PF Chief Runnin Bear wins Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Derby
RG1
FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Paint Horse PF Chief Runnin Bear put forth a strong effort to
win his third of five races this season during the Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa
Derby RG1, held at Fair Meadows Racetrack on July 25. The prestigious 350-yard
race offered a purse of $53,700.
 |
Paint Horse PF Chief Runnin Bear put forth a strong effort to
win his third of five races this season during the Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa
Derby RG1. Photo courtesy of Gene Wilson & Associates.
 Hirez JPEG (2.2 mb) |
The 3-year-old tobiano gelding has had a strong 2009 race season after earning
his first victory during his last race as a 2-year-old. PF Chief Runnin Bear,
sired by Grand Point and out of Running Cloud AQHA, held the lead throughout the
race to finish a half length in the lead and posting a time of 17.59 seconds.
Owned by S. Koltiska and L & B Bettinger of Austin, Texas, the gelding earned
$20,406 during the race to increase his lifetime earnings to $85,580. PF Chief
Runnin Bear was trained by Leslie Padilla and ridden by Stormy Smith.
Trailing close behind to finish in second was Mean Ole Man. The 3-year-old
tobiano stallion, sired by First Wrangler AQHA and out of Magic Misty Morning,
covered the track in 17.68 seconds to earn $9,129 to increase his career
earnings to $58,580. Mean Ole Man is owned by John Gee and Del Craig of Shawnee,
Okla., was trained by Michelle Hurdle and ridden by Debbie Freeman.
Despite running near the end of the pack for half the race, 3-year-old Make No
Shadows had a big finish to place third. The Solid Paint-Bred mare, sired by Oak
Tree Special AQHA and out of Treasured Chick, finished the race in 17.82
seconds. Make No Shadows and jockey Larry Payne earned $5,907 to increase the
mare’s lifetime earnings to $77,825. The mare is owned by Charles Trochta and
Sammy Hester of Oklahoma City, Okla., and was trained by Hester.
Other Paint Horses completing the race, along with times, include TBS Layla
(17.83 seconds), Speed Bandit (17.88 seconds), Awesome Judy (17.90 seconds), Oak
Tree Special Jr (17.91 seconds) Flash N B Gone (17.91 seconds), Paleface Dale
(18.01 seconds) and Cuzimfromthecountry (18.13 seconds).
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.