Page 172 - Speedhorse May 2019

Distinguished Service Notables are honored with APHA racing’s
top honor, the Paul Harber Award.
by Shari Burger, APHA Racing Advisory Committee member
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Paul Harber received the first APHA Racing Distinguished Service Award in 2003. The award was later renamed the Paul Harber Award for future recipients.
Alongtime APHA enthusiast, Paul wins (16 stakes) and 34 stakes placed, earning WALTER MERRICK (2005)
Harber’s dedication, work ethic and
commitment to Paint racing earned him the first-ever APHA Racing Distinguished Service Award, which was presented in 2003. The award was later renamed the “Paul Harber Award” for future recipients.
More than 55 years ago, Paul joined with a few dozen Paint Horse enthusiasts in a hotel restaurant in Gainesville, Texas, to form the American Paint Stock Horse Association - which later became the American Paint Horse Association in 1965. Paul served APHA as
an Executive Committee member and as a committee member and national director for more than 20 years. One of his lasting con- tributions was helping provide the structure for APHA’s racing rules and recognition of achievements in Paint racing.
Paul was instrumental in the growth of Paint racing by not only racing Paints himself, but also by raising more than 400 foals over 40 years. He is ranked seventh on APHA’s Lifetime Breeders list by races won with 79
$352,416 out of 108 starters. His top run- ners include multiple stakes winner Captain In Command; 1971 Champion Running 2-Year-Old Million Heir; and 1975 Champion Running 2-Year-Old Captain Blood.
“One of my greatest joys has been seeing the association grow and develop. It’s one of the things I’m most proud of,” Paul said in a Paint Racing News article at age 87. He con- tinued to be an active member of the APHA Racing Committee and an ambassador for APHA until he died in 2009. The Paul Harber Memorial Handicap at Remington Park was named in his honor in 2010.
The Paul Harber Distinguished Service Award inductees include Walter Merrick, John and Neva Downing, Ray Graves, Henry and Linda Bowlan, Linda Fox, Sammy and Nadine Hester/Charles Trochta, and Dan & Kaye Jones. Each has earned this most prestigious award through their significant contributions to the success of Paint racing.
Walter Merrick of Sayre, Oklahoma, is a respected legend for his breeding and racing accomplishments in both Quarter and Paint Horses over 60+ years. His contributions
to Paint racing earned Walter the first Paul Harber award in 2005.
The horseman was associated with many great foundation Paint Horses, including Champion racehorse Easy Jet Too, who earned $35,334 with 11 wins in 17 starts. He sired 34 Champions (including five racing World Champions), 24 stakes winners and progeny earners of more than $1.59 million.
Easy Jet Too’s dam, Indian Music by Tonto Bars Hank, was Walter’s most profound brood- mare with the most lasting impact in Paint racing. She was a multiple stakes and champion producer of 14 foals with earners of $102,582. Other notable foals include World Champion Cherokee Indian, Easy Winner, Easy Rose and Western Music.
Walter and Indian Music were inducted into the 2013 APHA Hall of Fame; Easy
Jet Too was inducted in 2016. Walter ranks fifth on APHA’s Lifetime Breeders list by races won with 92 wins (42 stakes) and 24 stakes placed. He bred 84 Paint foals earning
$237
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SPEEDHORSE May 2019