Page 156 - April 2017

Speedhorse Graham Paint & Appaloosa Derby-G1
PHQ GOODBYE EARL
by Tracy Gantz
Last year at Remington Park, PHQ Goodbye Earl had to share the honors with Ivoriona when the two of them dead-heated for first in
the Speedhorse Graham Paint and Appaloosa Futurity-G1.
This year, though, PHQ Goodbye Earl had the winner’s circle all to himself as the sole victor of the Speedhorse Graham Paint and Appaloosa Derby-G1 on March 25.
When the gate opened, it looked at first like the gelding and jockey Jesus Salazar weren’t going to get anything.
“He got out terrible,” said co-owner Wendy Keener. “I thought Salazar was going to fall off. He bore out to the side—it was the worst he’s ever come out.”
PHQ Goodbye Earl broke sixth from the 5-gate, but he wasn’t about to let a bad start keep him from first place. Salazar called upon the gelding, who responded by passing horses and ultimately winning by a head in :17.691 for 350 yards. The $17,822 winner’s share of the purse brought PHQ Goodbye Earl’s cumu- lative earnings to $148,202.
“Right before they kicked (the starting gates), he kind of false broke and left awk- wardly,” said the jockey. “I thought it was pretty tight there, and then I just got after him. He helped me a lot and ran a really big
race. He’s not a quitter. He tries really hard and has a big heart.”
One of the horses PHQ Goodbye Earl passed was Ivoriona, the favorite and last year’s Paint World Champion Running Horse. In the March 10 trials, Ivoriona
had defeated PHQ Goodbye Earl by a head, the two of them posting the two-fastest qualifying times.
One of PHQ Goodbye Earl’s biggest fans was Ben Wainscott, an assistant starter at Remington. Just a few days before the final, Wainscott was tragically killed in a car acci- dent. Keener said that his family requested a photo of PHQ Goodbye Earl’s victory to put in his casket.
Keener’s husband, Dee, trains PHQ Goodbye Earl and bred the Paint in Oklahoma. The Keeners own him in the name of Paint Horse Queens with partners Steve and Tracy Wright.
In addition to last year’s Speedhorse Graham Paint & Appaloosa Futurity-G1, the gelding won the 2016 American Paint Classic-G1, also at Remington Park. PHQ
Goodbye Earl was named the 2016 Champion 2 Year Old Solid Paint-Bred and Champion 2-Year-Old Solid Paint-Bred Gelding.
PHQ Goodbye Earl
is out of the Paint mare Sayonara, the 2010 Champion Paint 3 Year Old and 3-Year-Old
Filly. Sayonara won the 2010 Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Derby-G1. PHQ
Goodbye Earl is the mare’s first foal and he is named for the Dixie Chicks’ song “Goodbye Earl” to tie in with sayonara, which means goodbye in Japanese.
Sayonara’s second foal is a 2-year-old gelding, who finished second by a neck in his first race in the trials to the Oklahoma Paint & Appaloosa Futurity-G1. He is named PHQ Goodbye Larry for the ex-husband of Wendy’s sister Joleta Ingersoll.
In 2016, the mare foaled such a large colt that the Keeners almost lost the mare and foal. Chris Benson oversaw the foaling and Wendy said his efforts saved Sayonara and the colt. Thus, they are naming the yearling Big Benson to honor Chris.
Remington Park $46,900 • 350 yards :17.691 • si 83
First Down Dash QH
Awesome Chrome
Okeydokey Baby QH
PHQ GOODBYE EARL APHA, ’14-g.
Judys Lineage
Sayonara
Kiss This Goodbye
154 SPEEDHORSE, April 2017
PHQ Goodbye Earl & Jesus Salazar win the $46,900 Grade 1 Speedhorse Graham Paint & Appaloosa Derby by a head
RACING NEWS
Dustin Orona Photography