SM Country Snowman wins Graham Paint & Appaloosa Derby, remains undefeated at Remington Park

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—SM Country Snowman easily won the $56,210 Graham Paint & Appaloosa Derby on March 22 to remain undefeated in seven starts at Remington Park in Oklahoma City.

Photo courtesy of Remington Park. Hirez JPEG (2.14mb)

SM Country Snowman		Country Quick Dash		Royal Quick Dash		First Down Dash
						Harems Choice
				Country Zevi		Zevi
						That Country Charm
		Western Lineage		Judys Lineage		Special Lineage
						Judys Chick
				Western Swing		Super Swift
						Painted Little Bit

The 3-year-old red roan overo Paint stallion by Country Quick Dash and out of Western Lineage finished the 350-yard race nearly two lengths ahead of the pack after qualifying for the race with the fastest time during the trials on March 7. SM Country Snowman and jockey Kenny Muntz quickly covered the track in 17.40 seconds to earn a speed index of 103. Owned by Rafter SM Ranch of Wagoner, Okla., and trained by Sparky Mullins, SM Country Snowman earned $21,365 to bring his lifetime earnings to $182,476.

Royal Quick Treasure followed behind SM Country Snowman for the second-place finish. The 3-year-old sorrel Solid Paint-Bred mare owned by Glenda Parum of Springer, Okla., posted a time of 17.68 seconds to finish a length ahead of Chicks Lacerta. Royal Quick Treasure was trained by J. Parum and ridden by Alex Baldillez, Jr., to earn $9,555. The mare’s lifetime earnings are now $89,153.

The third-place finisher—Chicks Lacerta—battled for her finishing position, crossing the line a neck ahead of the other horses. The 3-year-old sorrel Solid Paint-Bred mare by First Smart Money AQHA and out of Treasured Chick posted a time of 17.83 seconds. Ridden by jockey Debbie Freeman, the duo earned $6,183 for a lifetime earnings of $46,804. Chicks Lacerta is owned by Sammy Hester of Tulsa, Okla., and Charles Trochta of Oklahoma City. Hester also trains the mare.

Other horses completing the race, along with times, include Special Indian Summer (17.88), Royal Harlot (17.92), Azure Mountain (17.99), Knee High Country (18.09), Solid Cowboy (18.10), G I Jana (ApHC) (18.13) and Blue Oyster Cult (ApHC) (18.63).

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.