Treasured brings a king's ransom

The winner of more than $143,000 on the track, Paint racing sire Treasured sold for $85,000 at the 1998 Fall Heritage Place Sale, held October 31 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Topping the sale, Treasured is the first-ever Paint to bring the high-selling price at a racing-bred sale.

Consigned by co-owners Tucker Hikes and Jim Thomas, both of Hudson, Michigan, the 1985 bay tobiano is the lifetime leading money-earning Paint racehorse. One of the hottest commodities in Paint racing, the stallion is also the leading sire of 1997 money-earning racehorses, 1997 ROM qualifiers and 1997 wins.

By Easy Jet Too and out of Treasure Glass AQHA by Raise Your Glass TB, Treasured earned 11 wins, 4 seconds and 2 thirds out of 20 starts during his racing career. Bred by Hikes and Thomas, the stallion has stood at Bowlan Farms in Tecumseh, Oklahoma, and for the past two years at Maui Farms in Purcell, Oklahoma.

The outcome of Saturday's sale, however, marked the beginning of a new era-and a new home for Treasured.

Purchased by Ben Walden Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. George Hofmeister, the stallion now stands as the prized possession of Vinery West. Located in Kaysville, Utah, Vinery West was formerly known a Blue Blood Farm. Blue Blood's former owners, David and Nick Plummer, now manage Vinery West, as well as the career of the farm's newest superstar, Treasured.

Maui Farms manager Vicki Coldiron has grown quite attached to the flashy stallion over the last couple of years, but feels Treasured's move to Utah is a wise one.

"I hate to see him go," said Coldiron. "It's breaking my heart, but at this this time he's number one. He's at the top of his game and anyplace he goes, he is sure to be successful.

"Thanks to cooled shipped semen," she continued, "wherever Treasured is, he will still be available to the breeders in Oklahoma and Texas."

Hikes will also miss the stallion, who has been the highlight of his breeding program.

Reflecting fondly on his favorite racehorse, Hikes related the story of how Treasured came to be.

"I went over to Jim's house and said, 'You know how we are trying to find a place to breed Treasure Glass? I know we can take this mare that has a 101 speed index, breed her to Easy Jet Too, and we'll get a racehorse.'"

The result of that first breeding was a bold and flashy colt he and Thomas decided to name Treasured-and that he has definitely been.

"I feel bad about parting with him," said Hikes, who will continue breeding some of his broodmares to the stallion.

A tribute to Hikes' breeding savvy, Treasured was only the first of many successful crossings between Treasure Glass and Easy Jet Too.

A probable gold mine that couldn't be tapped, the pair's second foal was a Breeding stock fill named Lost Treasure. Because solid Paint Horses were not allowed to race at the time, Hikes and Thomas sold the filly to a veterinarian for a mere $600.

The third foal, however, was a colorful filly named Treasures who went on to win $102,768.69 on the track, with a speed index of 101. Treasured Too was the fourth foal produced by the pair. A success in his own right, the 1988 bay tobiano stallion earned $75,657.59 and had a top speed index of 103.

So what's next for Treasured? As Hikes sees it, the stallion relocation may be destiny.

"I hated to sell him, but maybe they needed a good stud in Utah," he said.