Page 39 - 22 June 2012

Mongoose Chick and her weanling colt.
THE NAME GAME
Over the years, “Papa” and “Auntie” or “Mom,” as their foster kids affectionately call Carl and Raney, have found a way
to make their special kids feel even more special by naming their equine babies after them. “It’s the best feeling in the whole universe to have the kids there at the track and have them yell, ‘My horse is ahead, my horse is ahead!’” Raney said. “A lot of foster kids don’t have much and so to have that is amazing to them.”
Each year, Carl and Raney decide which child they’ll name their foals for, and try to incorporate part of the sire’s name as well.
His named-for-kids runners include Cruisin For Curtis, Roberts Running Boot and Bradens Bustlinbooty—all sired by Carl’s current favorite sire, Spanish Boot. “He and my mare Mongoose Chick just click,” Carl said. “They’ve never produced a bad one. Spanish Boot isn’t really that famous anywhere else, but Mongoose Chick and him always pro- duce something to look forward to.
“I don’t care how well you breed,” Carl adds, “only one out of three or four babies goes beyond average. That’s why I like Spanish Boot. Everything he’s bred for us has been fantastic.”
WHAT KEEPS HIM GOING
Carl’s friend of more than 45 years, fellow racehorse owner and show judge Jim Davis of Grants Pass, Oregon, describes Carl as a dear friend and a very generous, giving person. “He supports his wife 100 percent in taking in all those foster kids,” Davis said. “That’s part of what keeps him going—the kids, and waiting to see his new foals each year.
“He wears his heart on his sleeve and sometimes that makes him vulnerable,
but that hasn’t changed him. He’s a very wonderful person.”
“Carl’s done so many nice
things over his lifetime it’d be
hard to name just one thing I
admire about him,” said Harris.
“He’s an exceptional person. He’s a
devoted breeder and owner, and dedi- cated to the industry. He has been director and past president of the Oregon Quarter Horse Association, and if anyone is needing help, they give Carl a call and he’s one of the first to jump in and help out.”
In his golden years, Carl has cut his breeding operation from the half dozen they bred each year in the past down to just two: Mongoose Chick and Bradens Bustlinbooty. Where they used to keep 40-plus head at the farm, now about eight remain.
He and the family still travel to the track when Grants Pass is running. “At his age, that’s quite a deal,” Harris said.
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“It takes about half an hour to get them
all unloaded and then again to get them loaded back up when it’s time to go home.”
This year Carl will run Cruisin For Curtis, Roberts Running Boot, and an unraced 2-year-old.
Smokey said that what Carl loves
is winning, and he has a soft spot for the horses. Jeri and Raney think it’s the associations and friendships that keep Carl involved. Davis thinks it’s the competition. And Carl? It’s combining his two great loves—family and racing his horses.
Roberts Running Boot winning the 2009 Firecracker Futurity under Ashton Dale at Grants Pass Downs.
Rogere’ Nielson
Speedhorse Files
Courtesy Carl Alleman