Oliver Named President of Colorado Horsemen’s Association, Schultz Appointed VP

Owner and trainer Kim Oliver was named the new President of the Colorado Horsemen’s Association (CHA) at the organization’s regular monthly board meeting Tuesday, July 13. The CHA’s Board of Directors appointed Oliver to replace previous president Kent Bamford, who resigned at a Special Meeting of the Board last week.

“I am honored to serve my fellow horsemen and excited to work on their behalf with such a wise and talented group of Board members,” Oliver said. “The upcoming Arapahoe Park meet will offer more purse money than we have had available for several years. The CHA is committed to putting on the best show we can for the benefit of all Colorado racing stakeholders.”

The Board also voted to make owner/trainer Mark Schultz its new Vice President, a role previously held by Jim Weimer, who also resigned last week.

Four new Board members were appointed to fill vacancies created by the recent resignations of Bamford, Weimer, Vaughn Long, and Sandy Miller. The new Board members are owner/trainer Mark Kulow, owner Rob Ring, owner/trainer Howie Chavers, and owner Robin Smith. The full Board is comprised of nine directors, which already included Victor Cervantes, Kerry Kemper, Oliver, Miguel Pena, and Schultz. The four new Board members will serve until the next vote of the CHA’s full membership later this year.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the Board named owner Lisa Trujillo as Secretary in a non-voting capacity. Trujillo is a public relations specialist who has served as PR manager for metro Denver’s Regional Transit District (RTD) for more than eight years.

Last week the Board appointed Jim Mulvihill as the CHA’s Interim Executive Director. Mulvihill recently relocated to Colorado from Kentucky, where he worked for Churchill Downs Inc. as Sr. Director of Betting Information. Prior to that Mulvihill served as Director of Media & Industry Relations at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and has also worked on track in communications roles at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans and Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie near Dallas.

Mulvihill succeeds longtime CHA Executive Director Shannon Rushton, who resigned from his CHA role last week. Rushton remains the Racing Secretary at Arapahoe, the state’s lone pari-mutuel racetrack. The annual 32-date Arapahoe meet – with racing for Thoroughbreds, American Quarter Horses, and Arabians – is set to open later than usual, on Aug. 11, with racing Wednesdays to Saturdays through Oct. 2. To view Condition Book 1 or to find out more about racing at Arapahoe, please visit mihiracing.com.

Tuesday’s public meeting was held remotely via Zoom. Questions and input regarding the CHA may be directed via e-mail to ColoradoHorseRacing@gmail.com.