(Thursday, October 10, 2002) - Carole Vann Stacy’s Heros Valentine, a 2-year-old daughter of popular Paint Horse sire Texas Hero, was the fastest qualifier to the Grade 1, $100,000-estimated Graham Paint Futurity with a 350-yard time of :18.058. Ten Paint horses earned a spot in the October 25 by competing in four trial races Thursday night at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Here are the 10 qualifiers: Heros Valentine (:18.058, ridden by Jacky Martin, trained by Sonny Womack); Powerhouse Hero (:18.070, Tony Bennett, Leland Parnell); Texie Two Step (:18.094, Tad Leggett, Mark Sellers); Imgonaring Dee Beall (:18.114, J.R. Ramirez, Dave Correll); Chi Chi Mamma (:18.160, Cody McDaniel, Donald Bradford); Lolas Song (:18.180, Martin Rubalcava, Brandon Parum); CC War Admiral (:18.199, Saul Ramirez Jr., Edward Ross Hardy); Turnpikes N Texas (:18.260, G.R. Carter Jr., Matt Whitekiller); Thunder Gluch (:18.288, Roy Brooks, Lewis Wartchow); and Our Kids Hero (:18.308, Larry Payne, Sam Hester).

A total of 35 Paint horses attempted to qualify.

The Graham Paint Futurity is the second-richest Paint race in the nation – the Masterpiece Futurity at Los Alamitos is the richest – and richest Paint race in Texas.

The Paint Horse’s combination of color and conformation has made the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) the second-largest breed registry in the U.S. based on the number of horses registered annually. A total of 56,869 Paint Horses were registered with the APHA last year.

To be eligible for registry, a Paint’s sire and dam must be registered with the APHA, American Quarter Horse Association or the Jockey Club (Thoroughbreds). To be eligible for the Regular Registry, the horse must also exhibit a minimum amount of white hair over unpigmented (pink) skin. Each Paint Horse has a particular combination of white and any color of the equine spectrum: black, bay, brown, chestnut, dun, grullo, sorrel, palamino, buckskin, gray or roan. Markings can be any shape or size, and located virtually anywhere on the Paint’s body. Although Paints come in a variety of colors with different markings, there are only three specific coat patterns: overo, tobiano and tovero.

In the late 1940s, the Paint racehorse proved itself by defeating some of the great American Quarter Horses at bush tracks. Paint racing was officially recognized in 1966, and it has grown significantly since then. That year, 17 starters ran for $1,290 in the two states that held Paint races (Texas and Oklahoma). Last year, a total of 580 starters competed in 520 APHA-recognized races for purses exceeding $3.2 million.

The Graham Paint Futurity is restricted to Paint Horses sired by legendary horse breeder Hebert Graham’s six stallions: Texas Hero, Raise A Jet, Concho County, Kit Casey, Relentless Jet and Lonesome Hero.

Stallion Texas Hero made his mark during the 1993-94 racing seasons, winning back-to-back World Championships as well as topping the $100,000 mark. The loud-colored bay tobiano stallion, by Raise A Jet and out of Breakaway Baby, won both the PSBA and Pot O’ Gold Futurities in 1993.