racing. Participants had an all-expense-paid trip to get a behind-the-scenes look into the industry and met the people who make races happen every day, including stewards, announcers, owners, trainers, jockeys and their horses.

To learn more about the program and to sign up for a notification when the 2024 application becomes available, visit www.aqha.com/youth-racing-experience.

AQHA news and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more information visit www.aqha.com/news or tune into our Podcast, “Let's Talk AQHA.