Former racehorse Calls Hot Colors ponies Trendi to the gate of the Rainbow Futurity.

© Richard Chamberlain Photo

Q-RACING JOURNAL—AUGUST 13, 20Calls Hot Colors has lived a decade of his life in the barn of trainer Wes Giles.

First, it was as a racehorse. The 2000 brown son of Hot Colours entered Giles’ barn as a 4-year-old. A race winner, he was preparing to find his true stride in the distance ranks.

The gelding was owned by Robert Jakino’s R.L. Jakino Enterprises Inc. and he quickly went to work at 870. He was second behind Runbyu’s track record-setting time in the MD Barns West/Southwest Challenge (G3), and then would represent his owners at the MD Barns Challenge Championship (G1) at Sam Houston Race Park.

Calls Hot Colors was bred by Patricia Peery of Vian, Oklahoma.

Sire Hot Colours is a son of Special Effort and the sire of earners of more than $2 million, including leading earner Heza Hot Hit ($197,520).

Dam Shawne Call is a daughter of Shawnee Bug and a race winner. She is also the dam of 1989 Heritage Place Futurity (RG1) runner-up Call Shawne (by Alot Quicker, $100,660) and stakes-placed runner Called To Run (by Streakin Dash, $55,977).

In his 5-year-old year, Calls Hot Colors notched his stakes win in the MD Barns Northwest Challenge, defeating Runbyu, and earning a sparkling 111 speed index. He would also finish third in the MD Barns West/Southwest Challenge (G3).

He would hang up his racing plates at the close of 2006, but he never left Giles’ barn.

“We won the Challenge race for him and we were setting him up for a stakes at SunRay Park,” Giles remembered. “I worked him and he come back with a little heat in his cannon, so I just retired him.

“And when I retired him, the owner said you want to buy him?” Giles continued “And I said yeah, I love him, I’d love to buy him, I’ll make a pony horse out of him.”

Even as a racehorse, Calls Hot Colors was a sensible animal. He was mindful and tractable, and Giles figured that would carry over to a new career.

And they have served him well in his new job of leading young, flighty runners.

“He’s his own deal,” Giles said. “He don’t like other horses messing with him. He’ll snap at them if he feels like they’re getting too close or rubbing on him. He’ll show them his teeth and they’ll give him their distance. He’ll put them in their place. But he’ll never kick one; he dang sure lets them know he’s the boss and he’s controlling what’s happening out there.”

And, yeah, that was him ponying William Smith's Trendi to her place in the $900,000 Rainbow Futurity (G1): The winner's circle.

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