Page 154 - February 2021

BUD BREEDING OKLAHOMA SPIRT AWARD
KC MONTGOMERY PHOTOGRAPHICS
K.C. Montgomery Photographics is
world renowned in the field of equine photography. K.C. is an innovator who built
a landmark business of producing horse portraits, advertising campaigns and show performance images. He received his first large contracted show at the Oklahoma State Fair
in 1982. He has shot all of the major World Shows, The All American Quarter Horse Congress, the Quarterama, and the Palomino World Championship . He was the official photographer for the European Championships for almost a decade, the American Quarter Horse World Championship Shows, American Paint Horse World Championship Shows, PHBA World Championship Horse Shows,
and was the official illustrator for the NRHA Million Dollar Hall of Fame for nearly a
decade. K.C. is a breeder of a World Champion producer in AQHA World Champion GI Jazz. He inherited his love of photography and his first camera equipment from his father, and sought the advice of his mentors Don Shugart and Harold Campton. As a member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), his winning prints include a Best of Show with a perfect 100 score, and a Best Illustration and the Fuji Film Masterpiece award that was part of an exhibit that traveled throughout Asia and other parts of the world. K.C. also enjoyed a yearlong exhibit at the AQHA Hall of Fame Museum.
PYC PAINT YOUR WAGON
PYC Paint Your Wagon, the 2003 stallion, was owned by a partnership of PYC LLC and Reliance Ranches LLC and stood at the Lazy E Ranch in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
PYC Paint Your Wagon was bred by Michael A. Pohl and was the first foal out of the Strawfly Special mare, Dashin Follies, herself a daughter of World Champion Dashing Folly.
The son of Corona Cartel was originally dubbed “Coronas Follie” by breeder Michael Pohl. Born small, the colt was a $35,000 buy- back at the 2004 Ruidoso Select Sale.
“I had an office for quite a number of years in the Rio Grande Valley,” Pohl said in a 2014 interview with the Quarter Racing Journal. “One of my good friends down there was Joe Chapa, who every now and then gets a wild hair and wants to own a horse. His partner is Bobby Joe Yzaguirre. Chapa says, ‘Pohl, I want to buy a horse, you’ve got some decent horses, sell me
a horse.’ I said, ‘I just bought this horse back at the Ruidoso Sale (and I will give him to you).’ He says, ‘No, let’s just own him together, send me his papers.’ He calls me back, says, ‘Well,
I don’t like his name, but I like that he’s by Corona Cartel. You let me name the horse, and
we’ll be partners. What we want to do is win the All American.’ I said fine.”
Chapa wanted to name the colt “Paint Your Wagon,” but it had already been used, so they added their initials – PYC for Pohl, Yzaguirre and Chapa.
“That’s the story of how (his name) came to be,” Pohl said.
The rest of the story has been written by PYC Paint Your Wagon himself.
The colt hit the track running, winning
the Lazy E Futurity-RG2 in his second start, only five days after his actual 2-year-old birth date, and then finishing second in the Rainbow Futurity-G1. He was second in his All American Futurity-G1 trial, but the vagary of the wind excluded him from the finals.
“When he didn’t win the All American, they became disgusted with him and wanted to sell him,” Pohl said. “I begged them not to do it, told them that he could win other races.”
But they were firm, and so Pohl’s wife Donalda purchased their half of the horse. ‘PYC’ went on to win the Grade 1 Texas
Classic Futurity and Heritage Place and Texas Classic derbies, then close his career with a narrow defeat in The Championship at Sunland Park-G1 and retired to stud with earnings of $889,581.
He was acquired by his final ownership in 2013.
A perpetual leading sire since his first crop hit the racetrack in 2010, PYC Paint Your Wagon has sired the earners of more than $35.4 million. He is already the sport’s No. 7 all-time leading sire by money earned and the sport’s No. 15 all-time leading sire by winners.
Among his leaders are Papaws Paint ($676,612), The Fiscal Cliff ($580,425), Mr PYC To You ($488,820), PYC Fun N Fancy ($478,760), Im A Fancy PYC ($454,765), This Candys Awesome ($434,265), Wagon Tales ($427,579) and Freighttrain B ($421,761).
He has also begun proving himself as a broodmare sire. In 2019, he was No. 6 on the list of broodmare sires by earnings with more than $3.3 million, led by Champion Trump My Record, and was the No. 3 on the list of broodmare sires by 2-year-old money earned.
PYC Paint Your Wagon is a full brother to leading sire Ivory James, who has sired the earners of more than $16.6 million.
PYC Paint Your Wagon was taken to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater after showing signs of illness and was diagnosed with cancer. He was laid to rest at Lazy E Ranch on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.
DON ED ROBERTS
Don Ed Roberts served as an AQHA National Director and Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association State Director for numerous years, and was elected the 1993 OQHA President. He was involved in bringing major
Quarter Horse shows to Oklahoma City and was an AQHA Golf Tournament sponsor. He served on the OQH Hall of Fame Committee
as well at the AQHA Stud Book & Registration Committee. Roberts owned numerous successful Quarter Horse such as World Champion Two Year Old Western Pleasure Horse Triples, Superior Western Pleasure Horse Sparkling Investment, Superior Western Pleasure Horse Zips White Chip, whose get earned 19 World Champions. Roberts, a retired custom home builder, is active in the community and currently volunteers at the Oklahoma Home Builders Association.
MATT VANCE
Matt Vance of Oklahoma City, OK, has been in the horse racing business for most of his life. Born in Kentucky, and the son of Remington Park’s original President and General Manager David Vance, Matt was around racing and racetracks from an early age when his father
was President of the Kentucky Jockey Club and General Manager of a small racetrack in Kentucky.
His first job was in Food & Beverage
at Remington Park. Matt worked in
various departments through positive and challenging changes in the track’s ownership. Matt’s first management role came in 2002 when he was promoted to Remington Park’s Director of Operations.
After being tasked with the track’s off-track business, he was later promoted to Director of Business Development.
In 2008, Vance created a spin-off company RPDC, which provides horse wagering and broadcasting for the state’s Native American Casinos. This created interest in the Chickasaw Nation company that purchased Remington Park in 2010. Global Gaming has been responsible
for a flourishing renewal of Remington Park after spending millions on renovations and improvements to the track and its casino.
In 2015 Vance was named Vice President of Operations of Remington Park, overseeing racing operations. Over the past couple of years, he has served in an advisory role at Lone Star Park.
Each year, the American Quarter Horse Association recognizes the hard work of several individuals in the racing industry with special awards. Vance received the 2020 Gordon Crone Special Achievement Award from the American Quarter Horse Association for his work during the pandemic.
Vance introduced precautions at Remington Park that helped curtail outbreaks at the Oklahoma City track. He introduced protocols on behalf of track owner, Global Gaming Solutions, that included daily temperature-taking for all employees, mask mandates and social distancing. Remington Park continued racing throughout the past two years with the only missed dates due to severe weather, not health issues.
152 SPEEDHORSE, February 2022