Page 121 - May 2016

Tall Hero and Paint Me A Winner of the Sierra Racing #1 team with driver Larry Sanders score their first World Championship title
2016 WORLD
CHARIOT
CHAMPIONSHIP
The Sierra Racing #1 team and their connections in the winner’s circle with family and friends after making their World Championship run
SPEEDHORSE, May 2016 119
The 2015-2016 Chariot & Cutter racing Second place went to the Jenson, Ropelato Sierra Racing #1 earned their way to the
season ended on March 27 at the Weber County Fairgrounds in Ogden, Utah. Teams ran in their respective divisions, with the top three from the first division compet- ing for the sought-after title of World Champion.
The top three teams competing for the World Championshp title were team Jenson, Ropelato & Padgett from the Skyline Chariot Association, Sierra Racing #1 from the Nebo Chariot Association, and team Gibson & Wright from the Wasatch Slopes Chariot Association.
The teams were led to the gates by their driver with team Jenson, Ropelato & Padgett in the outside gate, team Sierra Racing #1 in the center gate, and team Gibson & Wright in the inside gate. The teams each broke well and fought a close race, with Sierra Racing #1 win- ning the World Championship title in :22.00 flat for the 440 yards.
& Padgett racing team, with To B Atticus (Fredricksburg-Mega Dashability) and Kingly Walk (Walk Thru Fire-Queen Of Secrets) finishing in a close :22.08. Third place went
to the Gibson & Wright racing team with One Famous Secret (One Famous Eagle-Secretively) and SW Count On Me (Count Corona-Raise A Rhoda) crossing the line in :22.24.
Winning their first World Championship title, the Sierra Racing #1 team is owned
by Kelly and Kyle Cook. In the gates were 5-year-old brown gelding Tall Hero (Valiant Hero-Shiv Katall, Shazoom), who had three wins from 12 starts and $8,953 with a 95 speed index on the flat track before mov-
ing to the chariots; and 5-year-old brown gelding Paint Me A Winner (PYC Paint Your Wagon-My Girl Jessie, Mr Jess Perry), a 3-time winning Grade 1/Grade 2 finalist with earnings of $53,697 on the flat track before moving to the chariots.
World Championships by winning their state championship in their division through the Nebo Association. Conditioned by Jesus Virgin, the team was driven by 30-year veteran driver Larry Sanders who was also winning his first World Championship title.
According to the Q-Racing Journal, after owners Kelly and Kyle Cook qualified to the World Championships, they were going to scratch from the finals when one of the horses from their other team was injured. However, they decided instead to let Tall Hero and Paint Me A Winner have a chance and repre- sent them in the World Championship run. This was the first year for the 5-year-old geld- ing pair to run for Sierra Racing #1, and the horses proved that they were well worth it and that they were up for the challenge. They were the team to beat and, thanks to this opportu- nity, they now have World Champion titles added to their list of accomplishments.
©CDRP ©The American Quarter Horse Journal