Page 42 - January 2022

SPEEDLINES
Clabber the Iron Horse
by Larry Thornton
Clabber, AQHA’s first World Champion
Now that we have finished the 2021 racing season, we are all waiting to see who will be named the AQHA Racing
Champions of the year. We have seen and experienced a great year of racing, flirting with everything from two potential triple crown winners at Ruidoso Downs to a horse that has traveled to a number of tracks meeting all competition and adding to his racing credentials. It has been a good year for racing.
The AQHA Racing World Championship is the title we hold in great anticipation as it marks the top horse to represent the success of the 2021 racing season. So, with that in mind, I thought we should look back at the first racing World Champion and see some of the roots that helped form modern racing.
Clabber was the first Racing World Champion, winning his title in the 1940/41 racing season. The races that were used to consider this championship were run in late 1940 and early 1941. Clabber was the racing Champion Stallion, and
Shue Fly was the 1941, 1942 and 1943 World Champion.
40 SPEEDHORSE January 2022