Smokin Bear captures first win at Bucking Horse Sale
Futurity
FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Two lengths ahead in the 300-yard race, Smokin Bear grabbed
first place and $4,389 in winnings at the Bucking Horse Sale Futurity on May 17
at Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City, Mont. Run on dirt, the seventh race of the
day had a purse of $7,315.
A 2-year-old sorrel Solid Paint-Bred filly, Smokin Bear was sired by Judys
Bear and is out of Smoke N Time. In the second race and first stakes race of her
career, the granddaughter of Judys Lineage was pushed by jockey Gilbert Rivera
to post a time of 16.62 seconds, and raised her lifetime earnings to $4,555.
Steve Day of Riverton, Wyo., bred and owns the mare, who placed second in a
previous race this year. Jesse Villegas is her trainer.
Sheza Cherokee Bug came in second by a head to win $1,463 for owner Gotfredson
Ranch Inc. of Olive, Mont., with the help of trainer Patricia Rindahl and jockey
Anthony Ayala. Sired by Buggy and out of Somekinda Cherokee, the 2007 bay roan
tobiano filly added her 16.91-second achievement to a previous third place
finish in the trials, elevating her lifetime earnings to $1,557. A descendant of
talented runner Cherokee Indian, the mare was bred by Cindy Moreno of Plumas
Lake, Calif.
Coming in third with a time of 16.93 after a mild rally was 2007 chestnut Solid
Paint-Bred stallion Corona Rojo and jockey Tommy Jones. Sired by Midnight Corona
AQHA and out of Lil Cash Lady, the stallion was bred and is owned by Joyce Neal
of Wyola, Mont. Dennis Looman trains the horse, who has achieved $859 in
lifetime earnings after winning $805 in his second career race.
Following the top three were Flex, with a time of 17.15 and earnings of $439;
Raise Your Lineage, who was bumped at the start but clocked 17.79 seconds to
earn $219; and Fast Money Jet, who was bumped repeatedly but stopped the clock
at 18.02 seconds. Northern Cartel was scratched prior to the race.
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.