Long before Iolan Paul Sinclair owned his plumbing business, Paul Sinclair Plumbing & Heating, he rode horses. WHILE HIS winning days are over as a rider, Sinclair’s affiliation with the sport is not. PHOTOS AND trophies from Chifforobe’s and past horses’ success line the walls of Sinclair’s family room.
Not the way cowboys do, but as a jockey.
Sinclair, 68, began riding for a profession almost by accident.
He explains.
Before a football field was built at Iola’s Riverside Park, there stood a horse track. When Sinclair was 11, his sister told him an owner, J.D. Rowe, needed a small, light rider.
“I went down there and talked to that guy, telling him I’d ride the horse,” Sinclair said.
The race was a mile-long derby. Because the track was only a half-mile long, each race went two laps.
“I won that race,” he said, “the first I’d ever been in.”
Rowe liked the way young Sinclair rode.
“After that, every summer he wanted me to come up to his place in Memphis, Mo.,” Sinclair said. “Then we’d go on the circuit. He’d run in Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Kansas.”
That lasted for about five years.
But as Sinclair aged — and naturally grew taller and heavier — he knew his days as a jockey were numbered.
Then came familial commitments. Sinclair graduated from high school and got married to wife Roberta. The Sinclairs had two children, son Bob and daughter Paula.
He still enjoys success as an owner. He bought his first horse when he was still riding, which he competed with for a couple years.
He has since bought and owned horses for nearly 60 years. Sinclair has owned nearly 60 thoroughbreds over that span. The most he owned at one time was six.
Currently, Sinclair owns one horse named Chifforobe, which he bought in May.
“I saw this horse entered down at Dallas, Texas,” Sinclair said. “This was his first race he had ever run, it’s called a maiden race. So, I claimed him. He was in for $7,500. I took the money down.”
According to Sinclair, when a person claims a horse, he has to have the cash or a cashier’s check to give at the time.
It turned out to be a good investment because the horse won.
Since the race, Chifforobe has won six times under Sinclair’s ownership. This past October, Sinclair’s horse won the Oklahoma Classics Sprint. The purse was $130,000 — the largest winnings of Sinclair’s career.
“It’s not all profit by no means,” Sinclair said; 10 percent of the winnings went to the jockey, 10 percent went to the trainer and 20 percent went to other people or fees.
“I’d say, you probably break even or can lose a little bit,” Sinclair said. “But, some years are better than others. They can’t all be really good, unless you’ve got a lot of horses. I don’t carry a lot of horses anymore, this is the only one I’ve got running right now.”
Plumbing — his full-time career of 43 years — has always been his top priority.
It just so happened that his passion, horse racing, is a close second.
Sinclair said Chifforobe is in Oklahoma City this week. He will race in Houston shortly.
Sinclair used to send his horse around the country to St. Louis or Chicago. Now he keeps them in the Midwest, closer to home.
“I enjoyed riding more, of course, but the weight took over and I couldn’t ride anymore,” Sinclair said. “But, it’s been really fun as an owner over the years. A lot of people will go hunting or fishing. This has been my passion.”
Iolan Paul Sinclair finds success as horse owner
