Flashthechicks had "that winning look" in
the G1 Graham Paint & Appaloosa Futurity
FORT WORTH, Texas— The $246,242 Grade 1 Graham Paint and Appaloosa Futurity is
the most lucrative race of the year for Paints and Appaloosas at the Oklahoma
City-based Remington Park. Flashthechicks won the race by a close margin, but
has been a tough contender all year long. He ran the 350-yard race in 17.78
seconds and earned $93,576 for the win to make him the 2011 top money-earning
Paint racehorse.
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Flashthechicks wins the Graham Paint and Appaloosa
Futurity by a close margin. Photo credit: Dustin Orona Photography.
 Hirez JPEG (2.2 mb) |
Owned and bred by Shirley Wheeler of Boynton, Okla., Flashthechicks is a sorrel
solid Paint-bred gelding sired by Royal Quick Flash and out of Game Chicken, by
Game Patriot AQHA. His lifetime earnings are now $147,089. Flashthechicks was
trained by Luis Villa Franco and ridden by Ricky Ramirez.
"We have thoroughly been blessed with this horse. When you have a win like this
it’s very special," said owner Shirley Wheeler. "We knew he was special from the
beginning. When he was born we had four or five colts that year and he was just
a good-looking, aggressive, muscular colt. I’ve heard it from other horse people
that a horse will have "that look" and I wasn’t sure what they were talking
about until this horse came along."
"It was a really close race and our jockey, Ricky Ramirez, did an excellent job
in the race," said Wheeler. "We watched it again on the computer when we got
home. He has ridden Flash in all of his races."
"My friends and family were there along with us for the race. My 93-year-old
mother even came out to watch "Flash" run. She was a little hesitant, but when
Flash won she was doing a little jig with her cane in the win circle," said
Wheeler. "I told the ladies I work with, ‘Ya’ll just don’t understand. This is
like the Kentucky Derby for Paint racing."
"The Speedhorse Futurity is next. He needs a rest, so we will wait until then,"
explained Wheeler. "Our vet, Jill Mixer, even called us Sunday to let us know
that despite being tired that he is sound and in good shape."
Runaway Argus finished second after dueling with Flashthechicks and Fly Shari
Fly for the 350 yard race. The sorrel solid Paint-bred gelding ran the race in
17.79 seconds, and earned $41,861 to make his lifetime earnings $54,664. He was
bred by James Skimbo of Wilburton, Okla., and is owned by Runaway Argus
Partnership of Sallisaw, Okla., trained by Brian Muse and ridden by G.R. Carter,
Jr. He is sired by Royal Quick Flash and out of Giddy Up, by Treasured Too.
Third across the wire was Fly Shari Fly, a sorrel solid Paint-bred mare by Fly
Jess Fly AQHA and out of Western Memories. She crossed the wire with a time of
17.81 seconds, earning $27,086 for lifetime earnings of $38,776. She was bred
and is owned by Neal Cox of Cache, Okla., trained by R. Hybsha and ridden by
Larry Payne.
Other horses completing the race, along with times, include Mambo Quick Step
(17.86 seconds), Two Timin Trixie (17.87 seconds), Forever Chrome (17.91
seconds), Bp Cartels Paint (17.95 seconds), Gotta Quick Grip (18.04 seconds),
and Ivory Queen ApHC (18.29 seconds). Sunday Sputnik was 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 2010, more than 500 starters competed in
429 APHA-recognized races for record purses totaling more than $4.1 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.
For more information on Paint Horse racing, contact APHA’s racing department at
(817) 222-6444, email racing@apha.com, or
visit www.paintracing.com.