Page 162 - August 2015

Speedhorse Paint and Appaloosa Futurity-G1
PAINTED TURNPIKE
by Tracy Gantz
Horses have been flirting with the Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Triple Crown. Texas Silk nearly became the first one
to sweep the series last year. Now, Painted Turnpike has the opportunity to be the first to win the Triple Crown after capturing the July 25 Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Futurity-G1 at Fair Meadows in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“This was one of his better performances,” said Nolan Pevehouse, who owns Painted Turnpike and bred him in Oklahoma.
It was indeed. When the gate opened, Painted Turnpike broke absolutely straight from post nine while DTL Head Honcho in post 10 broke outwardly, losing all chance.
Jockey Cody Smith pointed Painted Turnpike for the wire, and the colt performed so well and professionally that the track announcer called him the winner several strides before the wire.
Painted Turnpike, who went off as the 7-10 favorite, won by 1 1/4-lengths in a time of :17.620 for the 350 yards.
Pevehouse noted that the time bettered all of the 350-yard Quarter Horse races on the card, including several stakes.
Going into the trials for the Speedhorse Paint and Appaloosa Futurity, Painted Turnpike was undefeated. He had overcome several less-than-stellar gate incidents, includ- ing when he false broke in the Speedhorse
Graham Paint & Appaloosa Futurity-G1 - and still man- aged to win.
“His first schooling race was in the latter part of February,” said Pevehouse. “That was the first time he was ever gated.”
Matt Whitekiller trains
Painted Turnpike, who
destroyed his competition at
Remington Park. The colt
began with victories in the
trials and final of the Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Futurity-G1, adding wins in his trial and final of the Victoria Ennis Memorial Paint & Appaloosa Stakes, and then taking his trial and final in the Speedhorse Graham Paint & Appaloosa Futurity.
“The colt had a little problem getting away from the gates in the trials,” said Pevehouse of Painted Turnpike’s first start at Fair Meadows. “Up until then, he had a perfect record. His back feet slipped two to three feet leaving the gate. But the jockey, I think, did a smart thing. He said if he had gotten into him, he could have won the race, but there wasn’t any use in it.”
Even with the poor start, Painted Turnpike finished second to fastest-qualifier Psychedelic Scott and was the second-fastest qualifier.
With his win in the Speedhore Paint &
Appaloosa Futurity finals, Painted Turnpike added the $33,018 winner’s share to his bank and improved his earnings to $191,518, which already puts him sixth on the all-time list of leading Paint earners.
Pevehouse now is looking forward to the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Speedhorse Lone Star Paint & Appaloosa Futurity.
we’re shooting for,” he said.
160 SPEEDHORSE, August 2015
Tulsa Fair Meadows $86,890 • 350 yards :17.620 • si 90
Corona Cartel
PYC Paint Your Wagon QH
Dashin Follies
PAINTED TURNPIKE, ’13-c.
SF Royal Quick Flash
High Class Turnpike
Turnpikes Texas Hero
“That’s what
“But I’m well aware that anything can happen in a horse race. You have to have a good horse and a little racing luck.”
Pevehouse has every right to be proud of Painted Turnpike. Not only has the colt com- piled a stellar race record, he is the product of several generations of Pevehouse’s breeding.
Turnpikes Texas Hero, the second dam of Painted Turnpike, produced such runners as stakes-placed Turnpike Country and Wagon On Turnpike, the latter second in this year’s Speedhorse Graham Paint and Appaloosa Derby-G1, as well as stakes-placed High Class Turnpike, the dam of Painted Turnpike.
High Class Turnpike was voted the Paint Champion Running 3 Year Old and Champion Running 3-Year-Old Filly of 2007. She has three
Painted Turnpike’s winning connections include owner Nolan D. Pevehouse, trainer Matt Whitekiller & jockey Cody Smith
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