Page 42 - 28 December 2012

J oey Hatton, Nicky Payne, and Curtis trial, just missed qualifying for the big event, Payne is a good friend of trainer Kasey
and then won the Dash For Cash Futurity. Both colts competed in trials for the July 22
Rainbow Futurity. Blaze Carver dead-heated
for the win in his trial to qualify, while One Handsome Man finished second in his heat and did not qualify. That gave Flying Hooves an inter- est in the final, and they watched Blaze Carver run a good third behind winner Carters Cookie as a 23-1 longshot, a payday worth $56,000.
“That was just out of this world,” said Payne, “to get qualified to a race of that mag- nitude. It’s kind of dreamy. The final of the Rainbow was pretty incredible.”
The two colts switched roles in the All American trials, One Handsome Man winning his heat and Blaze Carver finishing third.
The All American drew so many horses that Ruidoso conducted 26 trials, and a win did not guarantee a spot in the final.
One Handsome Man competed in trial number 15 in the middle of the long card. At first it looked like he might have run fast enough to qualify, and the Flying Hooves boys dared to hope.
“We drew a great part of the day, but there were so many really nice horses that drew into the 20-26th trial heats,” said Payne.
The last couple of trials ultimately knocked out One Handsome Man, who qualified 13th.
“It was bittersweet, but it was an exciting day,” said Payne.
The partners had an even more exciting day at Lone Star Park on Sept. 29. One Handsome Man, after being the second-fastest qualifier in the Dash For Cash trials, was placed first the main event, resulting in a $170,226 payday.
Payne, Ross, and Hatton each bring a
little different racing background to the Flying Hooves endeavor. Payne, as the son of jockey Larry Payne, grew up in the industry. Ross attended the University of Arizona Racetrack Industry Program and did an internship with the Lazy E Ranch in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Hatton’s father raced some horses in the early 1990s.
Blaze Carver dead-heats for the win in a trial to the Rainbow Futurity-G1, where he then finished third.
Ross of Flying Hooves RC didn’t set out
to become the poster boys for how to enter racing on a budget. All they wanted to do was buy a horse or two and have some fun. But in two years with three horses, they have won the Dash For Cash Futurity-G1, placed in the Rainbow Futurity-G1, and nearly qualified to the All American Futurity-G1, proving that success doesn’t require a huge investment.
The three men all live in Oklahoma and make pilgrimages to Ruidoso Downs to see the All American festivities. They met at the Ruidoso horse sale.
“We all shared a common goal and a com- mon interest in horse racing,” said Hatton. “After discussing things with each other, we decided to actually make it happen.”
As three regular guys with normal jobs, none of them had enough extra cash to buy horses on their own. Hatton, 40, works for a real estate agency in Tulsa; Payne, 32, is a sheet metal mechanic in Midwest City; and Ross, 34, is in the service mortgage business in Oklahoma City. They knew that even by pooling their resources they couldn’t purchase expensive prospects.
“You don’t have to be rich or have a lot of money,” said Hatton. “Just have common goals, a passion for it, and you can do it.”
They decided to go in as equal partners. Trinity Thomas, Ross’ fiancée, is also involved through Ross as part of his one-third share. Ross visualized horses running on the track and came up with the name Flying Hooves RC, the “RC” standing for racing company. They decided the best way to set it up was as a limited liability corporation (LLC).
Initially, each of the men put in just $2,500 to buy a yearling in 2010. Now in 2012, in
only their second year of having horses on the racetrack, Flying Hooves owns Blaze Carver and One Handsome Man. Blaze Carver fin- ished third in the Rainbow Futurity, while One Handsome Man won his All American Futurity
Willis, brother to trainer Eddie Lee (Bubba) Willis and son of trainer Eddie D. Willis.
“Kasey encouraged us to take the step,” said Payne. “We had our first horse with Kasey, and he worked with us diligently. He made our very first ownership a success, and we’re very thank- ful for Kasey Willis.”
Willis bought Betabet On Hero for the partners for $7,000 at the 2010 Heritage Place yearling sale. A son of Lazy E stallion Valiant Hero, the colt was a half-brother to two stakes winners and a stakes-placed horse.
Next in the process came deciding on a design for their silks, and Ross’ nephew Nicholas helped with that project.
“At the time he was 15, and he’s a really great artist,” said Ross. “I told him I wanted a logo with an ‘H’ with wings. And he just drew it right in front of me.”
Armed with their stable name, silks, horse, and trainer, Flying Hooves was ready to go.
Betabet On Hero was not only Flying Hooves’ first starter, he became their first winner. He won two races for them, and the partners ultimately lost him in a claiming race claimed for $10,000.
“We had a great time, and we got our pic- ture taken twice,” said Payne. “That allowed us to come into 2011 with about $16,000 extra to go out and get some more.”
The next year, Flying Hooves purchased Blaze Carver and One Handsome Man. Armando Rivera and Jorge Sanchez helped them select the horses. Blaze Carver cost $9,200 at the Heritage Place yearling sale, while One Handsome Man sold for $25,000 at the Ruidoso yearling sale.
“We looked for certain bloodlines,” said Hatton. “Blaze Carver’s mama, Blazin Fire, really struck all of our attention. She was one heckuva runner out at Los Alamitos.”
Blazin Fire was a Champion Aged Mare as a racehorse out of stakes-winning and
One Handsome Man raced to victory in a trial to the All American Futurity, barely missing the finals.
Jockey Larry Payne and Blaze Carver go postward in a trial to the All American Futurity-G1.
40 SPEEDHORSE, December 28, 2012
Stacy Pigott/Speedhorse
Ruidoso Downs
Stacy Pigott/Speedhorse