Arlington resident's American Paint Horse wins $24,300 Colors of Houston Futurity

FORT WORTH, Texas—Awesome Chrome, owned by James and Marilyn Helzer of Arlington, Texas, was first across the finish line in the $24,300 Colors Of Houston Futurity, held September 6, 2003 at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston, Texas. The American Paint Horse stallion, sired by First Down Dash AQHA outran 9 other horses in the 350-yard race, claiming $9,720 in earnings.

Cha Cha Chickie’s next challenge is the $15,000 Lake Tahoe Stakes on August 23, 2003, at Los Alamitos Race Course in Los Alamitos, California. Coming off of an eight month rest may prove difficult for this outstanding mare to pull another victory, but her sights are set and they’re aimed pretty high. With other top contenders like Miami Moon Dust, a three-time stakes winner, and Judys Cash running beside her, it is destined to be an exciting race to watch.

Paint Horse racing continues to grow in popularity across the United States, according to the American Paint Horse Association (APHA).

Since 1966, when the APHA officially recognized the sport, Paint racing has made major strides forward. That year, 17 starters ran for $1,290 in the two states that held Paint races—Texas and Oklahoma. In 2002, 644 starters competed in 737 APHA-recognized races for purses exceeding $4.3 million. Year-end totals for 2003 are expected to increase even further.

A total of 17 states now feature Paint racing. Paint Horses currently run in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and Canada.

APHA attributes the increases racing has experienced recently to several factors, including the growing popularity of the Paint Horse breed in general.

Last year, for example, APHA registered 60,113 horses, compared to 55,356 horses registered in 1998. That represents about a 9 percent annual registration increase over five years. In addition, more tracks across the country are hosting Paint racing, which is driving up purse totals and attracting more Paint racers.

“People love seeing Paint Horses run,” said Lex Smurthwaite, manager of the performance and racing department.

“The interest in racing Paint Horses is steadily increasing across the country. The popularity of Paint Horses is not limited to any one geographic area, but is spreading throughout the country and throughout the world. And racing is only one of several Paint Horse performance areas where we’re seeing a rise in participation.”

For more information on American Paint Horse racing, contact
APHA Director of Racing Karen Utecht at (817) 222-6444.