Wednesday, September 29, 2010
A memorial fund for Mark Villa has been established. Villa, 44, was killed in an accident after a Quarter Horse race at Zia Park in Hobbs, New Mexico, on Saturday.
To contribute, send a check to the Ruidoso Downs Racetrack Chapel-Mark Villa Fund, PO Box 449, Ruidoso Downs, NM 88346.
Also, a benefit dinner/dance and silent auction will be held at The Downs at Albuquerque’s Jockey Club on October 13, beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $8 each. For more information, contact the racetrack at (505) 266-5555, or Susan Arnett at (915) 478-6718.
In addition, a benefit golf tournament will be held in Hobbs, New Mexico, on October 20, with all proceeds going to Villa’s family. The tournament will be at the Hobbs Country Club, beginning at 8 a.m. The entry deadline is October 15. For more information, contact Kathy Joslin before 5 p.m. (MDT) at (575) 631-9377, or Kenna Rausch after 5 p.m. at (575) 441-9106.
Villa sustained fatal injuries after his mount, Separate Money, ran second in a Hobbs America Futurity (G3) trial, then broke down just after the wire and threw Villa to the ground. According to his mother-in-law, Debi Ferguson, he was hit by an oncoming horse and died immediately from a broken neck.
It was the first jockey fatality at Zia Park since the track opened in 2005.
Villa was born in Tucson, Arizona, and he began his riding career in 1983. He won 1,726 races from 13,843 mounts, and his mounts earned $17,360,253. His richest victory came in 2007, when he won the $363,586 Zia Futurity (RG1) aboard K. Humberto Lopez Gaxiola’s A Streak Regard. He rode in the All American Futurity (G1) three times, most recently in 2009.
At the time of his death, Villa ranked fourth in the jockey standings at Zia Park with five wins from 35 mounts.
Villa is survived by his wife, Krystal, and 6-year-old twins, Olivia and Garrett. A funeral service will be held at the Deer Valley LDS Stake Center at 2939 W. Rose Garden Lane in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 6, beginning at 1 p.m. A graveside service will follow at Phoenix Memorial Cemetery.