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| Purses
have grown 146 percent over five years
Paint Horses on the
fast track at race courses across America
FORT WORTH-If its recent track
record is any indication, it's a safe bet that
Paint Horse racing will continue to grow in
popularity across the United States this year.
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Colorful American Paint
Horse racing is on the fast track across
the United States. Purses, starters, number
of races and popularity continue to grow
year after year.
Hirez JPEG (212 kb)
Hirez TIFF (3.4 mb) |
A total of 16 states featured Paint racing
in 2000, up from 12 states the two previous
years. Paint Horses now run in Arizona, California,
Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan,
Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon,
South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
When the American Paint Horse Association (APHA)
officially recognized the sport in 1966, only
Texas and Oklahoma held races. That year, 17
starters ran for $1,290.
In 1996, 305 starters ran in 272 races for purse
money of $1.1 million. In 2000, 553 starters competed
in 531 races for a gross purse of nearly $2.8
million. During those five years, starters were
up 81 percent, the number of races increased 95
percent and purse money grew 146 percent. Also
during that five-year period, six new states entered
the Paint racing picture. |
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Karen Utecht, APHA's racing coordinator, attributed the increases
to several factors, not the least of which is the growing
popularity of the Paint Horse breed in general. In 2000, for
example, APHA registered 62,511 horses, compared to 41,491
horses registered in 1996. That represents a 51 percent annual
registration increase over five years.
"As more people become interested in Paint Horses, we
see an increase in the number of tracks across the country
that want to include Paint racing in their race dates,"
said Utecht. "These tracks are including added money
in special Paint races, which is driving up purse totals,
attracting more Paint racers and drawing in more race fans.
"People seem to like racehorses with color," she
said. "Paints are exciting to watch and you definitely
know where your horse is on the track during the entire race.
"Paints are standouts."
APHA Executive Secretary Ed Roberts agreed.
"People love watching Paint Horses run," he said.
"We're seeing that interest grow all across the country.
The popularity of Paint Horses is not limited to any one geographic
area, but is spreading throughout the country and throughout
the world. Racing is one of several Paint Horse performance
areas where we're seeing a rise in participation."
For more information on American Paint Horse racing, visit
www.apha.com/racing or call the APHA Racing Department at
(817) 834-2742, extension 444.
Paint racing continues on the fast track
| Year |
Starters |
Races |
States with
racing |
Total purse |
| 2000 |
553 |
531 |
16 |
$2.8 million |
| 1999 |
503 |
367 |
12 |
$2.1 million |
| 1998 |
416 |
331 |
12 |
$1.8 million |
| 1997 |
320 |
265 |
11 |
$1.4 million |
| 1996 |
305 |
272 |
10 |
$1.1 million |
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