Page 136 - July 2016

Jose Nelson Fakri
A life well lived: Jose Nelson Fakri, who changed the face of Quarter Horse racing in Brazil, passed away on June 16
by Sue Zuber
Isso é vida. Translated from Portuguese, it means, “That’s life.” Jose Nelson Fakri lived life with those two words as his motto, and in the process became one of the most well-respected Quarter Horse breeders in Brazil. Senor Nelson, who passed away on June 16, 2016, at the age of 89, left a legacy of great racehorses and an even greater legacy as a person.
“We had started shipping regularly down there in the late ’70s,” said Vince Genco of Pacific Airlift Inc., a livestock air transport company based in Clovis, California. “It was in the early ’80s when I first started working with Senor Nelson. He wasn’t one of our
first customers, but he was one of our very best customers, as far as doing business with somebody. He was just so easy to do business with. Everything he said, he did. He was just a real honest person. He was honest to a fault.”
Genco tells a story to illustrate his point. Several years ago, Senor Nelson and Frank “Scoop” Vessels III entered into a foal share agreement with Vessels’ stallion First Down Dash, and Senor Nelson’s mare Dinastia Toll BRZ. The mating resulted in twin embryos and, eventually, two colts.
“I told Senor Nelson, ‘The right way to do it would be to flip a coin to see who gets the choice of the colts.’ And he said, ‘No, no, I want Scoop to have first choice because I appreciated him foal sharing with me on this mare.’ That’s just
the kind of guy he was. Of course, Scoop picked FDD Dynasty, and Senor Nelson got a horse called First Dinastia. And the rest is history.”
FDD Dynasty went on to become a two- time racing champion, while First Dinastia was a stakes-placed winner of $42,985. Ending up with the lesser horse didn’t bother Senor Nelson, though.
“That’s just the kind of guy he was. He was a gentleman. He was very easy to do business with. He was very honest,” Genco said of
Senor Nelson, who earned a living in the textiles industry before semi-retiring to start his horse operation. “He knew what he wanted to accomplish as far as the horses were concerned.”
And he accomplished a lot. Working with Genco and Bill Verdugo in the United States, Senor Nelson was responsible for importing several top stallions to Brazil. The first horse he imported to his Sao Luiz Ranch was Rumbull Along (Bullwinkle – Burs Bet, Bur Barred), who became a halter Champion. After that was Sweet Daddy (Tiger Rocket – Vandys Katsy, Vandy), a Track Record Setter at four distances.
By 1986, Senor Nelson had moved his equine operation to a new facility he named Rancho
das Americas. Three more stallions – Pivot Point (Easy Jet – My Minta, King Kameha), Tokanon (Azure Te TB – La Native, by Heisanative) and
A Beduino Bomber (Beduino TB – Chargability, by Tiny Charger) – had joined the ranks when
Senor Nelson made a fateful decision to purchase All American Futurity-G1 winner and three-time Champion Timeto Thinkrich. That business transaction, facilitated by Verdugo and Millie Vessels, started a long and successful relationship between Senor Nelson and the Vessels family.
A year later in 1987, Senor Nelson owned
six stallions and more than 100 mares. He started the First Speed Sale that year, setting the standard for Quarter Horse racing sales in Brazil. With fellow visionaries Gianni Samaja and Wellington Germano de Queiroz, Senor Nelson helped build the Quarter Horse racing industry in his homeland.
“In those days, these guys were the biggest breeders in Brazil,” Genco said. “Senor Nelson had a stable at Sorocaba racetrack. What they did was they bought shares. All of those early people in the ’80s bought shares, and that’s how they built Sorocaba racetrack.”
Rancho das Americas was the Champion Owner at the Jockey Club de Sorocaba four times – in 1991, 1998, 1999 and 2002. Respected
by his peers and passionate about Quarter
Horse racing, Senor Nelson served as president
of the Quarter Horse S/A in 1990 and was a member of the ABQM (Brazilian Quarter Horse Association) council from 1995-1996.
And still, he kept importing stallions. Senor Nelson imported Tolltac (Beduino TB – Little Smoothie, Smooth Move) in 1994 and then
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