Page 43 - June 2016

Rex Ellsworth purchased Silver Cord in 1934.
The track record setting stallion pedigree carries ties to horses such as . . .
Rex Ellsworth modeled his horses after The Tetrarch
2-time Champion sire Master Hand is by Bold Ruler TB, hailing from the family of The Tetrarch, a famous source of speed in the modern racehorse and the horse that Rex Ellsworth modeled his horses after.
the blood of The Tetrarch. He bred Khaled and got Kentucky Derby winner Swaps.
2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome is double bred to Numbered Account, out of Intriguing, by Swaps.
AQHA Hall of Fame member Depth Charge TB, a 4-time AQHA Champion sire.
14-time AQHA Champion sire Three Bars TB.
grand nephew of Rex Ellsworth. The father of this grandnephew was a son of Rex’s brother Reed.
Here is what the website author had to say about The Tetrarch and his influence on Ellsworth. “The Tetrarch. This is the horse that Rex modeled his horses after. He wanted the blazing speed that The Tetrarch passed on to his offspring. Rex went to Europe with the purpose of finding an excellent stallion prospect that had The Tetrarch up close.” The horse he found in Europe was Khaled. Khaled was out of Éclair by Ethnarch by
The Tetrarch. He bought Khaled when he couldn’t buy Nasrullah, who also carried the blood of The Tetrarch.
Ellsworth would cross the mare Iron Reward with Khaled and get Kentucky Derby winner Swaps, who became one of the great racehorses and a good sire. His newest claim to fame is his appearance twice in
the pedigree of the 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome. Love The Chase, the dam of California Chrome, is double bred to the mare Numbered Account with a breeding pattern of 3 X 3. The dam of Numbered Account is Intriguing, a daughter of Swaps.
Khaled also sired New Policy, and he would be the sire of Reb’s Policy who is the sire of horses like the great 4-time AQHA Champion Town Policy. Reb’s Policy is also the sire of Our Third Delight, an AQHA Dam of Distinction as the mother of Champions Tres Seis, Dean Miracle and Fortune of Delight.
The dam of Silver Cord was Alice Brown Gown by Luke McLuke, a winner of four stakes races in his six starts including the 1914 Belmont Stakes earning $22,050. He was sired by Ultimus by Commando by Domino. The dam of Ultimus was Running
Stream by Domino. This makes Ultimus inbred to Domino with a 2 X 2 breeding pattern. Luke McLuke was the broodmare sire of the great Three Bars.
Silver Cord gives us an early version of how the blood of The Tetrarch, through Stefan The Great (Depth Charge), and the blood of Domino, through Luke McLuke (Three Bars), would come on the scene to influence the running Quarter Horse.
Silver Cord would become a sire with Thoroughbred runners like Over Drive, winner of $15,300; Sterling Hope, winner
of $15,418; and Harmoney Cord, winner
of $8,080. Silver Cord was the broodmare sire of horses like Grey Spook, winner of $47,137, and Loose Shekels, winner of $33,945. Both of these runners were out of Mad Silver, with Grey Spook being sired by Arigotal, another Ellsworth foundation sire. Arigotal was bred by Rex Ellsworth and he was sired by Ariel and out of Legotal, one
of the early mares bought in Kentucky by Ellsworth. Loose Shekels was sired by Khaled.
When we look at the Quarter Horse influence of Silver Cord, we come across a couple of interesting ties to Quarter Horse history. The 1964 AQHA President was Hugh Bennett, a Colorado rancher who at one time lived in the Safford, Arizona area
at Fort Thomas. Bennett was the 1938 RCA World Champion Steer Roper. Bennett bred to Silver Cord. One of the foals bred by Bennett was Silver Cord Jr, or “Old Blue”
as he was called in the rodeo arena where
he became a legend. Silver Cord Jr would sire some good horses as well, including the racing ROM Silver Duke and the AQHA Champion Jody Cord. Old Blue was out of a Bennett Q Mare by Red Cloud.
Silver Cord would sire the racing Register
Ellsworth purchased Khaled (shown here), who carried
SPEEDHORSE, June 2016 41
SPEEDLINES
Los Alamitos Andy Golden