Rio Rojo Jessie shows her toughness in the R-G1 Oklahoma Paint Futurity
FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Some people call it grit, some call it spirit or
strength, but Rio Rojo Jessie showed all of that racing down the stretch
neck-and-neck with two other contenders to win the $82,500 R-Grade 1 Oklahoma
Paint Futurity on March 27 at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She won
by a small margin, beating Rare Guerdon and Bailout at the wire. But, Rio Rojo
Jessie has winning in her blood, along with the toughness.
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#3 Rio Rojo Jessie in a tight race to win the Oklahoma Paint
Futurity. Photo by Dustin Orona Photography.
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The 2-year-old bay Solid Paint-Bred filly ran all out to win the 300-yard race by a head
with a time of 15.62 seconds. Owned and bred by Donald Kelly of Natchitoches,
Louisiana, and trained by Eddie Willis, Rio Rojo Jessie was ridden by Matthew
Casebolt. The filly earned $30,400 for her win to increase her lifetime earnings
to $33,838. Rio Rojo Jessie is by Feature Mr Jess AQHA and out of Call Me
Silking, and is also a full-sister to Rio Rojo Jess, who was the 2006 Champion
2-Year-Old Solid Paint-bred. "I expected a lot from her. I have liked this filly
since I was breaking her at the farm," jockey Matthew Casebolt continued, "She
has a personality and is a very nice Paint."
Rare Guerdon, by Country Quick Dash and out of Rare Esperanza, finished closely
behind Rio Rojo Jessie to earn second place in 15.66 seconds. The 2-year-old
sorrel Solid Paint-Bred gelding earned $15,100 for his efforts, bringing his
lifetime earnings to $18,484. Rare Guerdon is owned by Charles Trochta and Sammy
Hester of Tulsa, Okla., was trained by Hester and ridden by Larry Payne.
Finishing in a very close third place was Bailout, posting a time of 15.67
seconds to earn $9,800. Sired by Royal Quick Flash and out of Shero, the
2-year-old sorrel Solid Paint-Bred gelding increased his lifetime earnings to
$10,430. Bailout is owned by Marion Hoskin of Ada, Okla., was trained by Bill
Hoskin and ridden by Pedro Martinez.
Other horses completing the race, along with times, include Memory Keeper (15.76 seconds),
Valderama (15.77 seconds), SM Countrys Lastfling (15.78 seconds), Eye Opening
Chick (15.94 seconds), WW Granite Treasure (16.14 seconds), SM Little Maddie Jo
(16.17 seconds) and Eyem Showin Off (16.42 seconds). WW Granite Treasure was
moved down to ninth place due to lugging out in the stretch.
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 2009, more than 540 starters competed in
more than 530 APHA-recognized races for record purses totaling more than $4.7
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.
"With a wealth of top performing Paint racehorses, dedicated owners and
talented trainers and jockeys, Paint Racing continues to remain a strong program
in the horse industry," said APHA Executive Director Lex Smurthwaite. "Paint
Racing enthusiasts recognized the amount of purse money available and have
jumped in to take advantage of the lucrative payouts."
For more information on Paint Horse racing, contact APHA’s racing department at
(817) 222-6444, email racing@apha.com, or
visit paintracing.com.