Paint Racing Greats Honored
Lewis Wartchow and Got Country Grip inducted into the 2012 Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame honored
nine racing legends on April 11, 2012, including all-time leading Paint
racehorse Got Country Grip and renowned Paint racing trainer Lewis Wartchow. The
induction ceremony was in the Silks Restaurant at Remington Park in Oklahoma
City.
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Got Country Grip, shown winning the 2008 Olympia Joe
Handicap, was the first Paint Horse to earn more than $300,000, earned a spot in
the Remington Park Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy Reed Palmer.
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Got Country Grip began his racing career in 2005, breaking his maiden at
first-asking. He continued his winning ways with 16 consecutive victories, tying
the North American modern-day record held by Thoroughbreds Cigar, Citation and
Zenyatta. He experienced his first defeat attempting to win his 17th straight
race when his record-breaking bid came up short with a second-place effort at
Remington Park in the Mister Lewie Memorial Stakes.
Got Country Grip is the
first Paint racer to earn more than $300,000, wrapping up his career in 2010
with 21 wins, four seconds and two thirds from 30 starts.
"We’re roping on him
now, making him into a heading horse," said owner Jimmy Maddux of Weatherford,
Texas. "The only problem we’ve had with him is when we first started him on the
steers he would pass them."
Lewis Wartchow was a beloved racehorse trainer for
decades. Starting with Appaloosas, Wartchow would eventually be known as the
"King of Paints" because of his many years of success with the Paint Horse breed
on the track. Among Wartchow’s accomplishments at Remington Park was a six-win
day in 1998, making him the first trainer to win that may races on one card in
Oklahoma City.
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Trainer Lewis Wartchow who was called the "King of Paints"
was inducted into the Remington Park Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy APHA File.
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Before dying in 2003, Wartchow won 33 stakes races during the
Remington Park Quarter Horse Seasons in which he competed. The Mister Lewie
Memorial Stakes, which will run April 14 at Remington Park, is run yearling at
the Oklahoma City racetrack.
"My father came from the school where horses and
children had to mind," said Wartchow’s son, John, who was present for the
induction on his father’s behalf. "But he was a generous man, and on his
tombstone, we inscribed, ‘He touched a lot of lives.’ That is so very true and
we are so thankful for this award honoring him."
Also inducted into this first
of two Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Fame classes in 2012 were American Quarter
Horses Josie’s Bar, First Prize Rose and Stolis Winner as well as jockey Jacky
Martin, breeding/owner Dee Raper, breeders/owners Terry Bell and Homer Hill of
You & Me Partners, and equine sales pavilion Heritage Place.
Remington Park will
be the venue for a second induction ceremony for the Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall
of Fame in October, honoring Thoroughbreds.
About APHA
The American Paint Horse
Association (APHA), the international breed registry for the American Paint
Horse, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, celebrates its 50th anniversary in
2012. In fulfillment of its mission to collect, record and preserve pedigrees of
the breed, APHA recognizes and supports 111 regional and international clubs,
produces championship shows, sponsors trail rides and creates and maintains
programs that increase the value of American Paint Horses and enriches members'
experiences with their horses. APHA has registered more than a million horses in
59 nations and territories since it was founded, and now serves over 58,000
active youth and adult members around the world.