Page 51 - August 2019

JOHN COOPER’S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
(In birth year order)
Uncle Wes
(Guy Bar-Frisky Jean, By Black Forest)
Carol Cooper calls Uncle Wes one of the best 870 horses on the grounds in 1970-1971. The bay gelding was John and Carol’s first stakes winner, starting an amazing 126 races with 34 wins, 24 seconds and 17 thirds. He earned $56,581 during his 11-year multiple stakes winning career. “We still have a picture of him in our kitchen,” Carol says.
Tiny’s Gay
(Tiny Watch-Gay’s Delight, Rocket Bar)
John put the first set of shoes on Tiny’s Gay, fitting him for his first three races. Then, due to a limit of 15 horses, John had to give him up due to other commitments. Bred by Paul H. Travis, World Champion Tiny’s Gay was undefeated until his 13th and final race, placing second in
the 1974 All American Futurity. He won the Tumbleweed, Bay Meadows, Kansas and Rainbow futurities. While trained by John, he ran at Sun Downs in Kennewick, Washington. He attained multiple stakes winning status while earning an amazing $444,721 in just one year on the track.
Mr Doty Bars
(Double Again-Reid’s Candy Bar, Alamitos Bar)
2-time Champion Mr Doty Bars pulled off an amazing upset as a 5 year old, winning
the 1979 Champion of Champions after being claimed for $2,500 the previous year. The multiple stakes winner also won the Double Bid and the Clabbertown handicaps that year. In 1980, he repeated his Clabbertown G Handicap win. Bred by Marie B. Doty and owned by George and Shirley Loeb, the gelding finished his race career with $208,341, having won 24 of 64 races, placing second nine times and third eight times.
Chingaderos
(Beduino TB-Mama Said Win, Ettabo)
Bred by John and Carol Cooper and owned by Carol and daughter Michelle Cooper, 2-time Champion Chingaderos won 23 of 56 starts, finishing second 10 times and third nine. He won the Golden State Futurity as a freshman, the El Primero Del Ano and the Los Alamitos derbies his sophomore year, and a long list of G2 and G3 handicaps in following years. The multiple graded stakes winner earned $853,404 in his race career, and retired at age 8 to the family ranch, where he lived an additional 20 years.
Sign Of Lanty
(The Signature-Think Lanty, Timeto Thinkrich)
Sign Of Lanty was claimed by Rod MacPherson in 1998 for $8,000 and went on to tally 28 wins, 17 seconds and three thirds from 65 starts, earning $545,542. During his seven-year career from 1996 to 2002, the multiple stakes winning gelding was known as one of the greatest distance runners of all time, winning the Marathon Handicap three times and the inaugural $200,000 Marathon National. He was named AQHA Champion Distance Horse three times.
Separatist
(Chicks Beduino-Seperate Ways, Hempen)
The two-time divisional champion turned leading sire was purchased as a yearling by Rod MacPherson at the 1998 Vessels/Schvaneveldt Sale. As a freshman, he won the Governor’s Cup Futurity-G1 and the California Sires’ Cup Futurity-G2, and placed second in the Golden State Futurity-G1 and the Los Alamitos Million Futurity-G1. His second year on the track, he won the Governor’s Cup Derby-G1, the Golden State Derby-G1, the PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby-G2 and the Z. Wayne Griffin Director’s Stakes-G3. He ended his 24-start race career as a 3-time Champion with 16 wins, three seconds and one third and $889,044 in earnings.
Moonist
(Separatist-Your First Moon, First Down Dash)
Moonist was bred by Vessels Stallion Station and owned by Ronald J. Hartley. In his first
year on the track, Moonist won the Golden State Juvenile Invitational and the Los Alamitos Juvenile Invitational. He then earned the title of AQHA Champion 3 Year Old and Champion 3-Year-Old Gelding in 2014 and Champion Aged Horse and Champion Aged Gelding in 2015. In 2016, after four undefeated starts, he died due to complications of colic. During his career, he amassed 24 wins, four seconds and one third from 34 starts, earning $878,468.
Uncle Wes, shown after the 1970 War Chic Handicap, was John and Carol’s first stakes winner.
John trained World Champion Tiny’s Gay, shown after
the 1974 Tumbleweed Futurity.
Mr Doty Bars won the 1979 Champion of Champions after being claimed for $2,500.
Chingaderos won the 1986 El Primero Del Ano Derby for Carol
and Michelle Cooper.
Claimed for $8,000 in 1998, Sign Of Lanty won his final start in the 2002 Marathon National Stakes.
Purchased
as a yearling, Separatist won his last Grade 1 race in the 2000 Governor’s Cup Derby.
Moonist won his trial & finals to the 2016 Los Alamitos Winter Champ.-G1 as part of a 4-race win streak.
SPEEDHORSE, August 2019 49