Champion Guidelines

Racing Champions Guidelines

Official guidelines for selecting AQHA Racing Champions.

The AQHA Racing Champions and AQHA Racing World Champion will be awarded 
annually by written ballot of a geographically diverse Champions Selection Subcommittee. 
Geographically diverse will be defined as no more than four members may reside in the 
same state or province. Only two of those members can be elected by the Racing 
Committee and two appointed by the Racing Council. 
I. Committee Members:

A. *The Champions Selection Committee will be comprised of 21 members:

1. 11 to be elected by the Racing Committee that are members of the 
AQHA Racing Committee
2. 10 to be elected by the Racing Council that are AQHA members at 
large (they may or may not be Racing Committee members). 
3. The Champions Selection committee will be elected at the annual 
AQHA Convention the year they will serve on the committee.
4. All terms are 1 year. 
5. A person cannot serve more than two consecutive one-year terms.
6. Voting and video review will take place at a location and date TBD 
each year.
7. Members of the Champions Selection Committee will be required to 
sign a code of conduct policy. 
*Effective April 2018 – A quorum of 15 members must be present for 
voting.

II. The Ballot Process

A. Prior to presenting the final ballot to the Champions Selection Subcommittee, 
the Racing Committee will be sent a list of horses that could potentially be on 
the final ballot. They may then nominate any horse they feel merits the 
recognition and is not automatically placed on the ballot.

B. Once the response date given to the Racing Committee has passed, the 
Champions Selection ballot will include the following categories by current 
year money earned:

1. Top 5 distance horses
2. Top 10 two-year-old colts
3. Top 10 two-year-old fillies
4. Top 10 two-year-old geldings
5. Top 6 three-year-old colts
6. Top 6 three-year-old fillies
7. Top 6 three-year-old geldings
8. Top 5 aged stallions
9. Top 5 aged mares
10. Top 5 aged geldings
11. Top 10 Canadian horses
12. Top 10 Mexican horses

And

• Horses earning a Grade 1 open stakes win.

• Given the limited number of stakes in the Distance division, 
all Graded 870 race winners are included in the contender’s 
list.

14. The Canadian provincial racing Quarter Horse associations, Mexican 
Quarter Horse Association, and the ABQM have asked that the Racing 
Committee handle the selection criteria and voting process for 
determining the yearly Canadian, Mexican and South American
Champion. Therefore, the top 10 money earning Canada foaled, who 
competed primarily in Canada and Mexico foaled, who primarily 
competed in Mexico, respectively will be placed on the ballot. For 
South America, the winner of the South American Challenge 
Championship will be the South American Champion. 

15. Owner, Breeder, Trainer, and Jockey of the year will be awarded 
annually also by written ballot of the Champions Selection 
Subcommittee. The ten top ranked individuals with the best overall 
placing according to the following criteria will be placed on the ballot:

a. Money earned (Money earned in partnerships should be divided 
equally amongst each named partner on AQHA papers in 
regard to Breeder and Owner champion awards as of time of 
ownership.)
b. Races won and
c. Graded Stakes performance
d. The Champions Selection Committee has the ability to award a 
special recognition award to breeder, owner, trainer, or jockey, if 
warranted. 
16. Any other horse or human nominated by a member of the Racing 
Committee

III. The Voting Process A. Data provided will be on one page per horse in an expanded past 
performance layout with graded stakes and corresponding fields.

B. All 21 members will meet in the location chosen.

C. Every effort will be made to send voting information prior to the meeting to 
allow as much time as possible to review the information.

D. Members will also be encouraged to review all open and restricted stakes 
races thru the Q-Racing Video archives. All open Grade 1 races will be 
watched during the voting meeting.

E. Before voting takes place in each category, any member(s) abstaining in that 
particular category must announce it to the entire committee.

F. If a tie occurs in the voting process and there are more than two horses 
receiving votes, the parties voting for horses other than those who are tied 
shall be given the opportunity to cast a vote amongst the two that are tied. In 
the event that there is still a tie, then one voter amongst the group will be 
drawn out and thus break the tie. In the event there are only two horses 
receiving votes, then there shall be a draw out whereby one Committee 
member does not vote in the given category and thus break the tie.

G. Voters will be instructed to vote for only one horse or individual in each 
category.

H. Keep the results confidential for any category in which the results are not 
required to be announced to the Champions Selection Committee as a 
condition of continued voting. These categories include Champion Owner, 
Breeder, Jockey, and Trainer awards, as well as the Canada, Mexico, and 
South America Champions.

I. For each of the 2-year-old, 3-year-old and aged horse categories, after the 
voting has taken place among the sex divisions for each age category, the 
committee will be informed of the three (3) winners – colt, filly, gelding – so 
the committee is selecting one (1) of three (3) horses eligible to win that 
particular age category.

J. From the three (3) age category champions, the committee will be informed of 
the champion 2-year-old, 3-year-old and aged horse so the committee is 
selecting one (1) of the three (3) eligible horses for AQHA Racing World 
Champion. Only this horse will carry the title of World Champion. This title will 
be defined as the horse that would win a theoretical 440-yard race against the 
other two (2) divisional champions.

K. If no one earns a majority of votes, run-off elections will be held until one 
horse receives a majority of votes cast. 

L. Per Executive Committee approval, beginning in 2024, only vote totals from 
the Champions Selection Committee will be published on AQHA’s website or 
in the press release announcing the champions. Individual votes will remain 
confidential. 

M. The Racing Council can appoint a replacement for anyone who is unable to 
vote.
N. Horses and/or trainers falling under the stipulations outlined in the AQHA 
Policy Concerning Awards and Publicity of Horses and/or Trainers with 
Racing Medication Positives shall be deemed ineligible to be considered for 

AQHA Racing Champion Awards associated with the calendar year in which 
a positive test occurred. 

O. Should a horse receive an AQHA Racing Champions Award, and a racing 
jurisdiction subsequently reports that such horse tested positive a 
substance/medication described in Section N. immediately above during the 
year associated with the Award in question, such horse shall be stripped of 
the Award and the category affected will not be awarded for that particular 
year.

P. In deliberating whether or not to vote for an individual or horse, a Committee 
Member may take into account (1) whether or not the reputation of the 
individual or horse will adversely reflect on the prestigious honor of being 
selected as an AQHA Racing Champion or AQHA Racing World Champion and 
(2) whether or not the individual or horse in question is a favorable 
representative of the ideals, objectives and reputation of AQHA in its efforts to 
promote the quarter horse racing industry