Page 38 - June 2015

The sire of Rocket Bar is Three Bars (shown here), who revolutionized Quarter Horse racing with his speed and conformation.
The first mating of Rocket Bar and Tinky Ann produced 1962 mare La Ree Bar (shown here), dam of World Champion Charger Bar.
La Ree Bar is the dam of Anna Hi (shown here), who produced 1990 Champion and noted Champion sire Jazzing Hi.
races at Los Alamitos. I ran second in the Intermountain Futurity with her.”
When Tinky Ann ended her race career, she met up with the famous Rocket Bar. Charlton explains it this way, “I got friendly with George Kaufman at a little Futurity out at Alvin, Nevada. When he bought Rocket Bar, he wanted me to buy a share in him, but I didn’t. I just bred to him. The deal we had was I breed three mares and he would get one colt.”
He continued, “That’s the reason I bred to Rocket Bar and he had a lot of heart, too. In fact, I won three Intermountain Futurities all with Rocket Bar horses.”
Rocket Bar was bred by Charles Reed. He raced from 1953 to 1958 in the hands of Dr. Harold E. Donavan. He started 35 times with 16 wins,
six seconds and four thirds. He won $22,904. He won such races as the Phoenix Cup (twice).
Rocket Bar raced under a cloud that, despite his success, may have been even greater if he had run without injury.
Walt Wiggins in an early story “Rocket Bar” in the Quarter Racing World (now Speedhorse) tells us that, “Horseman who saw Rocket Bar during his six long pain- ridden seasons on the ovals are in general agreement that he was one of the greatest sprinters of his day. Unbelievable heart, unflagging power and fierce determination were his stock and trade, and had these attributes been assigned a more durable body, his fame as a sprinter would perhaps have been totally without parallel.”
The article goes on to tell us that Rocket Bar had won in his first start
by 4 or 5-lengths in: 48 seconds going 4-furlongs. He came back with an injury to his knee in his next start and would never run completely sound again.
When we look at the pedigree of Rocket Bar, we have to recall High Time and his inability to run long distance. High Time was inbred to Domino, giving him what Wiggins calls a “speed on speed” pedigree. Wiggins also tells
us in his Rocket Bar story that this great horse had a “speed on speed” pedigree.
The sire of Rocket Bar was the legendary Three Bars, who is credited with revolutionizing the Quarter Horse with his speed and conformation. A
look at his pedigree tells where some
of his speed came from. He was sired
by Percentage by Midway. The dam of Percentage was Gossip Avenue by Bulse by Disguise by Domino. The dam of Three Bars was Myrtle Dee by Luke McLuke, who was sired by Ultimus, the double grandson of Domino. This gives Three Bars a breeding pattern of 5 X 5 X 5 to Domino.
When we look at the dam of Rocket Bar, we find a stakes winning mare named Golden Rocket. She was the winner of the 1942 Washington Futurity. She would go on to win three more starts with two seconds and three thirds from 24 starts.
Golden Rocket was sired by Cartego, who was sired by *Atwell and he was out of Polly H by Heno. The dam of Golden Rocket was Morshion by the Kentucky Derby winner Morovich by Runnymede. Runnymede is sired by Voter, who was the
sire of Ballot, the sire of Midway, the sire of Percentage, the sire of Three Bars. The dam of Runnymede was Running Stream, the dam of Ultimus, the sire of Luke McLuke, the sire of the dam of Three Bars. This takes us to Domino again.
The dam of Morshion was Cushion by Nonpareil, who was sired by Yankee. Yankee was sired by Hanover and out of Correction, a full sister to Domino. They were sired by Himyar and out of Mannie Gray. Thus, we see the speed influence
of Domino and his sister Correction as a part of the speed in Rocket Bar.
The first mating between Rocket Bar and Tinky Ann produced La Ree Bar. This 1962 mare would run a top AAA time winning eight of 11 starts. Her stakes win came in the Intermountain Futurity in 1964. She was also third in the Las Vegas Spring Championship in 1965.
La Ree Bar would enter the breeding shed to start the explosion of outstanding runners from this family. Her first foal was Pacific Charger who was the winner of five races from 18 starts. Pacific Charger became the dam of nine ROM from 10 foals with three stakes winners and one stakes placed runner. Her leading money winner was Pacific Dream, who was the winner
of the 1979 Los Alamitos Invitational Championship and a second place finisher in the 1979 Champion of Champions. She was the 1979 AQHA Racing Champion Aged Mare.
The next foal out of La Ree Bar was the phenomenal Charger Bar, who was sired by Tiny Charger by Depth Charge.
36 SPEEDHORSE, June 2015
SPEEDLINES
Los Alamitos