Hailee's Lena's Bar!

Lena's Bar is Hailee's great-great-grandma on her daddy's side. She was bred to Jet Deck to produce Easy Jet. She was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2003, and her Quarter Horse race track record was 76-24-18-10. Her sire was Three Bars and dam was Lena Valenti. She had six children, 4 boys, 2 girls. Easy Jet had a full brother named Jet Smooth whose children won $2,546,842 on the track. Lena's Bar has a royal pedigree herself, including Commando, Sweep, Eclipse, Pocahontas and Derby winner Ben Brush. Through Lena's Bar, Hailee is related to two English Triple Crown winners, Diamond Jubilee and West Australian. Look at the photo -- she looks just like my sweet, independent, fierce little mare! You can read more about Lena's Bar at the following link:

http://www.qhd.com/horse/stallion.asp?id=23302&sex=mare

My Girls are Ruffians!

What can be said about Ruffian? She was born in 1972, never defeated, never headed. Every time she raced in her 8 stakes races, she won and set a record. She won the Filly Triple Crown just breezing along. She perished in a match race against Foolish Pleasure. Her jockey, Jacinto Vasquez, had the choice to ride either horse in the match race and he chose the big black girl. She was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1976. My girls are heavily directly related to this wonder of a girl. I am awed. I remember with vivid clarity the day Ruffian died. We were living in Canada, and mom and I were watching the news and heard the story. Violet and Hailee are related across every single branch of Ruffian's family tree. They share many relatives, including Nasrullah, Sweep, Domino, Traffic Court, Sir Gallahad, Plucky Liege, Teddy, Broomstick, Blue Larkspur, Black Toney, Discovery, Whisk Broom, Commando, Love Wisely, Hindoo, and Fair Play. What's strange is that Ruffian has Man o' War's daddy in her pedigree, but not the Grand Man himself! Anyway, Ruffian is a lovely macho girl and she was a real role model to girls like me in the 1970s. Be big, be bold, compete, have a big, giant heart. You can read more about this short-lived, lovely miraculous girl at the following links. The Youtube link is very sad -- someone went to a great deal of effort to write a lovely song to her:

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=128

or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruffian_(horse)

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96wka0rBHWM

or

http://www.championsgallery.com/Ruffian/Ruffian.html

or

http://thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/ruffian1.htm

or

http://www.equinenet.org/heroes/ruffian.html

or

http://horseracing.about.com/library/pics/blruffian.htm

Broomstick and my girls!

Hailee and Violet are related to Broomstick, a top sire of both sires and broodmares! He was top sire for many years. He was born in 1901. His own dad was Kentucky Derby winner, Ben Brush, and so Broomstick is part of the strongest American sirelines of the 20th century. He was known as a game competitor who could carry weight. At 3, he set a new American track record time of 2:02 4/5 for 1 1/4 mile, a record which was not bested until 1913 by his own son, Whisk Broom II, also a direct relation of both Hailee and Violet. Broomstick's record was 39 races, 14 wins, 11 seconds, and 5 thirds, for a total earnings record of $74,730. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1956. He died at 30 and is buried at Gainesway Farm with his children Whisk Broom and Regret, and his grandchild, Equipoise, and other descendants, including Boojum. My girls are directly related to all of these horses, except Regret, the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby and an indirect relation of my girls. Among Broomstick's children and grandchildren, Violet and Hailee are related to Frilette, Swinging, Shady, Remembrance, Whisk Broom, Boojum, Traffic, and Sweeper. You can read more about Broomstick at the following links:

http://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Broomstick.html

or

http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/horse.asp?ID=37