Paint Horse Fortuna wins Choctaw Pony of the Plains race

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Fortuna, a bay roan tobiano Paint gelding, finished a neck ahead of the next closest contender during the Choctaw Pony of the Plains race on March 15. The 350-yard contest, held at Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Okla., was open to Paint and Appaloosa 3-years-olds and older that were maidens as of January 1, 2008 and offered a purse of $20,610.

Photo courtesy Blue Ribbon Downs.

Fortuna		Texas Moon Pie		Texas Hero		Raise A Jet
						Breakaway Baby
				Azure Moon Pie		Pie In The Sky
						Azure Moon Sign
		Cash County		Aze Beduino		Beduino
						Winadash
				Margaret Thatcher		With Ease
						Miss Speed Buggy

The first-place finisher, 3-year-old Fortuna, led the pack throughout the race and posted a time of 17.92 seconds. The flashy gelding, owned and trained by Ray Enlow of Sapulpa, Okla., earned $6,183 to bring his lifetime earnings to $10,901. Fortuna was ridden by jockey Helen King.

Finishing in a close second was 4-year-old Open Range (ApHC). The Appaloosa racehorse completed the race in 17.93 seconds, earning $4,122. Open Range was trained by Lynn Sheppard and ridden by Kenny Muntz.

Bucks Quick Luck finished in third-place, a length behind Open Range (ApHC), falling behind as the two horses neared the finish line. The 4-year-old buckskin Solid Paint-Bred stallion was guided by Marcelino Rodriguez to post a time of 18.04 seconds. Bucks Quick Luck, owned and trained by Marti Rodriguez of Jones, Okla., earned $2,473 to increase his lifetime earnings to $7,770.

Other horses, with times, completing the race included De Elegant Ketch (18.05), MCM Evelyn Lajolla (18.26), Miss Junglette (18.32), Judys Beau (18.344), Snow Me The Paddick (18.346), Runnin Ruby (ApHC) (18.58) and Check N Out (18.75).

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 2007, more than 600 starters competed in more than 700 APHA-recognized races for record purses totaling more than $5 million.

A total of 18 states now feature Paint racing, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, 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.