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“Dad had a few mares, and he was emotionally attached to each one. He loved breeding them and being a part of Quarter Horse racing.” – Fred Alexander
King P-234
“King P-234 was one of them,” Fred remembered. Foaled in 1932, the heavily muscled bay stallion had a single star on his forehead. As King’s
life unfolded, that star turned into a beacon guiding the emerging Quarter Horse breed into an enduring place of prominence. King and his Atlas-like muscles was pronounced the universal QH ideal.
Bred by Manuel Benavides Volpe of Laredo, King was by Zantanon, who was referred to as the “Man O’ War of Mexico,” and out of Jabalina by Strait.
It’s interesting to note King was purchased by New York Giants player Byrne James. He later entered
his breeding career for a $10 stud fee. Jess Hankins finally managed to buy him for an astounding $800 – in the middle of the Great Depression!
Hankins set King’s stud fee at $15, going to $25 in 1938. The fee rose to $100 at the start of his fourth breeding season, with Hankins turning away 80 clients. The point of all that information is to simply offer proof that Charles Alexander harbored a ton of noteworthy horse exposure.
Joe Alexander, Fred and his throbbing hand, Marylou and Lucille started the return trip to New Mexico from Laredo. Loaded in that trailer was the humble beginnings of Joe Alexander’s horse program.
It’s apparent that Fred came from horse roots.
“Dad had a few mares, and he was emotionally attached to each one,” he said. “He loved breeding them and being a part of Quarter Horse racing.
I remember the first time he was seriously ill. He called me aside and asked me to promise to take care of his mares if anything happened to him. Of course, I said yes.”
Fred was just 15-years-old when he enrolled in New Mexico Military School. That may sound a tad harsh to some people, but he looks back on it as one of his best learning experiences. “That was really big for me,” he said. “They taught discipline, strict honesty, a dedicated work ethic, and a list
of other characteristics that help shape life and relationships in a positive way.” He also completed a two-year business program. He was equipped to walk away from the horse world if he wanted but, instead, he chose to try his hand at horse training before doing anything else.
“It didn’t take long to figure out I couldn’t put food on the table as a trainer,” he laughed. “The best thing that happened during that time was meeting Linda (Jamieson) in 1984. Her family has been highly respected in the Thoroughbred industry for a lot of years. We were married in 1985.” That’s been 37-years ago, with a lot of bridges and a lot of water flowing under them.
“Linda always supported me in whatever I did,” Fred continued. “She worked at a grocery store when I was training. I had only one employee, a groom, and it was her check from the grocery store that paid him.”
Zantanon, sire of King P-234
14 New Mexico Horse Breeder
Robert Denhardt Orren Mixer
Courtesy A&A Ranch
Courtesy A&A Ranch