November 8-23, 2013, Oklahoma City

Amateur 3-Year-Old Mares

Homebred win, topside and bottomside.

by Christine Hamilton
The American Quarter Horse Journal

Peter J. Cofrancesco III, an AQHA 20-year breeder, brought two homebred and raised horses to Bank of America Week at the 2012 AQHA World Championship Show. And he’s going home with two gold trophies.

One was in amateur 3-year-old mares November 8, with Virtues, by A Radiant Image and out of Sheza Virtuous Lady by Statutory.

“She’s a great mare, born and raised on my family’s farm (in Sparta, New Jersey),” he said in his Journal Winning Run. “I had the privilege to win the world championship with her mother and her father so she’s a very special mare and it was an honor to show her here and win.”

Peter led A Radiant Image to 2005 amateur 2-year-old stallions reserve world championship, and amateur world championships in 2006 3-year-old stallions and 2007 aged stallions. With Peter at the lead, Sheza Virtuous Lady won amateur reserve world championships in 2000 weanling mares, 2002 2-year-old mares, and  2004 and 2005 aged mares; and amateur world championships in 2001 yearling mares and 2006 aged mares.

Virtues herself has earned three youth titles with Abigail Pait.

“All my kids are anxious to keep showing her,” he added. Peter and his wife, Carmen, have three children, Ireland, Peter IV and Emma. “So we’ll probably breed her this year and then show her again next year. I really haven’t decided yet. We’re just trying to get through this week and see what happens.”

Peter’s first 2012 amateur halter world championship was in 3-year-old stallions with Inspirado.

A longtime exhibitor, Peter has certain show-day rituals he follows.

“One thing, I never go into the Coliseum until my class, if I’m showing that day,” he admitted with a laugh. “I love watching the halter classes, but I’ll never go into the Coliseum until I go in for my class. And I like the same person to put my number on… in the prior class."

New Jersey was hard-hit by Superstorm Sandy the week previous to the World Show.

“I left home and we were in our seventh day without power,” Peter said. “We were lucky. We live inland and we didn’t have a lot of damage, but we did lose power for seven days, which was a little challenging. But the coastal region of New Jersey, the shoreline, really got beat up bad.”

Both horses will return during FedEx Open week, and Peter is looking forward to facing his competitors – and his friends – in the show pen again.

“This is the toughest competition in the world,” he said. “You come here knowing that you have some nice horses, but there are a lot of nice horses that come here. I came with two homebreds, and we raised both of them. I was very fortunate to come out on top."