Shez Showin Off wins by a length at the Yosemite Derby

FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Shez Showin Off, a 3-year-old bay tobiano mare,
was the fastest horse on the track for the Yosemite Derby, held Oct. 15 at Los Alamitos Race Course. The 350-yard race, at the California track, provided a purse of $11,050.

Shez Showin Off lead the Yosemite Derby to an impressive win. Photo courtesy: Los Alomitos Race Course Hirez JPEG (220 kb)

Shez Showin Off		Royal Quick Flash		Royal Quick Dash		First Down Dash
						Harems Choice
				Venice Song		Hempen
						Venice
		Texas Showboat		Texas Hero		Raise A Jet
						Breakaway Baby
				Riverboat Dixie		Dixie War Jet
						Miss Riverboat Joe

Shez Showin Off, sired by Royal Quick Flash and out of Texas Showboat
completed the race in 17.51 seconds. The mare is owned by Tonya A.
Lester of Skiatook, Okla., trained by Paul Jones and was ridden by Alejandro Luna. For the win, Shez Showin Off received $6,078, bringing her lifetime earnings to $69,306.

“We knew this was a good filly. She definitely stands above the rest,” said Lester. “She has the most speed of any horse we have run so far.”

Look for Shez Showin Off in the upcoming Masterpiece Derby in December.

Texas Exit, a bay tobiano mare, posted a time of 17.65 seconds for second place. Her takeof $2,486, increased her lifetime earnings to $25,579. The mare is sired by Texas Hero and out of Holland Class AQHA. Texas Exit is owned by Dean and Tonya Lester of Skiatook, Okla., trained by Paul Jones and was ridden by Cody Jensen.

“Texas Exit is also a very solid, consistent running mare,” Tonya Lester said. “We have had a good year with both Texas Exit and Shez Showin Off.”

Easy On Cash, a bay tobiano stallion, came in third with a time of 17.74 seconds. The stallion, sired by Real Easy Cash and out of Jet Set Pat AQHA, earned $1,381, bringing his lifetime earnings to $11,520. Easy On Cash is owned by Chris Philbrook of Vancouver, Wash., trained by Blaine Schvaneveldt and was ridden by Ramon Guce.

Paint Horses Decash, One Last Hero, Hero Win, Credit For Cash, Wealthy Man, BXT Castle Valley PTA and How Far Is Heaven completed the field.

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 2005, more than 600 starters competed in more than 800 APHA-recognized races for purses totaling more than $5.1 million.

A total of 18 states now feature Paint racing, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Paint Horses also race in Canada.

“The future is really bright for Paint racing,” said Lex Smurthwaite, APHA’s executive director. “Owners from other racing breeds are getting involved with Paints because of the strong and steady growth of our program. It is still relatively easy to get involved and be competitive.”