Butler won the White Horse Award, an honor bestowed by the Race Track Chaplaincy of America (RTCA). Established in 2003, the award is presented to an individual for an act of selflessness, bravery and dedication.

During a race at Fonner on March 3, a series of events set off a chain reaction that affected several horses, jockey and outriders. Horses clipped heels that led to horses and jockeys falling to the track.

Two horses then began running in the wrong direction, which added to the confusion and potential danger.

Butler quickly pursued one of the runaway horses despite the fact most of the field was running straight at him. He guided the horse to the outside rail but was unable to avoid having his horse collide with another horse at full speed, an accident that hospitalized Butler.

Track officials said the accident would have been much worse without Butler’s quick action.

Wally Wollesen, president of the Nebraska Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), congratulated Butler for the award.

“It’s a great honor,” Wollesen said. “Being an outrider can be very dangerous, and Bo was a hero that day.”

The Nebraska State Racing and Gaming Commission has set the live race dates for 2025.

The two biggest changes are Lincoln holding a 15-day meet and Columbus moving up its meet from mid-June to mid-July. It’s hoped that running the race dates consecutively will keep horsemen and their horses in Nebraska.

Horsemen’s Park in Omaha also will race four days, the most in recent years due to ongoing casino construction.

The 2025 race dates: Grand Island’s Fonner Park, 31 days (Feb. 15-May 3); Lincoln’s Legacy Downs, 15 days (May 9-June 8); Columbus Exposition & Racing, 15 days (June 13-July 13); Omaha’s Horsemen’s Park, four days (dates to be determined); South Sioux City, one day (TBD); Hastings’ Fairplay Park, one day (TBD).

Services recently were held in Lincoln for longtime Thoroughbred owner and trainer Jerry Cole, who died Nov. 7 at age 76.

Cole grew up in Fairbury and graduated from Nebraska. He bred and raced his horses throughout the Midwest and also was an experienced equine dentist.

He also worked other jobs, including one as a counselor at the Nebraska Corrections and Lincoln Regional Center.

With Omaha Beach standing as a successful stud, fans can expect to see more horses with Omaha in their names.

One is Mister Omaha, a 2-year-old colt running at Oklahoma City’s Remington Park. Trained by Joe Offolter, the horse won a maiden race and went on to post two stakes victories.

Offolter said after the recent one-mile Don McNeill Stakes that Mister Omaha, who won by five lengths, is one of the best 2-year-olds he’s ever trained.

Omaha Beach was the morning-line favorite for the 2019 Kentucky Derby after winning the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. He missed the Derby due to a breathing problem.

Fan-favorite Next didn’t get it done in the Breeders Cup Classic, but the 6-year gelding will be back in 2025.

Trained by Doug Cowans, the gray horse is an expert at long races. Next won seven consecutive marathon races of 1-1/2 miles or longer before the Classic, with a combined margin of victory of more than 90 lengths.

Cowans said after the race the quick pace in the 1-1/4-mile Classic at California’s Del Mar hurt his horse, which is expected to race at least four times next year.

Longtime fans of Omaha’s Ak-Sar-Ben will remember the Ace of Spades Handicap, which often was contested on the final racing day. The distance was 2 miles and 70 yards.

Prominent Illinois-based owner and breeder Frank Calabrese recently died at age 96.

His best horse was Dreaming of Anna, who won the 2006 Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies event at Kentucky’s Churchill Downs. Named after Calabrese’s sister, Dreaming of Anna won 10 of 17 starts for trainer Wayne Catalano and earned more than $2 million.

She was the dam of Fast Anna, who went on to sire multiple stakes-winning 3-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna.

Calabrese raced his horses primarily at Arlington Park in suburban Chicago, where he often finished as one of the track’s top owners.

The top three finishers in the Breeders Cup Classic could meet again in the 2025 version of the race.

Connections for the three — winner Sierra Leone, runner-up Fierceness and show horse Forever Young — have said the horses will continue racing next year. It’s possible the trio could have a rematch at next year’s Breeders Cup, which will once again be held at Del Mar in southern California.