Jenna Hyde rode Can I Get Your Number, a 2011 chestnut overo gelding sired by A Sudden Surprise and out of She Made It Sweet to a victory in the inaugural Premier Paint Sires 3-Year-Old Limited Horse Limited Rider Western Pleasure Class held Saturday evening at the Western Regional Zone 2 Show and Paint-O-Rama in salt Lake City, Utah.

Hyde collected a check for $8,895.20, presented at the exit gate, for her victory.

Joe Hansen, of Anna, Texas, purchased Can I Get Your Number as a weanling and showed him to an APHA World Championship title in Amateur Yearling Longe Line in 2012.

“We gave him his 2-year-old year off so he would be a strong 3-year-old,” Hyde says. “He is a ham and likes attention. I would say he is a very confident horse. Nothing seems to bother him.”

Leslie Watkins earned $1,366.21 for placing fifth in the class aboard Ooh La Licious, sired by Lopealicious , plus an additional $1,250 for being the highest placing Non-Pro rider in the class.

Seven 3-year-olds competed for prize money in the first of three legs of this year’s Premier Paint Sires. The other two 3-Year-Old Limited Horse Limited Rider Western Pleasure Classes will be held in Williamston, North Carolina in July and in Des Moines, Iowa in September.

Claire Binkowski, who along with Mike Hachtel, developed the Premier Paint Sires program says the response they have had since the crowning of the first class’s champion has been amazing.

“Everything went better then we could have hoped for,” she says. “Much of the thanks for that goes to the show management of the UPHC Paint-O-Rama, especially show secretary Marla Fadel and show manager Terri Wirthlin, who went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed to run things as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Even more importantly, we need to thank the 26 stallion owners that believed in what we were trying to do and understand that we have to create opportunities that will promote our sustainability.”

Only 3-year-olds, sired by a stallion enrolled in the program are eligible to compete. Horses may not have earned more than $5,000 or 25 points prior to Jan. 1of this year or have placed in the top three in any Western Pleasure class at the American Paint Horse Association World Championship Show. All of the exhibitors must be limited riders based on lifetime earnings and world show placings.

Serving as judges for the historical event were Michael Ochetto, Mark McCarthy, Julie Thompson-Martell and Cindy Chilton-Moore .

Presented by InStride Edition, Premier Paint Sires was established to enhance the breeding prosperity of American Paint Horse Association registered stallions by creating an elite event that showcases the offspring of a limited group of distinguished color breed stallions. By giving exhibitors of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for a significant cash prize in three premier shows, Premier Paint Sires will create the incentive to improve the breeding potential of APHA stallions. Premier Paint Sires is committed to fostering goodwill for western pleasure within the industry as well as the outlying the community and is dedicated to promoting the future of the industry.

JR Wenger Custom Saddles and Tack, official saddle maker of the Premier Paint Sires, is awarding a new work saddle to the overall champion who shows at all three shows as well as a $1,000 gift certificate toward the purchase of a saddle to one lucky exhibitor at each of the three shows. Cade Atwood was the lucky winner in Salt Lake City.

Other sponsors include:

Presco Telecommunications – The Preston Family

Schultz Farms and Ranches

Sonny and Hillery Yager

Rockin E Country Store

Koca Chiropractic

Melissa Baus Design

Dare To Dream Performance Horses – Allan and Julie Smit

“Most of the programs that exist cater to the top 10 percent of our industry, those who can afford a six figure horse or travel across the country to show or gamble a large entry fee to be able to compete for significant prize money,” Binkowski says. “But in doing so we’re excluding a far greater group of people. We have to shift our focus to the majority and find ways to encourage them to stay involved and give them an equal chance to compete if we want our industry not just to be sustainable but to ultimately grow. The 26 stallion owners that came together to start this program understand that and all of the credit for Premier Paint Sires and the success of our inaugural event belongs to them.”

The success of the first Premier Paint Sires class has its organizers excited about the future.

“Now that the first class is under our belt I can safely say that this program is doing everything we intended it to do,” Binkowski says. “But this is just the beginning. Mike and I encourage people to provide feedback on what they thought of the class last night and share their thoughts on Premier Paint Sires. Tell us what you liked and what you didn’t and what you would like to see in the future. While we can’t always accommodate everybody, we do want to stress that we are listening and no opinion is any more or less important than another.”

Complete results, including payouts are listed below. Checks were issued to participants before they left the arena.

1st – $8,895.20 – Can I Get Your Number. Exhibited by Jenna Hyde for Joe Hansen. Sired by A Sudden Surprise

2nd – $4,411.20 – Longterm Investment. Exhibited by Kara Whitsell for Kimberly Basterrechea. Sired by A Scenic Impulse

3rd – $3,106.20 – CR Midnite Machine. Exhibited by Hillery Yager for Terry and Holly Schultz. Sired by CR Good Machine

4th – $2,108.70 – One Fleeting Night. Exhibited by Marty Simper for Janis Kengis. Sired by Fleet Machine

5th – $1,366.21 – Ooh La Licious. Exhibted by Leslie Watkins for Alan and Leslie Watkins. Sired by Lopealicious

6th – $931.23 – Its Scenic On Top. Exhibited by Kyle Nauman for Diana Stubbs. Sired by A Scenic Impulse

7th – $931.23 – Salty Asset. Exhibited by Cade Atwood for Kathy Slobom. Sired by Frozen Assets

Highest Placing Non Pro – $1,250.00 – Leslie Watkins

$1,000 gift certificate from JR Wengers Custom Saddles – Cade Atwood

Visit Premier Paint Sires on the web at http://www.premierpaintsires.com or on its Facebook page.