Florida Opens Up Racing To Paint Horses At Hialeah Park

 FORT WORTH, TEXAS – December 8, 2009 -- Florida recently opened the historic Hialeah Park for Quarter Horse racing and now the doors have opened to race Paint Horses there, as well.

They will be allowing the Paints to run with the Quarter Horses in overnight races only. The overnight purses are at $11,000 right now so this is a great opportunity. Since there are eight weeks left in the meet, there is a small window of opportunity to help fill the Quarter Horse races. At this time no stakes races will be offered for the Paints, but discussions are ongoing.

Paint racers are encouraged to attend and support this venue. With eight weeks left in their racing season, there is still time for racing. Stalls are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Contact the racing secretary Sam Abbey at (305) 885-8000, ext. 225.

If you want to be a part of opening up this market to APHA, please let us know. Contact Karen Utecht at (817) 222-6444 or by email at kutecht@apha.com

More about Paint Horse racing
Horse racing has long been one of America’s favorite spectator sports. With the recent growth of the Paint Horse breed, it’s no wonder that Paints have become one of the hottest tickets in the horse racing industry.

Since 1966, when APHA officially recognized the sport, Paint racing has made major strides forward. In that inaugural year, 17 starters ran for $1,290 in just two states—Texas and Oklahoma. In 2008, more than 570 starters competed in more than 660 APHA-recognized races for record purses totaling more than $5 million.

A total of 17 states now feature Paint racing, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Paint Horses also race in Canada.

"Paint Racing continues to be an opportunity for breeders, owners and trainers to take a serious look at," said APHA Executive Director Lex Smurthwaite. "The amount of purse money available and the average earning per Paint starter is creating new interest in the Paint racing industry."

For more information on Paint Horse racing, contact APHA’s racing department at (817) 222-6444, email racing@apha.com, or visit paintracing.com.