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PAINT 2012


By TRACY GANTZ G


ot Country Grip had better look out: some excellent Paint racehorses are threatening records he set during his long and illustrious career. That’s the caliber of champions APHA honored for 2012.


Barney Ofield knocked off Got Country Grip’s world record for 440 yards, winning the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Stakes en route to his second set of cham- pionships. World Champion Flashthechicks added another $87,532 to bring his career bankroll to $273,539—second on the all-time list only to “Grip” himself.


Last year also saw the inauguration of the APHA Mas- terpiece Challenge at Lone Star Park, a new opportunity for 3-year-olds. World Champion CRM Livewire captured the Masterpiece and showcased his brilliance by adding the Tali- mena Handicap win at Will Rogers Downs just a week later. As always, the champion Paints got there through the efforts of their connections: their owners and breeders, trainers, jockeys, exercise riders and grooms. Shirley and Jim Wheeler not only bred and raced Flashthechicks, they also had his half-sister Imachickenkicker,


who nabbed a couple of buckles of her own, making Shirley the year’s leading breeder and owner.


Dee Keener is one of several top-class trainers of Paints. His charges in 2012 included 2-Year-Old Champion Lajollas Mr Big Stuff, and Dee led all trainers with Paint earnings of $396,411.


Not surprisingly, G.R. Carter Jr. repeated as leading jockey with $281,441 in earnings. The perennial World Champion Quarter Horse rider is equally adept at piloting Paints and wins with them regularly. To the north, Mantracker won her Canadian/International Championship the hard way. She had to race against Quarter Horses, which she did with grit and determination. She and the other Paint champions epitomized what it takes to make a great racehorse.


Read on to celebrate the 2012 APHA Racing Champions and their road to the winner’s circle.


Tracy Gantz is a special contributor for Paint Horse Racing. To comment on this article, email feedback@apha.com.


CHAMPIONS OF


APHA celebrates its top racehorses and racing supporters of 2012.


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