Rio Rojo Jessie wins R-G1 Speedhorse Futurity, almost
perfect race record
FORT WORTH, Texas— Rio Rojo Jessie maintained her nearly perfect record by
winning the $120,380 R-G1 Speedhorse Futurity. The bay mare ran the 350 yard
race in a time of 17.49 seconds, earning a 96 speed index and $45,745 prize
money. She has now finished first in all six starts of her career, all futurity
trials or futurities, except for one blemish.
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#7 Rio Rojo Jessie stays in front to win the G1 Speedhorse
Futurity. Photo by Gene Wilson & Assoc.
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Rio Rojo Jessie comes from top bloodlines including her sire Feature Mr Jess
AQHA, by Mr Jess Perry AQHA. Feature Mr Jess won the Rainbow Futurity and Derby
and has sired an All-American Futurity winner. She is out of the Paint mare Call
Me Silking, who is sired by Call Me Together AQHA. Her full brother, Rio Rojo
Jess, was named 2006 Champion Solid Paint-Bred 2-Year-Old and 2-Year-Old Gelding
and has won $146,970 on the track along with a 102 speed index. Rio Rojo Jessie
has a perfect record on the track, but not on paper. She has finished first in
all six of her races, but was disqualified to ninth in the finals of the Graham
Futurity after crossing the wire first for veering inward from the five hole.
She has gone on to win the R-G1 Oklahoma Futurity and now the Speedhorse
Futurity. This speedy mare is owned and bred by Donald Kelly of Natchitoches,
Louisiana. She is trained by Eddie Willis of Oklahoma and ridden by jockey
Matthew Casebolt.
Valdarama finished second after a superb start in the race and a gallant duel
down the stretch with Rio Rojo Jessie and Prize Jive. The 2008 chestnut solid
Paint-bred mare is owned by Tom Denham of Glenpool, Oklahoma, and was bred by
Kelly/Yearsley Equine LLC of Culver City, California. The mare is by Country
Quick Dash and out of Sheeza Lil Val AQHA, sired by Dashing Val AQHA. She ran
the race in a time of 17.55 seconds and earned $20,465 for second place, making
her total earnings $43,706. Dee Keener is her trainer and G. R. Carter, Jr. was
the jockey aboard.
Stablemate of Valdarama, Prize Jive, finished third in the race. The sorrel
solid Paint-bred mare is also owned by Tom Denham and trained by Dee Keener. She
finished the race with a time of 17.55, earning $13,242 to make her total
earnings $35,706. She was jockeyed by Adalberto Candanosa. The mare is sired by
Country Quick Dash and out of Fast Mans Prize AQHA by Heza Fast Man AQHA. This
was her first stakes finals.
Other horses completing the race, along with times, include Flashing Memories
(17.64 seconds), Flying T Rudy ApHc (17.68 seconds), Rip Roarin Moves (17.71
seconds), Jacis Flashy Girl (17.84 seconds) and Bailout (18.29 seconds). Willy
Awesome and Flashem Larry were scratched.
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.