Pemberton wins the Whoop Up Downs Spring Stakes
FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Paint Horse Pemberton won the Whoop Up Downs Spring Stakes at Whoop Up
Downs Racetrack in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, on June 21. The gelding won the
350-yard race that offered $8,810.
Pemberton, a 4-year-old Solid Paint-Bred gelding, bested the field of seven
other Paint Horses to finish by a nose, posting a time of 18.26 seconds. Sired
by Real Easy Cash and out of Miss Super Dee, the gelding earned $4,669 for his
efforts, to increase his lifetime earnings to $27,421. The gelding is owned by
Shae Burlock of Donalda, Alberta, Canada, was trained by Les Webb and ridden by
Valentino McBean.
Finishing the race in second place was the 4-year-old tobiano gelding Cristole.
The gelding, owned by Alex Kirkpatrick of Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada, covered
the track in 18.29 seconds. Cristole, sired by Texas Hero and out of Miss
Murray, earned $2,291 for career earnings of $16,113. The gelding was trained by
Curtis Ermineskin and was ridden by Tim Moccasin.
The Ladys A Hero rounded out the top three with a time of 18.30 seconds. The
3-year-old tobiano filly, owned by Ralph Danard of Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada,
was sired by Texas Hero and is out of Lady Corona. The filly earned $1,057 for
lifetime earnings of $9,630. The Ladys A Hero was also trained by Curtis
Ermineskin and was ridden by Teagan Oulton.
Other Paint Horses completing the field, along with times, include Sister
Strategy (18.39); Mr Heatmiser (18.58); Runnin Bug (18.60); Royal Woman (18.62);
and Judys Real Easy (18.63), dq’d to 8th place.
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 2008, more than 570 starters competed in
more than 660 APHA-recognized races for record purses totaling more than $5
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.
"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.