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by Jennifer K. Hancock
Inaugural lQHBa Hall of fame
The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Associa- tion Hall of Fame will induct its first members at the annual LQHBA Membership Meeting & Awards Banquet April 9 at Evangeline Downs in Opelousas.
Prominent Louisiana Quarter Horse breeders and owners, Leverne Perry and Claude and Bessie Lea Jeane, and horses Oh Black Magic, Rocket’s Magic and Royal Bushwhacker make up the inaugural class. The new Hall of Fame coincides with LQHBA celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Since registering his first Quarter Horse foal in 1967, Leverne Perry has been a prominent breeder and owner in Louisiana Quarter Horse racing. He is the former executive director of the LQHBA, serving from 1987-2013, and was instrumental in legislative efforts that brought casino gaming to state racetracks. Born in Sieper, Louisiana, Perry began roping calves and rodeo- ing as a teenager and later became involved in the race industry. Leverne purchased Scoopie Fein for $1,000 for his father and bred her to Streakin La Jolla in 1992. After his father’s passing, Leverne named the colt Mr Jess Perry in honor of the “greatest man he ever knew.” The stallion ranks as the second-highest leading living sire of money earners with progeny earners of over $47 million. Perry has owned and bred accredited-Louisi- ana-bred Quarter Horses for close to five decades. He is the 2011 Gordon Crone Special Achievement award recipient and in 2014 received the LQHBA Lifetime Achievement award.
Claude and Bessie Lea Jeane have bred and owned many noted Champions in Louisiana. One of Claude Jeane’s earliest runners was the Le Bold stallion Tonto de Bold out of Tonto Bars Becky by Tonto Bars Gill. Bred by W.E. Barrett, Tonto de Bold raced for six years beginning in 1972, compiling a (66) 22-14-16 record while winning six stakes races and setting two track records.
Bred by Bessie, Mighty Space Bid won 13 of 24 starts and earned $155,498 while winning the Louisi- ana Breeders’ Laddie Futurity, Pelican State Classic and the Delta Downs Louisiana Breeders’ Derby.
Claude Nolen Jeane died in 2012 at the age of 76. He was an insulation contractor for 40 years and an owner/breeder and trainer of Quarter Horses since the 1960’s.
Oh Black Magic, a 1973 daughter of All American Futurity winner Three Oh’s, was bred by Dr. and Mrs. D. G. Strole. Donice Thompson, a dairy farmer from Folsom, Louisiana, had an interest in Quarter Horses and made quite a fascinating acquisition for Oh Black Magic, according to his daughter, Jo Ann. “My dad was quite a character,” she explained. “In 1973, he
made the trip to Abilene, and came back with four horses, a goat and a windmill!”
One of the horses was a weanling, Oh Black Magic, and the goat, which they named Horace, became the stalwart companion to the talented mare. At the track, she started 33 races, winning six before retiring to broodmare duty where she produced 15 foals, three stakes winners, three stakes-placers and earners of $634,520. Her top runner was Magics Mighty Man, who won 16 of 27 starts including the Louisiana Breeders’ Laddie Futurity, Delta Downs Louisiana Breeders’ Derby and Firecracker Derby-G2, earning $305,210 and an AQHA Superior Race Horse title.
“My dad loved Oh Black Magic, and we were blessed to have a mare like her,” Jo Ann said. “She might not have been a super racehorse, but what a producer!”
Rocket’s Magic, a son of Rocket Wrangler out of
the Uproar TB mare Magic Spots, was bred by J. R. Adams and first owned by Bill Thomas of New Iberia, and then L/J Farms Inc. of Alexandria. Lloyd Romero trained the colt, his son Gerald was his assistant and his son Randy rode the horse. Randy was just a teenager when he worked Rocket’s Magic for the first time, boldly predicting he would set a new track record in
his racing debut. He did just that at Delta Downs, then went on to win the Old South Futurity and FQHA Fu- turity before winning his trial and running third in the 1975 All American Futurity. He retired with a record of six wins and earnings of $117,075. In 21 crops, he sired 232 winners with $3.8 million in earnings.
Benjamin C. McCutchin bred Royal Bushwhacker in Texas. The son of Behold A Beduino out of the Easy Jet mare Royalty Comes Easy made 27 starts from 1990-1992 for owner John Soileau. He won 13 starts and earned $290,770. Ridden by Alvin “Bubba” Brossette, Royal Bushwhacker was trained by Kenneth Roberts Sr.
After breaking his maiden at Delta Downs on April 29, 1990, and winning the $77,315 Firecracker Futu- rity, the gelding was sent to the All American Futurity trials, winning the All American consolation and then the QHBC Juvenile Classic-G1 at Los Alamitos. Royal Bushwhacker closed his career in 1992 with back-to- back wins at Delta Downs, the same track he broke his maiden on two years earlier.
“This has been in the works for several years, and we are delighted to acknowledge the contributions that these individuals and horses have made to Louisiana breeding and racing,” said Tony Patterson, LQHBA executive director. “Our board of directors joins me in congratulating the inaugural class and look forward to a very memorable evening on April 9.”
Send photos and news items to jennifer_k_hancock@hotmail.com.
The MonTh in review
12 SPEEDHORSE, February 2016
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