Page 169 - Speedhorse April 2019

Speedlines
I March 1982 I by Ty Wyant & Nancy Welch
handy categories in which to classify horses. We have speed indexes and registers of merit. We have champions and non-winners of two. We have stakes winners and claimers.
We also are very fortunate to have Town Policy.
Sure he fits into a lot of descriptions, but he surpasses them all. He has done so much for so long that we have a tendency to take him for granted. Yet he will be discussed a half century from now even though he is a gelding, therefore not having any progeny to help trans- mit his fame into the future.
Town Policy is legend.
The legend of Town Policy was not just built on the race track. His legacy is built on the intrigue created by Mexican horse thieves and the fact they were never prosecuted.
This odyssey began in October 1977 at a compact ranch in Stanton, California, which has since been torn down. It was in an area suited for an industrial complex instead of pasture.
Legends surpass the bounds of man. They do things that defy categories. In Quarter Horse racing we have these
Town Policy Was O
a dergarten Futurity, Pomona
d Futurity, Bardella Stakes and
All American Futurity.
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There were rumors that a cattle prod was used to get information on the horse’s whereabouts. The rumors may or may not be true, but they certainly helped build the scenario.
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y and Ashment have been very
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flew as fast as he did down th
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Several months later, his owner said that his first thought upon seeing Town Policy tied near a Mexican corral was that he looked like he was dead.
Town Policy owner
Ivan Ashment and trainer Blane Schvaneveldt had a close relationship,
and together they moved a string of horses from Idaho down to Los Alamitos.
Left: Ivan Ashment holding awards for Champion Lady Juno and 4-time Champion Town Policy.
After five frustrating mo
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Right: Blane Schvaneveldt, trainer of Town Policy.
SPEEDHORSE, April 2019 167
LOOKING BACK - AN EXCERPT FROM FEBRUARY 1984 ISSUE
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