From the Chairman Forward Progress Exciting plans for 2013 promise a bright future for Paint racing. I
t was this time last year that we welcomed Billy Smith as the new Executive Director of APHA. It has been a great
By Pancho Villarreal APHA Racing Committee Chairman
year getting to know Billy and working with him and his staff to make Paint racing even better. With 10 horses surpassing the $50,000-earnings mark, 2012 was another record-setting year. Ubuyillfly led the way with the year’s highest earnings at $124,368. Flashthechicks had a remarkable 3-year-old season and defended his Champion titles while becoming the 2012 Solid Paint-Bred World Cham- pion. Flashthechicks passed SM Country Snowman along the way, becoming the No. 2 all-time earner with $273,539. He is now less than $100,000 away from becoming the all-time lead- ing money earner. CRM Livewire ended the 2012 season in fashion by win- ning the Talimena Hanidcap just seven days after capturing the inaugural Masterpiece Challenge—the 3-year-old tobiano stallion was crowned with world championship hon- ors for his accomplishments. Congratulations to all of the 2012 Champions and their connections. We hope you enjoy all the articles and cover- age for the 2012 Champions.
Stallion Programs Many programs provide incentives to participate in Paint racing, but our programs are only as strong as we make them. The two oldest and most-recognized programs are the Paint Stallion Breeders Association and Pot O’ Gold. Every year, the Pot O’ Gold Futurity and the PSBA Futurity and Derby are three of the top stakes—these races are limited to offspring of participating stallions. All Paint stallion owners should participate in these programs, and mare owners are encouraged to breed to those stallions. For more informa- tion, email Shari Burger or call her at (918) 253-8156.
APHA Masterpiece Challenge The Racing Committee has worked hard to establish the
APHA Masterpiece Challenge, and it is off and running. The Masterpiece Challenge was created to promote the racing of 3-year-old Paint and Appaloosa horses. It was great to see so
4 u MARCH 2013 u PAINT HORSE RACING
many Paint Horse fans at Lone Star Park for the inaugural race. With an additional $10,000 in added money from APHA, the 2013 Masterpiece Challenge race will now be a $25,000-added race. We will continue to dedicate our time and effort to make this program the centerpiece for our older horses and look for other programs that can be strengthened to make Paint racing more prosperous for owners, breeders and trainers. Horse must be enrolled in the Masterpiece Challenge program
in order to qualify for this race. Complete details of how to take advantage of this great program are on the Paint racing website.
Breeders’ Trust The APHA Breeders’ Trust is one of the best ways for
Paint Horse breeders and owners to earn extra income. This program is not only for show horses—racehorses and barrel horses can earn points that pay great dividends. Each year, connections of participating horses receive payouts based on the number of APHA points earned, which are distributed to the horse’s owner, foal nominator and stallion subscriber. The best way to add value to your racehorse is to make sure he is a Breeders’ Trust-enrolled horse. Enroll your stallion in the Breeders’ Trust and breed your
mares to a Breeders’ Trust-subscribed stallion. For more informa- tion, visit the APHA website or email Steven Imhof.
Paint Barrel Racing Incentive Program We have always recognized the importance and need for the barrel racing and Paint racing industries to work together to make both stronger. On January 19, APHA held a meeting in Oklahoma City to develop an incentive program for Paint barrel racing. I would like to thank Billy Smith, Lisa Mullinax, Melanie Bearden, Andria Hill and Shannon McCartney for their efforts in coordinating and developing this program. It will consist of a stallion auc- tion, the formation of Paint Barrel Racing Incentive Pro- gram membership and, eventually, an enrollment program designed to generate funds that will be added to existing barrel races to create incentives and sidepots for eligible Paint Horses and their owners. Additional information regarding this incentive program will be available soon. We wish everyone the best of luck for 2013. With your
support and involvement, 2013 will definitely be a year to remember and the beginning to a very bright future for Paint racing and barrel racing.