This Memorial Day weekend, a lot of horse trailers will be headed to South Jordan, Utah for the American Paint Horse Association Western Regional Zone 2 Show. The largest American Paint Horse Association Show in the country for last two consecutive years will be expecting record numbers this year as it will hold the first leg of the Premier Paint Sires.

For trainers from the Western region of the country having a big futurity in Utah is especially significant because most of futurity classes with large payouts are held in the Central or Eastern states.

For multiple APHA and Pinto World Champion all-around trainer, Cooper Evans of Salt Lake City, Utah, excitement surrounding the class has even brought him in new training horses.

“I believe in the Premier Paint Sires program quite a bit,” Evans says. ” I have two studs, Lopealicious and Pleasure Power, in the program. The two horses I have to show in the class are horses that I received in training for the purpose to prepare for this class.”

When Evans heard about the program he immediately nominated both the stallions he has in training. Pleasure Power is an APHA World Champion by A Pleasure Sensation, whose first foal crop hit the ground this year and Lopealicious, by Dress Western, is still winning in the show arena and passing on his great mind to his foals.

Evans is excited to present a 3-year-old by him, Oh La Licious owned by Allen and Leslie Watkins in the Premier Paint Sires class. He also will be presenting Itsscenicontop, a 3-year-old by Scenic Impulse, owned by Diana Stubble. Both horses will be presented in the Premier Paint Sires class by Evans and his assistant Kyle Mauman.

” I think our industry really took a nose dive as far as futurities and lacked the incentive to pay back like other disciplines as in the Cutting, Reining and Racing for instance,” Evans says. “I think owners are really excited about this program because it gives them the opportunity to possibly get some of their money back.”

According to Evans, talk has really jumped up surrounding the event and he is hearing of more people planning to attend the South Jordan show this year.

” I think the Premier Paint Sires program has had a pretty powerful impact,” Evans says. “In the beginning, I was not hearing of a lot of people that were coming for it and now I have heard a lot of people are planning to attend the already huge show. A lot of people also attend the Texas Memorial Day Spectacular Zone 4 Show in Waco, Texas held that same weekend which is usually also one of the larger shows in the country but I have heard of several people who usually go there who are headed out our way this year. I think the Premier Paint Sires class is the only major difference between the two shows and may make a lot more people drive the extra distance and shift in our favor to be the largest show in the country for yet another year.”

One of the major attributes of the Premier Paint Sires program is that the class is offered only to Limited Horse and Limited Rider combinations.

“I think our Fall World Show has become so competitive that a lot of people did not feel they could compete,” Evans says. ” I think it is such a great opportunity for this part of the country to be able to have something like this program. The numbers are here obviously because we have had the biggest show in the nation the last couple of years but it is all generally centered around the all-around events because no big futurities are ever offered out here.”

The second leg of the triple stakes will be offered at the Color on the Coast show in Williamston, North Carolina in July and the third at the Iowa Breeders Futurity in Des Moines, Iowa in September.

With the extra incentive for attending all three shows, Evans has heard a lot of talk about many planning to attend all three events.

“By holding three classes instead of one, we not only give the stallions greater exposure but also give people in all areas of the country a chance to participate and benefit,” says Claire Binkowski, co-founder with Mike Hachtel of the program.

With 30 stallions eligible, the Premier Paint Sires program is open to all offspring by these nominated stallions and will be eligible to compete for $100,000 payout.

The Limited Horse, Limited Rider class will pay out $25,000 at each of the three shows with an additional bonus paid to the highest placing non-pro exhibitor.

It will also pay a $10,000 bonus to the highest placing horse that shows in the class at all three events. In addition, a $2,500 check will be given to the sire of each of the three class winners and overall champion.

“Most people can not afford a $50,000 horse or take the time off of work to go to a horse show every weekend or travel across the country to the World Show,” Binkowski says. “By making classes for Limited Horses and Limited Riders and spreading the money out into three different regions of the country, we want to give these people a fair chance to compete for a significant payout.”

As a presenting sponsor, InStride Edition is very excited about the program. One hundred percent of funds collected from stallion nominations, entry fees and sponsorships will go directly back into the program.

“We have some great sponsors who have already joined us but we can always use more support to make this program an even bigger success,” says Binkowski. ” We have a great group of stallions signed up and a ton of interest from mare owners and exhibitors.”

For additional information about Premier Paint Sires please contact Claire Binkowski at (608) 235-4804 or Mike Hachtel at (920) 220-9405 or email PremierPaintSires@gmail.com