Page 138 - Speedhorse February 2020

Shawne Bug
Through his friend Dale Robertson, Henry Bowlan met an Arizona man named Mike Levis, who was looking for someone to show horses for him. Levis and Henry and Linda Bowlan hit the bigtime in 1976, when a Lady Bug’s Moon colt named Shawne Bug won the $100,548 Blue Ribbon Futurity.
The 1974 brown colt started a dozen times that year, winning his Blue Ribbon Futurity trial on January 1, and nine days later coming back to win the final. The day they won the final, they ran five consolations for the Blue Ribbon Futurity. Trainer Merle Fitzgerald
put Jim Rosencutter in the saddle that day
at Sallisaw, and they beat Lord Winsalot, the 1976 Champion Two Year Old who was ridden by a young jockey named Jacky Martin.
Shawne Bug went on to win seven of his 12 outs that year, placing in the All American Futurity Consolation and Kansas Futurity Consolation.
Shawne Bug opened 1977 with a win in the Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association Derby, but at Ruidoso he met a buzzsaw known as My Easy Credit who became the
first horse to win a Triple Crown Derby at Ruidoso as he took the Kansas Derby, Rainbow Derby and All American Derby. Shawne Bug was third to My Easy Credit in the Kansas
and Rainbow Derby. Shawne Bug outran My Easy Credit in the All American Derby trials. However, he was second to My Easy Credit in the finals.
The stalwart Oklahoma-bred Shawne Bug would earn more than $180,000 as a three
year old in 1977. With a bankroll of $277,000 when he retired, he stood at Shawnee Farms in Tecumseh for a fee of $750 under the guidance of Henry and Linda Bowlan and Dr. Leon Self.
After the passing of Mike Levis, they purchased Shawne Bug from the Levis Estate. Mari George, the Indiana woman that ran Indianapolis Motor Speedway, became a partner with the Bowlans on Shawne Bug.
Shawne Bug sired several big runners on the track. His son Corporate Bug won the Rainbow Derby at Ruidoso and then went to Hollywood Park and placed in the Dash For Cash Derby and two other stakes. Painted
Bug earned nearly $275,000 at Ruidoso, Turf Paradise, Santa Fe, Blue Ribbon, Sunland, Trinity Meadows and Los Alamitos. When Painted Bug was bred to Beduino in 1986,
she produced a filly named Strawberry Silk who won the 1989 All American Futurity. Strawberry Silk’s son Stoli would win the All American Derby and become a prominent sire, carrying on the blood of Shawne Bug.
Shawne Bug’s runners hit it big and
made nearly $5 million. In 1989, he was the leading broodmare sire. He was also a strong sire and grandsire of outstanding barrel
horses. He’s made a definite impact on both the barrel and racehorse industry.
Shawne Bug was euthanized on February 26, 2000, following complications of a stroke. He was laid to rest on the grounds of Bowlan Farms, Tecumseh, Oklahoma, where he spent the majority of his breeding career.
Country Zevi
Country Zevi was a 1988 blue roan mare by Zevi TB and out of That Country Charm by Rocket Ridge. Purchased as a weanling
by Sparky Mullins of Wagoner, Oklahoma, and his uncle, she earned $23,289 in her three year racing career. She qualified for and competed in many big races, but Country Zevi found her true stride as a broodmare.
The dam of ten foals, all by different stallions, she carried all of them. All ten foals were Register of Merit. Nine were AAA and five of them were AAAT. Two of the ten were Champions. Country Quick Dash si 96 by Royal Quick Dash is a 4-time American Paint Horse Association World Champion, and he is a 7-time APHA World Champion sire. Country Chicks Man SI 110 by Chicks Beduino is an American Quarter Horse Association Champion Aged Stallion.
Country Zevi was the first mare in AQHA history to have three Graded stakes winners in the same year (2007). All foals were born in consecutive years and by different stallions: Country Chicks Man, Eyesa Country Miss, and SM Country Cowboy. Her progeny earned $1,312,000, and that doesn’t include the over $100,000 they won in APHA races.
Sparky saved his money for three years to be able to afford the breeding for Chicks Beduino. This investment brought Country Chicks Man to the racing world. Country Zevi’s most notable offspring, Country Chicks Man, earned $736,793 and lit the board 24 of his 38 outs.
Country Zevi’s offspring can still be found racing at the racetrack. She was an incredible broodmare, and a great contributor to American Quarter Horse racing.
Golddust Dee Doc
Golddust Dee Doc was purchased by Jim Seago at the Cutting Futurity sale for Shirley Ray. They bought the yearling as a prospect because of his color and breeding. Golddust
Dee Doc was bred by Ed & Joan Morgan of Duncan, Oklahoma. The 1982 gelding was
by Mr Dee Bar Chex out of Touch O’Fame by Fame Pay Gold. Jim Seago trained and exhibited him as a three year old at the Sunbelt Futurity in Oklahoma City and Lazy E Futurity, where he placed and won around $4,000.
After those accomplishments, Jim realized that Golddust Dee Doc was going to be a really
nice non pro or youth horse, and had quite the personality to go with it. He was known as an escape artist who could untie a rope and could let himself and other horses out to play.
Soon Golddust Dee Doc earned a place as a permanent part of the family when son Jimmy started showing him in the youth cutting and roping classes. Shirley liked him and started riding him, too. He was also shown by Charlotte and Tabitha Harrison who rode him and qualified for High School Rodeo cuttings.
In 1991, Jimmy and Golddust Dee Doc
won the AQHA & OQHA youth high point
in roping. In 1992, Golddust Dee Doc was
the AQHYA Team Penning World Champion. He proved to be quite the all-around prospect
as Jimmy rode him in the working cow horse, reining, cutting, heading, and heeling at the AQHA Youth World Show and placed in all
of the classes. Golddust Dee Doc’s last year at the AQHA Youth World Show with Jimmy proved to be one of the most daunting tasks of his career. He not only competed for Jimmy’s qualification in the heading and heeling, but he and Jimmy’s other horse, Grey Lark, also assisted the other team members at partners with their goes in heading and heeling.
Golddust Dee Doc was a trusted partner
in the family rodeo pickup business and his loyalty spanned for three generations of Seagos. Jimmy rode him as a pickup horse at open rodeos, youth rodeos and at the Cavalcade. Amy Seago even got her chance to show him in breakaway, as well. Jimmy and Amy trusted him as a safe mount for their son Sawyer when he began roping. Golddust Dee Doc and Sawyer competed at the AQHA Youth World Show in heading, heeling and breakaway roping.
Golddust Dee Doc earned titles and points in PHBA, AQHYA and AQHA Amateur and Open roping and multiple other events. He died at the age of 31.
Remington Park
Oklahoma’s premier horseracing and casino entertainment venue was built by the late Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., the shopping mall developer. He also owned Thistledown in Cleveland, Ohio, and Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana. Remington Park officially opened on September 1, 1988, and conducted its first American Quarter Horse season of racing in the summer of 1989.
Remington Park has long been associated with championship racing, with superstars routinely beginning their careers here while others found their top strides as older horses in Oklahoma City. Legendary runners like Refrigerator, Junos Request, Winalota Cash, SLM Big Daddy, Tailor Fit, Cold Cash 123, Jess Good Candy, Jessies First Down and many others have all established major stakes scores at Remington Park, on their way to championship status.
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