Grade 1 American Paint Classic Futurity won by longshot RP
Miranda Dash
FORT WORTH, Texas—The longest shot on the board, RP Miranda Dash, outran the field to win
the $93,931 Grade 1 American Paint Classic Futurity on April 24 at Remington
Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the final race of the night. Those who had
placed a bet on the longshot filly were happy they took the chance on the 27-1
shot, which paid out $56.20 for a win ticket. The favorite and fastest
qualifier, Rare Guerdon, finished a close fifth after he was overtaken at the
end of the race. It was a tight finish for the first seven horses of the
nine-horse field. RP Miranda Dash won by a neck, posting a time of 17.86 for the
350-yard race. The sorrel filly earned $34,852 with jockey Kenny Muntz guiding
her to the win.
 |
RP Miranda Dash wins the G1 American Paint Classic Futurity. Photo by Dustin Orona
photography.
 Hirez JPEG (2.2 mb) |
RP Miranda Dash is a 2-year-old sorrel solid Paint-bred filly by Country
Quick Dash and out of Kash N Colours AQHA. She is owned by Roy Kent Perkins of
Farmers Valley near Vernon, Texas, who named the filly after his granddaughter,
who is nine years old. Perkins is a cotton and wheat farmer and raises cattle
along with his son Kent, who he partners with in their agriculture business.
They have two broodmares. This was the first Paint foal out of their mare Kash N
Colours AQHA, by Hot Colours AQHA. This was RP Miranda Dash’s second win, after
she won a maiden race at Remington Park in March. Durk Peery of Vian, Oklahoma,
trained the filly.
"In the trials (for this race) she got away (from the gates) decent, but she
showed us that she had a big kick on the end," said trainer Durk Peery. "So I
thought if she got away good, then she would do well."
"The racing is a family affair for us. My brother-in-law Jessie Jobe and I were partners
on horses until his early passing," said owner Roy Kent Perkins. "My grandson
Troy helps feed the horses every day, and everyone is involved. We won the
American Paint Classic with Tonto Bars Image back in 1991 and after Jessie
passed I quit the racing. But, I finally got back into it and wanted to win this
race again, just didn’t think it would happen this fast. My wife Margie and I,
along with a friend, went to the race. My granddaughter Miranda wasn’t able to
come to the race but they were watching it on TVG and the internet. I not only
want to thank my family and trainer, but also Linda Bowlan who recommended Durk
to me as a trainer. This was one of the most exciting nights. We hope to be in
the Paint racing business for many more years."
Second across the wire was Flashin Bye, a flashy bay tobiano gelding by Royal
Quick Flash and out of Texas Exit, by Texas Hero. He was bred in Oklahoma by
Dean and Tonya Lester. Leland Parnell trains the gelding and he was ridden by
jockey Rodrigo Vallejo. He finished the race with a time of 17.90 seconds,
earning $14,747 for the second-place finish, bringing his lifetime earnings to
$19,331.
Finishing third was one of the top picks, Girls Got Grip, a full sister to
five-time world champion Got Country Grip. The sire of both horses is Country
Quick Dash and dam is Got A Grip, by Super De Kas AQHA. She crossed the wire
with a time of 17.93 seconds earning $8,547 for the third-place finish. The
filly was ridden by Cody Jensen. She was bred by Linda Fox of Maud, Oklahoma,
and is owned by Girls Got Grip, LLC of Black Hawk, South Dakota.
Other horses completing the race, along with times, include Flashin Bubbles
(18.02 seconds), Rare Guerdon (18.02 seconds), Shawne Wind (18.05 seconds),
Little Possum (18.05 seconds), Smokin Mogie (18.07 seconds) and Bailout (18.10
seconds). Country Strummer was scratched from the race.
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 2009, more than 540 starters competed in
more than 530 APHA-recognized races for record purses totaling more than $4.7
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.
"With a wealth of top performing Paint racehorses, dedicated owners and
talented trainers and jockeys, Paint Racing continues to remain a strong program
in the horse industry," said APHA Executive Director Lex Smurthwaite. "Paint
Racing enthusiasts recognized the amount of purse money available and have
jumped in to take advantage of the lucrative payouts."
For more information on Paint Horse racing, contact APHA’s racing department at
(817) 222-6444, email racing@apha.com, or
visit paintracing.com.