Page 209 - SPEEDHORSE April 2018

Marylin (Two Spot), early-day brush track racehorse, remains as one of the unsung heroines of the Paint Horse breed. She
is shown here in a circa 1950s shot with owner J.W. Kromer of Vinson, Oklahoma, in the saddle.
Here is the only known photo of Spotted Joe Reed. Again, the shot
is a little out of focus but vividly portrays the realism behind the “let’s race ‘em down the road” culture of the 1940s.
PAINT HORSE BULLETIN
Walter Merrick had leased Three Bars for the 1952 breeding season and Guy Clay promptly hauled Chubby Reed, an AQHA-registered 1947 bay mare by Chubby and out of Maryland Joe, to the court of the Thoroughbred stallion. Lady K Bars, a 1953 sorrel mare, was the resulting foal.
Two years after leasing Three Bars, Walter leased Iron Bars. By this time, Guy had given Marylin to his son-in-law, J.W. Kromer of Vin- son, Oklahoma. In 1954, J.W. hauled the mare to Walter’s ranch north of Crawford, Oklahoma, and bred her to Iron Bars. Minnie, a 1955 sorrel overo mare, was the resulting foal.
“She [Minnie] was an outstanding individual who showed her good breeding,” Junior said. “As I recall, she stood around 15 hands and would weigh in the vicinity of 1,200 pounds. She was nice-headed and necked and adequately muscled for how she was bred.
“Lady Luck smiled on me that day. J.W. was in the mood to sell a horse. He asked me $450 for the colt, and I couldn’t get him loaded in the trailer and headed home fast enough.”
In addition to Mister J. Bar, Robertson came away with another of Minnie’s foals.
“Later on,” he said, “my brother M.B. went back and bought a gelding half-brother to the colt. I sold him to Rebecca Tyler and he went on to be a reserve national champion at halter and an APHA Champion.
“Still later, I went back to buy Minnie. Un- fortunately she had been struck by lightning and killed shortly before I got there. I would have loved to have had the chance to work even more of her blood into my program.”
Despite the fact that he missed out on the opportunity to purchase and register Marylin’s daughter Minnie, Junior did have more than
enough opportunity to work her blood into his operation.
Mister J. Bar, of course, would go on to become a five-time national champion and one of the registry’s first great sires. Through horses such as Jetalito and Gran Loot, the line is still very much alive.
Marylin Two Spot and Spotted Joe Reed happened on the scene at a time when their loud Paint color was not seen as a positive. Still, they persevered; not because they were Paints, but because they were good.
And the Paint Horse breed is better off because of them.
APHA file photo
Courtesy Dale and Carolyn Staton
Courtesy Dale and Carolyn Staton
Courtesy Dale and Carolyn Staton
Courtsey Junior Robertson