Page 166 - Jan_2020

BEDUINO
The Mystery Horse From Mexico
By Al Carr
Nasrullah
Nearco
Grey Sovereign
Mumtaz Begum
Kong
Baytown
Romany Royal
Clang
Vilmorin
Gold Bridge
Romany Belle
Queen Of The Meadows
Romany Chi
Charger
Romany Lass
Revoked
Blue Larkspur
Rejected
Gala Belle
By Line
Blenheim II
Jo-Ann-Cat
Sable Scarf
Depth Charge
Bold Venture
Quick Eye
Quickly
Eye To Eye
Teddy
Appeal
Five years ago, a big gray Thoroughbred stal- lion arrived at the Vessels Ranch from deep in the heart of Mexico.
He was big – muscular for a Thoroughbred – but well-balanced fore and aft.
He stood with a commanding presence, a calm, almost arrogant air.
His name was Beduino and probably because he was a mystery horse from Mexico, rumors began to fly around the Los Alamitos Race Track stable area that this was an unbeatable horse.
Or, rumors had it, that Beduino was at least a horse who had yet to be beaten either on the race track or in match races in the bush.
They said he had won over a million dollars for his owner, Justo Fernandez, who had bet as much as $100,000 on him.
They said Beduino was a Thoroughbred who had beaten top Quarter Horses in match races at 440 yards – a distance no Thoroughbred should beat any racing Quarter Horse.
On and on went the rumors. Justo Fernandez had brought the horse north from Mexico City for a match race with Charger Bar, that great filly who at the time was the
best Quarter Horse running and destined to be ranked among the all-time greats.
At the time, Charger Bar had won 14 straight races.
That race never came off. The Vessels Stallion Farm bought half interest in Beduino for $250,000. A picture of Beduino was hung in the reception room of the general offices of Los Alamitos Race Track.
It hung on the wall behind the switchboard and even in that position, dominated the room.
Talk and rumors of Beduino gradually faded.
Then a year ago, his first crop hit the race track. Among that crop was What A Woman, whose dam was Whataway To Go by Go Man Go.
In her maiden race, What A Woman went to her knees as she broke from the gate, but got up to win against some blue bloods – Proud Heritage, daughter of Ettabo and Charger Bar, and Cherished Lady, a daughter of Easy Jet.
She used to run like a goose, belly low to the ground, but she’s gotten out of that habit and her lifetime record is now 23 stars, five wins, eight seconds, and three thirds. She has earned $88,072 and has been third in the La Primera
Del Ano Derby and the Fresno Futurity, and second in the Vandy’s Flash, Juvenile Invitation, and Kindergarten Consolation.
Beduino’s second crop came to the track this year, led by Fishers Favorite, whose dam was Ought To Go. Another Go Man Go daughter as was the dam of What A Woman.
Thus far, Fishers Favorite has won three of her seven starts, been second twice and third once. She has earned $111,937. She won the Kindergarten Consolation and was the fastest qualifier for the $750,000 Skoal Dash For Cash Futurity.
In the finals of that rich event, she went off the even money favorite but placed second to Easy Angel. She was not shipped to Ruidoso for the All American Futurity.
Interest in Beduino obviously was rekindled. It was time to separate fact from fiction, to turn rumors into truth and to discover how much about this stallion was merely fantasy. Was he truly a legend?
Frank Vessels III, better known as Scoop around the racetrack and grandson of the founder of Los Alamitos Race Track, had probed and separated fact from fantasy.
162 SPEEDHORSE, January 2020
LOOKING BACK - AN EXCERPT FROM OCTOBER 1979 ISSUE
Beduino TB