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earnings to $31,203 that year alone. Cowgirl is still competing and has earned a Register of Merit and Superior in racing.
Sandra admits that this family line has given her an interesting ride, and she loves them all dearly. But when asked which of these amazing horses holds her favorite Paint racing memory, Sandra says Awesome Judy holds her heart.
Awesome Judy, a 2006 sorrel tobiano gelding by Awesome Chrome, was Dial Judy’s second foal. What makes this horse stand out for Sandra is the fact that all the aspects of his training were a family affair.
“A friend of mine trained Dial Judy’s first foal since I was at the track, so my family and I decided to be very hands-on with her second foal,” Sandra said.
Sandra’s parents started Awesome Judy,
aka AJ, early in his training before combining forces when Sandra returned from competition. According to Sandra, AJ was a little handful that constantly challenged them and was confi- dent in his abilities.
“He would sleep all day, so much so that
we thought he was always coming down with something,” Sandra laughed. “As it turned out, he was just saving his energy for when race time came. That’s when the fireball would come
out. He was never mean; he just loved to run. He would actually get mad if he wasn’t the one going to the test barn.”
AJ ran in five futurities as a 2 year old, and he made the finals in all. As Sandra says, AJ would run his heart out for anyone simply because he loves what he does. One of her favorite memories is when AJ won an APHA Champion running horse title. Her family bred, raised and trained their fireball into a Champion, and that was the most fulfilling moment for her.
“I really do believe that running is a family trait in that family line. Both Dial Judy and Just Streakin have bred runners, and their run- ners have bred more runners. They were just
b o r n t o b e r a c e h o r s e s ,” S a n d r a s a i d . “ F o r a l l those horses, it’s basically a matter of training t h e m a n d t h e n g e t t i n g o u t o f t h e i r w a y t o l e t t h e m d o w h a t t h e y w e r e b o r n t o d o .”
Word of Advice
Sandra, a lifelong Paint racing enthusiast, believes that there is great opportunity for oth- ers to get involved in Paint racing. She says that the participation numbers and odds of winning in Paint racing are good because there are fewer horses participating. This increases the chances of winning. In Sandra’s opinion, it’s the perfect place to get your start.
A former member of the APHA Racing Committee, Sandra understands the Paint rac- ing community and is excited to see it progress.
Camo Cowgirl joins her connections in the winner’s circle after her victory in the 2015 Masterpiece Challenge.
What’s Next
For the past twenty years, Sandra has been working with Paint running horses, and she plans to continue doing so for a very long
time to come. She certainly has made a life for herself in the Paint world and has accomplished all that she set out to do.
“My goal was always to prove my mares in competition, then come home and breed racing prospects,” she said. “I always knew that was what I wanted to do.”
Sandra still runs Garnett Racing from her ranch outside of Groesbeck, where she keeps both Paint horses and Quarter Horses. The ranch was named in honor of her father, K.P. Garnett, and her parents now live next door.
“Mom and Dad are getting older, so they aren’t able to help as much with the breeding,”
she said. “For that, I have my husband Larry. He helps me so much with managing the ranch and getting our foals ready for training.
“Our ranch has a mixture of about half Quarters and half Paints, but my snowflake- like Paints are my favorite,” Sandra said. “We start our training on them early, so that they learn the halter, the walker, and loading onto
a trailer. This also helps them know what their job will be, and we can just get out of their way and let them work.”
So, what’s next for Sandra Garnett Tatom in her wild ride with Paint racing?
“I normally like to keep to myself and let my horses do the talking for me. Now that
I have had the chance to work with so many amazing horses, all that’s left for me to do is write a book,” she said.
Sandra Garnett T Ta a t t o o m m e e a a r r n n e e d d a buckle for C C a a m m o o C C o o w w g g i i r r l l ’ ’s s v v i i c c t t o o r r y y i i n n t t h h e e 2 0 1 5 M a s t e r p i e c e Challenge.
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PAINT HORSE BULLETIN