Special Sign wins Grade 2 Western States Futurity
FORT WORTH, Texas—The $17,055 Western States Futurity was won by Special Sign on
July 4, 2010, at Arapahoe Park in Aurora, Colorado. Special Sign ran the
350-yard race in a time of 18.32 seconds, finishing a half-length ahead of Dos
Jakes. The grade two race featured a purse of $17,055, of which Special Sign
earned $6,996 for the win.
Special Sign is a 2-year-old sorrel solid Paint-bred gelding sired by Special
Leader AQHA and out of Signs Of Summer, by Meter Me Gone AQHA. He was bred and
owned by The Painted Pitchfork, of Rifle, Colorado. Tim Weeder trained the
gelding for the race, and Russell Vicchrilli rode him to the victory. The horse
earned $6,996 for the win, making his lifetime earnings for three starts
$15,216.
Second across the wire was Dos Jakes, a 2-year-old sorrel overo stallion sired
by Dos Poruno and out of Bug Lover AQHA, by Blushing Bug AQHA. The stallion was
bred and is owned by Milford Roberts, Jr. of Horatio, Arkansas. Dos Jakes was
trained by Mike Archuleta and ridden by Vicente Grajeda, running the race with a
time of 18.42 seconds and earning $3,581.
Finishing third was Shakin Thunder, who is owned by breeder Rance Savage of
Worden, Montana. The 2-year-old sorrel overo gelding is by Habitual Flyer and
out of Lotta Shakin, by Royal Shake Em AQHA. He crossed the wire with a time of
18.56 seconds earning $1,876 for the third-place finish. The gelding was ridden
by Dan Kistler and trained by Donna Doyle.
Other horses completing the race, along with times, include Off The Radar (18.61
seconds), K Cross Cortez (18.62 seconds), Mountain Treasure (18.79 seconds),
Lovey (19.20 seconds) and More Than A Memory (21.04 seconds).
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.