AQHA Pro Horseman Jeffrey Pait led the Cofrancesco family's stallion, Fabio Zini, to the first world championship win in performance halter stallions.

It was history in the making at the 2007 AQHA World Championship Show on November 15 – the first world championship in performance halter stallions.

The class pulled 29 entries of top stallions from across the Quarter Horse disciplines. Their Registers of Merit came from points earned in everything from roping to hunter under saddle, barrel racing to trail and pleasure driving to western pleasure.

And the names of the exhibitors leading them read like an AQHA World Championship Show “Who’s Who” list of professional and world champion trainers.

But the title and the gold trophy went to the Peter J. Cofrancesco Jr. Estate’s bay stallion, Fabio Zini, led by the Cofrancesco family’s longtime trainer, AQHA Pro Horseman Jeffrey Pait of Sparta, New Jersey.

“We just had him qualified showing him in the heading and the heeling,” Jeffrey said, in his Journal Spotlight interview in the arena. “We always liked him as a baby and this class happened to come along, and we thought it’d be a perfect class for him.

“It’s a pretty special day for us.”

What makes the win extra special is, incredibly enough, just a few hours earlier Fabio Zini’s dam, Seven S Pretty Lady, won the first world championship in performance halter mares. (Click here for the winning run story.)

“He had a lot of shape to him, a lot of conformation, so we sent him out for training to (AQHA Pro Horseman) Robbie Schroeder (of Gainesville, Texas),” Jeffrey said later, back at the stalls.

“Robbie broke him to rope and got his Register of Merit in the heeling,” he continued. “Then we brought him back to the house and went back to fitting on him and got him ready for the halter part of it.

“It’s worked out pretty good for us.”

Fabio Zini has stood grand four times since 2005. He also won open performance halter stallions at the 2007 All American Quarter Horse Congress.

The stallion is by multiple world champion halter stallion and world champion halter sire Kids Classic Style.

Fabio Zini’s dam, Seven S Pretty Lady, was bred and raised by the Stuart Ranch of Waurika, Oklahoma, the 1995 AQHA Best Remuda Award winner. The late Peter J. Cofrancesco Jr., saw the mare on a visit to the ranch and fell in love with her – it took him awhile, but he finally convinced Bob Stuart to part with her.

“We’re going to take him home now and breed a few mares to him and see what kind of babies he has,” Jeffrey said. “He was really a cute baby and with a pedigree like he’s got – his mother’s a world champion now – we’re hoping he’ll sire like he and his mother looks and see what happens.

 “(The performance halter) has been a lot of fun,” Jeffrey added. “It’s drawn a lot of people into trying the halter, and we’re seeing more and more folks getting into it.”

How the horse got his name is another story. Peggy Cofrancesco, Peter Jr.’s wife, named him after a good family friend.

“I met a wonderful musician, a wonderful guitar player, about five years ago, and his name was Fabio Zini,” Peggy explained. “Just after that, I had to name a beautiful colt that I had out of a wonderful mare and by a great stud, and I couldn’t think of a better name than Fabio Zini.”

The musician himself was on hand to witness the win. It was the Argentine’s first horse show to ever attend. So, does he approve of his namesake?

“Yes, of course!” Fabio Zini said with a smile.