PYC Paint Your Wagon triumphs in Texas Classic Futurity

PYC Paint Your Wagon was the fastest qualifier for the Grade 1, $1 million for Quarter Horses at Lone Star Park, and on Saturday night he proved best in the finale, winning by a half-length over Automatically. It was another length back in third to Real Visions.

PYC Paint Your Wagon ($8.40) jumped out to the lead at the start and never relinguished his advantage, covering 400 yards in 19.73 seconds. Jacky Martin rode the winner for trainer Jack Brooks.

Martin, 51, has now won a record three runnings of the Texas Classic Futurity. This year's win was particularly meaningful for the rider, whose wife, April, died suddenly on Oct. 28.

"I was needing this win," said Martin. "I've been in kind of a bad state of affairs for the last month."

Martin's other Texas Classic winners were Eyesa Special for Brooks in 2000, and Fast Debonair in 1998.

Brooks is the only trainer to win two Texas Classics.

* First Comment ($10.80) closed with a rush for a half-length win in Friday night's $332,869 Texas Classic Derby for Quarter Horses. Si Puede, who was shooting for her 10th straight win, finished third as the favorite in the race.

* Vals Fortune ($2.60) and Fredricksburg ($5.20) finished in a dead-heat for the win in the $100,000 Refrigerator Handicap for Quarter Horses, also held on Friday. Both horses are trained by Heath Taylor.