Page 74 - July 2022

Fortunately, Texas horseman Robert Kleberg spotted the dormant potential
in Bold Venture. In December 1939, he approached Schwartz and offered $40,000 for the struggling stallion. The owner accepted. Hoping for a sizeable return on his investment, Kleberg quickly moved Bold Venture to his sprawling King Ranch.
His decision quickly paid off. During his
first year at King Ranch, Bold Venture sired the brilliant Depth Charge who would posthumously be inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame.
While Depth Charge was a Thoroughbred,
his handlers soon discovered that he excelled at short sprints. After racking up nearly $75,000 in both Mexico and the United States, the stallion was retired to stud in 1947. Due to his sprinting prowess, Depth Charge was immediately bred to a number of Quarter Horse mares. The results were
explosive. Over the next 18 years, Depth Charge sired stars like Johnny Dial (the 1952 World Champion Running Quarter Horse); Brigand (a Thoroughbred who was nonetheless honored as the Champion Running Quarter Horse Gelding for three consecutive years from 1953-1954); and Tiny Charger (who earned an AAAT speed rating and became a successful sire in his own right).
Bold Venture was just getting started. In 1943, he sired Assault – a legendary racehorse who ultimately captured the Thoroughbred Triple Crown. Over the course of his five-year career, Assault won 18 races and $675,470. Sadly, he proved sub-fertile and was only able to sire a handful of Quarter Horses.
Bold Venture soon gained further recognition after siring Woven Web – an outstanding Thoroughbred filly who campaigned against Quarter Horses under the unofficial name “Miss
Princess.” She proved to be one of the greatest sprinters of the 1940s. After easily winning her debut in Mexico City, Woven Web earned three more victories, breaking two track records and equaling the 5-furlong World Record, as a two year old. Hungry for more success, the filly’s owner Ernest Lane, who had leased her from King Ranch, brought Woven Web to the Southwestern racing circuit. She didn’t disappoint him. The following year, Woven Web was named the 1946 World Champion Running Quarter Horse – an accomplishment that she duplicated in 1947 and 1948. The filly’s crowning achievement came when she overwhelmed the great Shue Fly to equal the quarter-mile world record. According to her official AQHA Hall of Fame profile, Woven Web “was finally retired in mid-1948 when there was simply nothing left to prove, nothing more to conquer and nothing left to try her.”
AQHA Hall of Fame Horse Depth Charge, sired by Bold Venture.
72 SPEEDHORSE July 2022
Speedhorse Archives