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The McArthurs
“Do What You Love and You’ll
Never Work a Day in Your Life” by Diane Ciarloni
It’s true that the contemporary racing Quarter Horse industry boasts a number of outstanding trainers, but it’s equally
true that stepping back two, three, or even four decades is where we collide, face-to- face, with a list of legendary training icons. Just reading the names evokes a sense of something akin to awe.
Walter Merrick and Easy Jet. Bubba Casio and Dash For Cash. Jack Brooks and his
eight All American Futurity winners. Blane Schvaneveldt with First Down Dash. Carl Draper and DM Shicago. James McArthur with Easy Date and Eastex. Donna McArthur with Corona Cash, Corona Kool, and Dashing Folly. That’s only a tiny handful from the archives of greatness, but the message is clear.
Of course, the overall sport was different back then.
“It felt like a party every day,” James McArthur recalled. “It was more fun. It was just different, but different in a good, positive way.” Maybe some of the difference came from all the sleek, expensive, oil and gas-purchased horse heads looking over stall doors on shedrow!
Many people agree with James’ assessment. It was different. The tales spun around tables in the track kitchen seemed taller and more exciting. The atmosphere crackled a bit more intensely. On the other hand, maybe it’s simply the romanticized recollections of a senior generation drooling over “the good ol’ days.”
Regardless of which is the more accurate interpretation, James and Donna McArthur’s Racing Stables was a powerhouse force back then and it remains remarkably viable in 2022.
Donna came from dedicated equine folks, and it never occurred to her to pursue any career that didn’t involve horses. Her daddy was Charles Wilken, better known as Lefty. He was born in 1920 in Valentine, Texas. He died on Valentine’s Day in Las Cruces, New Mexico. That in itself is an interesting coincidence. Lefty’s parents were considered pioneers who made a humble but honest living on the backs of mules and the wooden beds of wagons. Lefty rode horses and threw a hell of a rope long before he needed to shave. A natural athlete, he joined the old Cowboys’ Turtle Association in 1942. His membership card was number 74.
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