Pemberton beats the field in the Whoop Up Downs Paint
Handicap
FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Pemberton dominated the field of the Whoop Up Downs Paint Handicap on October 18 at
Lethbridge in Canada. Despite a rocky start, Pemberton quickly made up ground
and finished a half-length ahead of the field. The 400-yard race offered $13,677
in prize money and had seven entries. Pemberton posted a time of :20.15 seconds.
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Pemberton dominates the field at Whoop Up Downs Paint
Handicap.
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The chestnut 4-year-old gelding Pemberton is no rookie to the win circle of
stakes races, winning five total stakes races, three of them this year. He is
sired by world champion Real Easy Cash and out of multiple world champion Miss
Super Dee. Pemberton earned $7,249 for this win, increasing his lifetime
earnings to $45,058. Pemberton is owned by Shae Burlock of Alberta, Canada and
bred by John TL Jones, Jr of Lexington, Ky. The gelding is trained by Les Webb
and was ridden to victory by jockey Valentino McBean.
Finishing second was 4-year-old tobiano gelding, champion Cristole. The gelding,
sired by Texas Hero and out of Miss Murray, covered the distance in :20.21
seconds. He received a payout of $3,556 to up his career earnings to $27,447.
The colorful gelding is owned by Alex Kirkpatrick of Alberta, Canada and bred by
John TL Jones Jr. of Lexington, Kyt., trained by Brant Laczo, and was ridden by
Teagan Oulton.
Runnin Bug finished third for owner Alex Link of Alberta, Canada and bred by Guy
Weimer of Cushing, Okla., he crossed the finish line in :20.35 seconds, earning
$1,641 to bring his lifetime earnings to $14,560. He is trained by Les Adams,
ridden by Scott Sterr.
Other horses completing the field included Judys Real Easy (20.40 seconds), Mr
Heatmiser (20.41 seconds), Sister Strategy (20.42 seconds) and The Ladys A Hero
(20.66 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.