Cypress Paint Horse wins $61,500 Grade 2 California Paint Futurity

Credit For Cash, a 2-year-old chestnut breeding stock colt owned by C Hall Racing Stable Inc. et al of Cypress, Calif., won the Grade 2 California Paint Futurity on July 8 with a time of :18.13. Credit For Cash, sired by Judys Lineage and out of Cash To Keep, outran seven other horses in the 350-yard race held at Los Alamitos Race Course in Los Alamitos, Calif., claiming $25,830 in earnings.

Hirez JPEG (698 kb)

Credit For Cash		Judys Lineage		Special Lineage		Alydar
						Champagne Woman
				Judys Chick		Walters Chick
						The Lady Sadie
		Cash To Keep		Easy Jet Too		Easy Jet
						Indian Music
				Keep The Cash		Dash For Cash
						I Gotum

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 the American Paint Horse Association (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—that held Paint races. Thirty-eight years later, in 2004, 639 starters competed in 785 APHA-recognized races for purses totaling more than $4.8 million.

“Purses have continued to climb upward, along with the number of starters and races offered for Paint Horses,” said APHA’s Racing Director Karen Utecht.

And, Paint Racing will continue growing, Utecht said.

A total of 18 states now feature Paint racing. Paints race on tracks in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Paint racing has even spread into Canada.

The phenomenal growth of the Paint Horse breed is evident in the annual registration numbers. APHA registered 50,439 horses in 2004, compared to 27,549 in 1994.

Paint racing has grown immensely since 1966 and is increasing in popularity each year. “The future is really bright for Paint racing. Owners from other racing breeds are getting involved with Paints because of the strong and steady growth of our program,” said Lex Smurthwaite, APHA’s executive director.

“It is still relatively easy to get involved and be competitive.”