From the sound of thundering hooves on the track to the thunder rumbling throughout the vast Texas sky, neither rain nor wind nor dark of night could keep two Paints out of the spotlight on a rainy October 30 at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. Spirits were high as Camo Cowgirl and Painted Turnpike captured wins in two premier Paint races, despite dark storm clouds overhead.
When the gates opened for the fourth running of the Masterpiece Challenge, there was no chance of Camo Cowgirl getting lost in the crowd. The 2012 sorrel tobiano mare found herself at the front of the pack, charging down the track to win.
“Cowgirl” clocked a 19.953 over a muddy 400 yards to take home the winner’s share of the $20,000+ purse—$7,448—for owner Sandra Garnett Tatom of Groesbeck, Texas. The homebred mare by Awesome Chrome and out of Dial Judy has captured three wins and three seconds in nine starts in 2015, bringing her lifetime earnings to $31,203.
“She’s won on three different tracks with three different jockeys and three different trainers. I think that alone makes her pretty special,” Sandra said. “She’s always been pretty determined—that whole family is. That whole family just loves to run. She loves the mud.”
The clouds opened up immediately after the Masterpiece Challenge, unleashing torrential rain that turned the already sloppy track into a pond, but the races went on. Race 8 featured some of the top Paint 2-year-old racehorses, competing for top honors in the Grade 1 $89,780 Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Futurity. Painted Turnpike, a 2013 bay solid stallion by PYC Paint Your Wagon (QH) and out of High Class Turnpike, put the cherry on top of a nearly flawless season, clinching the race in 20.150 over 400 yards.
Although track conditions were sloppy, and despite it being Painted Turnpike’s first run in muddy conditions, the colt led wire to wire, bringing home $36,810 for owner and breeder Nolan Pevehouse of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma. The win also helped Painted Turnpike capture Speedhorse series high-point championship and the elusive Speedhorse Triple Crown—the stallion made a clean-sweep of all three Speedhorse series races in 2015, a fete that hasn’t before been accomplished.
“We knew he was pretty nice from the get-go,” trainer Matt Whitekiller said. “He had an air about him that was little bit different—he’s something special.”
FULL STORIES about each of these winners can be found on MyFlashyRide.com/news, our website dedicated to fast news about fast Paint Horses.
Camo Cowgirl—2015 Masterpiece Challenge champion
Painted Turnpike—2015 Speedhorse Triple Crown champion
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About APHA
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international equine breed association, registering more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories since it was founded. APHA creates and maintains programs that increase the value of American Paint Horses and enriches members’ experiences with their horses.