Page 41 - January 2018

The Magic of Speedhorse
“Walt had a penchant for the common man,” Scott says. “He saw the beauty in horse racing — that you don’t have to be a millionaire to start off. You can come from humble beginnings and with honesty, horsemanship and a good reputation, you can become something extraordinary. Quarter Horse racing is a Cinderella-type sport and I think Speedhorse has always recognized that and helped publicize the dream that fuels the big numbers.”
“I think my dad would be very pleased with the way Speedhorse has grown and continued,” Walt Jr. concludes.
As Speedhorse celebrates the beginning of our 50th, those in the Quarter Horse racing industry are pleased as well, and grateful for Walt’s vision and willingness to do whatever it took to promote their sport during his lifetime.
In the nearly 50 years since that first issue, Walt and more recent Speedhorse owners have helped promote the Quarter Horse racing industry to not- even-dreamed-of levels and recorded its fascinating growth and history along the way.
Members of the American Horse Publications met at Sunland Park. From left to right are: 1st VP Audie Rackley (Quarter Horse Journal), Secretary Walt Wiggins Sr. (Quarter Racing World), jockey Richard Bickel, Mrs. Jess Burner, President Snowden Carter (Maryland Horse) and owner Jess Burner of El Paso.
SPEEDHORSE, January 2018 39
“Walt was the best. I met him
in 1976 when I applied for a job at Quarter Racing World right out of college. I flew down to Roswell for an interview and was down there working for two months before the magazine moved to Oklahoma. That was during the transition from Quarter Racing World to Speedhorse.
“Upon meeting Walt, I was
immediately impressed. He was very
easy to get along with and he cared
deeply about people and about the
horse. When he had the magazine,
his dedication to the horse
superseded thinking like a magazine
executive. Obviously, we tried to
make money but his primary goal was based around the horse.
“He was a true artist and a true craftsman who really cared about the racing Quarter Horse. His photography is beyond reproach, and
I remember when he was writing, he was really involved with it, yet patient. Everything he did, he did to the highest quality. And he was a great man personally. He was all in and he was an icon never to be forgotten. To this day, we have some of his photographs on the wall at Ruidoso in the press box, the lobby and the Hall of Fame. That shows how much respect for him we have.”
Ruidoso Downs Media Relations Director & Racehorse Hall of Fame Curator