(February 16, 2011 - Carberry, MB) --Apache Blue Boy, a Canadian-bred American Quarter Horse, recently earned his fifth World Championship honours at the annual American Quarter Horse Association's World Championship Show held November 6-20, 2010 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma,

The 1995 grey Quarter Horse stallion won his first World Championship title in 2003, in Amateur Heeling, ridden by Mike Row, and is owned by Mike's father, John Row of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. When he's not competing, Apache Blue Boy performs the time-honoured traditions of tending cattle and breeding mares at the R & S Cattle Ranch owned by John and Mike Row.

Apache Blue Boy with amateur exhibitor, Mike Row aboard (2010 photo courtesy AQHA)

"This year (2010) Apache Blue Boy won his fifth world title while not at his very best," his exhibitor, Mike Row said, "I'm just grateful he made it there, because he almost died on us about two weeks before the show. He got an infection in his colon and was at the vet's for four days, so we didn't get to practice on him, but one day before the preliminaries. That just shows how great he really is!"

Row and Apache Blue Boy worked first in the draw on November 10 in Amateur Heading with AQHA Professional Horseman Steve Orth, the horse's long time trainer, heeling for them. "We drew a good steer", Mike said, "He (the steer) didn't run as hard as some of them did. I just tried to catch him and Steve cleaned it up. Steve always does for me. I'm not worried about his end. He was good."

Apache Blue Boy's five World Champion titles, two in Amateur Heading and three in Amateur Heeling only scratch the surface of his multiple top ten finishes at the World Show and year-end top ten finishes in heading and heeling. Apache Blue Boy has earned more than $76,000 from a total of 50 AQHA class entries. 

Apache Blue Boy is sired by Blue Boy Doc, by Doc's Prescription and his dam was Apache King Miss, by Boston Apache. Greg Frick of Whitewood, Saskatchewan, Canada, bred Apache Blue Boy. Frick has been breeding and raising Quarter Horses at Sabre Quarter Horse Ranch since 1971. Frick said, Blue Boy is our most outstanding product to date. We are very proud of his five World Championships and other outstanding successes at AQHA World Shows. It has generated a lot of new calls enquiring about our horses."