Page 149 - April 2016

Lewis Wartchow’s relatives accepted his APHA Hall of Fame award: Curtis Wartchow, Michael Ellis, John Wartchow, Whitney Wartchow and Daron Ellis.
Lewis Wartchow
Fitzhugh, Oklahoma
Tagging along with his father to Oklahoma’s brush tracks from an early age, it was no wonder Lewis Wartchow matured into a noted race- horse trainer himself. Hanging out his shingle in 1965, Lewis soon made a name for himself as a talented trainer, a soft-spoken, kind-hearted soul with a horseman’s eye and competitor’s spirit. Though he got his start training Quarter Horses and later branched into Appaloosas, Lewis was known as the “King of Paint Racing.”
The title was well-deserved. Paints under Lewis’ guidance logged 1,485 starts, winning 321 of those efforts, placing second 219 times and third in 196 races. Lewis is APHA’s No. 1 Lifetime Leading Trainer by races won and No. 2 for money earned by his charges, which totals nearly $2.16 million.
A number of super-star Paints passed through Lewis’ program, including APHA racing world champions Awesome Jet, Treasures, Treasured Too, Texas Hero, Miss Super Dee and Texas Wildcat. The trainer logged 33 lifetime stakes race wins at Remington Park and a record-breaking six-win day at the track with his Paints in 1998.
A member of the Oklahoma Racing Hall
of Fame and Remington Park Hall of Fame, it seems only fitting the King of Paints would also be inducted into the APHA Hall of Fame, as well. The horseman died in September 2003 at
age 65. Two Oklahoma races are named in Lewis’ honor: the Mister Lewie Memorial Handicap
at Fair Meadows and the Lewis Wartchow Memorial Handicap at Remington Park.
Sacred Indian
1985 bay tovero stallion (Cherokee Indian x Sweet Spirit) Owned by Eliza- beth Brewer, Brighton, Colorado
Surging to the front of the galloping herd of yearlings, the tovero medicine hat colt seemed to know he was special, carrying himself with an air of self-assurance. Searching for a hunter- jumper prospect, Karen Banister saw those qual- ities too, and she soon purchased the race-bred stallion. Registered under her daughter’s owner- ship and named Sacred Indian—homage to the legends surrounding his markings—“Hatter” didn’t disappoint, making a name for himself as a top English and all-around performer and sire.
Accumulating nearly 500 points in 16 events, Hatter was certainly versatile. Superiors in hunter under saddle, hunter hack and jumping came in addition to 11 ROMs in events spanning racing to roping to barrel racing to Western pleasure. Crowned 1989 national champion in Hunter Hack, Hatter also earned a 1991 Cow Pony Race world championship, world championships in Jumping in 1992 and 1995 along with a reserve title in 1991, and a reserve world championship in Utility Pleasure Driving in 1990. Hatter tied for High-Point English Horse honors at the 1990 APHA World Show and took home the same title and the Reserve All-Around Open Horse award in 1992. A Performance Versatility award winner, Hatter still ranks No. 2 on APHA’s Lifetime Leaders list for Open Jumping.
Passing his athleticism and disposition to his
Accepting Sacred Indian’s Hall of Fame award were Elizabeth and Titus Brewer and Karen and Marc Banister.
get, Hatter sired 337 foals; 116 have competed in APHA events, earning nearly 27,000 points to date, 45 world championships and 54 reserve world championships. Hatter also inspired a 1998 Breyer model horse in his likeness. Though Hatter died in 2006 at age 21, the stallion’s impact can still be seen in APHA today.
10 Total Honorees
The fourth APHA Hall of Fame class honored 10 outstanding Paint promoters and horses; they join a roster of nearly 80 luminaries who have positively impacted APHA and the Paint Horse breed. The most recent class featured the following:
Henry & Linda Bowlan,
Tecumseh, Oklahoma
Jim & Roann Cartwright, Houston, Texas Bill & Linda Hittle, Hugoton, Kansas Cotton Rosser, Marysville, California Lewis Wartchow, Fitzhugh, Oklahoma
Bonnie Smoke,
1981 sorrel tobiano mare
Delta Flyer, 1982 sorrel tobiano stallion Ratchett, 1975 sorrel overo stallion Rhett Butler, 1959 black tobiano stallion Sacred Indian, 1985 bay tovero stallion
Nominations for influential Paints and Paint people are welcome; the annual nomina- tion deadline is December 15. Submissions should include a completed nomination form highlighting a compilation of achievements, biographical information, related honors and supporting documentation to illustrate the nominee’s contributions to the breed.
Complete nomination guidelines are found at apha.com/foundation/heritage-and-hall-of- fame—simply click on the applicable link in the navigation bar on the right side of the website.
SPEEDHORSE, April 2016 147
paint horse bulletin
Smellycat Productions/APHA file photo courtesy APHA
Smellycat Productions/APHA file photo courtesy APHA