John Andreini, partner in Ruidoso Downs, dies at 90

John Andreini, a prominent owner of Quarter Horses and a partner in New Mexico's Ruidoso Downs, died following a brain aneurysm on Friday, according to a statement released by Ruidoso Downs.

Andreini, who lived in San Mateo, Calif., was 90.

Last October, Andreini, Narciso Flores, Stan Sigman, and Johnny Trotter purchased Ruidoso Downs from R.D. Hubbard.

In business, Andreini operated a privately held insurance brokerage under his name, Andreini and Co., which was launched in 1951. The company is based in four states and employs more than 200 people.

Andreini began his involvement in Quarter Horse racing in 1968 and through the years owned such stakes winners as Check Him Out, Jumpin Tac Flash, Lindas Dasher, and Militante.

He bred the multiple stakes winner Volcom. Jumpin Tac Flash was the 1993 champion 2-year-old filly. She was trained by Blane Schvaneveldt, with whom Andreini was closely allied before Schvaneveldt's death in 2010.

Andreini, who owned the 2,600-acre JL Ranch in Northern California, was a director of the American Quarter Horse Association and a member of the organization’s racing council. On a regional basis, he was director emeritus of the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association, which represents the state’s Quarter Horse owners and trainers.