Page 167 - August 2021

Turnpike. That includes Painted Turnpike, a 3-Time APHA World Champion and the first and only winner of the Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Triple Crown.
Verna Pevehouse, Nolan’s wife and Ronnie’s mother, reflected on her role in the upbringing of the gelding: “I was really excited. He’s come a long way and really matured and come into himself.
“I raised him from a baby,” she added. “He did a great job. He did really well.”
It says something that Fabulous Turnpike was even on the track. After posting finishes of fourth, second, and fourth in his first three starts all at Remington Park, the gelding was diagnosed with a throat infection that created severe blisters. He spent more than a month receiving treatment.
“We thought we had some ability; we just didn’t know how much,” Ronnie Pevehouse stated.
Fabulous Turnpike bounced back in the July 10 Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Futurity trials, winning his heat and logging the fifth- fastest qualifying time.
There was no catching him in the stakes final, however. After breaking on top from the No. 9 gate, Fabulous Turnpike led at every call of the 350-yards, leading by a head at first call and entering the stretch and then pulling away late to sport a 1/2-length margin as he hit the finish line.
Jockey Daniel Torres was aboard for the vic- torious trip, completed in :17.749 for a 94 speed index. Dee Keener is the trainer.
Ronnie Pevehouse noted that Keener
has “always been kind of high on [Fabulous Turnpike]. In the trials, he ran on a sloppy racetrack and had an hour rain delay before the trial. He still ran a good race. When he came back for the finals, the horse came back and ran real straight, just ran a big race. We think he’s got everything figured out.
“We hope all the hurdles we’ve had to jump, all the difficulties we’ve had in the past, that they’re over with now,” he said.
The Pevehouse family hopes more stakes wins lie in the future for Fabulous Turnpike. He’s paid into the Pot O’ Gold Futurity at Will Rogers Downs, and then will make a foray in November to Lone Star Park in Texas.
The Pevehouses also home-bred Paint Me Turnpike APHA, the dam of Fabulous Turnpike and a former stakes winner herself.
RP Reckless Wire APHA (CRM Livewire -RP Miss Reckless Dash QH) made a steady run for second. The filly is owned by Roy Kent Perkins and trained by Ray Enlow. Cody Wainscott had the riding assignment.
Keener also trains third-place finisher JS Runnin Wire APHA (CRM Livewire -Iwilliewantarunner QH). Home-bred by Shirley Wheeler, the gelding had Gonzalo Gutierrez up.
The Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Futurity is the middle leg in the Speedhorse Triple
Crown, sandwiched between the Speedhorse Graham Paint & Appaloosa Futurity-G1 at Remington Park and the Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Championship Futurity-G1 happen- ing later this year at Will Rogers Downs.
There will be no Triple Crown winner this year. Smithworks, winner of the Graham Paint & Appaloosa Futurity in June, finished eighth in this race.
The remaining order of finish was La Totuga APHA (CRM Livewire-Goldie Will Make It QH), My Name Is APHA (CRM Livewire-Dashin DD), PFR Snowpike APHA (Painted Turnpike-Snowdacious), Capo Cabana APHA (Capo De Capi QH-Mai Dashing Hero), Smithworks APHA (Painted Turnpike-Shesa Mighty Chick), Wired To Win APHA (CRM Livewire-Mt De Boss), and WF January Dawn APHA (Gitter Dun Turnpike- Tax Time Judy).
RACING NEWS
Fabulous Turnpike’s winning connections include owner Estate of Nolan D. Pevehouse, trainer Dee Keener and jockey Daniel Torres.
Fabulous Turnpike and Daniel Torres make their way to the winner’s circle.
SPEEDHORSE August 2021 165
Jana, Thomason, Speedhorse
Jana, Thomason, Speedhorse