Page 27 - June 2016

It’s been quite a year for Dasha Freda. In January, the mare was named a Dam of
Distinction by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), and most recently
she was voted Speedhorse Magazine’s 2015 Broodmare of the Year. Both honors came after two of her foals, Heza Dasha Fire and Ima Fearless Hero, had standout years on the track in 2015. If Don and Kathy Meneely and their son Shawn, of S-Quarter K LLC, aren’t careful, they’re going to have to build another trophy case to hold all of that hardware!
In 2014, Heza Dasha Fire si 105 raced
into history as the AQHA Champion Two- Year-Old Gelding. Racing for the Meneelys, of Kennewick, Washington, he won the Ed Burke Million Futurity-G1 and Golden State Million Futurity-G1 and was fourth in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity-G1. He was the only two year old to win two Grade 1 races that year.
A winter break at veterinarian Dr. Rick Overly’s Lazy Creek Ranch was just what Heza Dasha Fire needed to relax after such a stellar season. As a three year old, the horse returned to trainer Jose Flores’ barn as strong as ever. With regular rider Cruz Mendez, the Walk Thru Fire son won the Golden State Derby-G1 and then the Los Alamitos Super Derby-G1 under a hand ride, earning a Champion of Champions berth in the latter.
“He’s never run 440, so that’s a question mark,” Don Meneely said after the Los Alamitos Super Derby as he contemplated the Champion of Champions. “Based on what he showed tonight, you have to believe that 440 will suit him. But that’s why they load them in the gate.”
Heza Dasha Fire loaded into the outside gate for the Champion of Champions, and once the starter hit the switch, the race belonged to the strapping sorrel gelding. He parlayed a sharp break into a 1 1/4-length win, quieting any doubts about his ability to handle the distance or older foes. In doing so, he also became
the 35th horse since 2002 to earn the title of AQHA Supreme Race Horse. That honor is bestowed upon any horse who earns $500,000 or more, wins two or more open Grade 1 stakes races, and at least 10 races.
Heza Dasha Fire wasn’t through collecting accolades, though. He picked up year-end Horse of the Year and Three-Year-Old Gelding of the Year honors from the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association and cleaned up at the AQHA champion’s announcement on January 20, adding the titles of World Champion, Champion Three Year Old and Champion Three-Year-Old Gelding to his resume. He ended 2015 with $1,689,388 in earnings.
The World Champion was not the only star in the Meneelys’ stable barn last year. Heza Dasha Fire’s younger half-brother, Ima Fearless Hero si 92, contributed to a powerful one-two punch. Ima Fearless Hero won California’s richest race of 2015, the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity-G1, making the Meneelys
the only owners to win the Champion of Champions and “The Deuce” in the same year. For the trainer-jockey team of Flores
and Mendez, Ima Fearless Hero also won
the PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity and earned multiple titles in 2015. The Valiant Hero gelding was the PCQHRA’s Two-Year-Old
above: Fearless Freda, shown returning after winning the 1996 Breeders Championship Classic under Bruce Pilkenton, is the dam of Dasha Freda
left: Julie, Shawn (front) and Don & Kathy Meneely of S-Quarter K, LLC.
above: The sire of Dasha Freda is Champion Mr Jess Perry, a World Champion sire and Champion Broodmare sire
Dasha Freda
received her AQHA Dam of Distinction award in 2015.
SPEEDHORSE, June 2016 25