Page 70 - April 2016

ABOUT THE AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE
HALL OF FAME
The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum beautifully showcases the dozens of hors- es and people who have earned the distinction of becoming part of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. To be a part of the Hall of Fame, horses and people must have been outstanding over a period of years in a variety of categories. Inductees are those who have brought exceptional visibility and/or contribution to the American Quarter Horse. Hall of Fame inductees are chosen each year by a selection committee and honored at the annual AQHA Convention.
VANDY’S FLASH
In 1954, future American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Garrett’s Miss Pawhuska foaled her fastest sprinter, a little sorrel named Vandy’s Flash.
Vandy’s Flash’s first step on a racetrack was in 1957, and in 1958, he was the champion racing gelding. By 1960, he was faster than ever, setting three track records and being named the cham- pion gelding and the world champion racehorse.
In all, the gelding had 106 starts and 28 wins, with earnings of $101,848 in the late 1950s, when purses were much smaller. He continued to race for owner Parke McAvoy of South Laguna, California, and set another track record in his last season of racing in 1964. The gelding’s two records at Los Alamitos stood for close to 16 years.
In 2007, Vandy’s Flash was inducted into the Racehorse Hall of Fame at Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico.
WOVEN WEB (TB)
The Thoroughbred mare Woven Web was bred and owned by American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Robert “Bob” Kleberg Jr. of the King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas. While racing south of the Rio Grande at distances from a quarter-mile to 5 furlongs, Woven Web won four of five starts and equaled the world record of :27.2 for 550 yards.
Under the name “Miss Princess,” the mare raced on AQHA tracks, where she won 10 of 10 official starts. At Del Rio, Texas, she set a world record of 22 seconds flat that held for 33 years. She was a three-time American Quarter Horse racing champion and world champion, winning the titles in 1946, 1947 and 1948.
In retirement at the King Ranch, she was peri- odically brought out to show off her speed. She also produced three Thoroughbred foals. She was in- ducted into the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2005. The Miss Princess Handicap at Los Alamitos Racecourse pays tribute to her accomplishments.
ZANTANON
Zantanon was foaled in 1917, the same year as Man O’ War, at the Ott Adams ranch near Alice, Texas. The chestnut stallion was by Little Joe and out of Jeanette by Billy By Big Jim. Zantanon was purchased as a long weanling by Erasmo Flores of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and went into race train- ing immediately. About a year later, Flores’ uncle, Eutiquio Flores, bought the colt and continued racing “The Man O’ War of Mexico,” purchasing buildings and a ranch with Zantanon’s winnings.
Zantanon wasn’t treated as carefully as racehors- es are today but won anyway, impressing Manuel Benavides Volpe, who paid an unheard-of $500 for the 14-year-old stallion in 1931 before breeding him almost exclusively to his Traveler-bred mares.
Zantanon died in 1941, but today, American Quarter Horses from all disciplines trace to him, including King P-234 and 21 other horses already inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. Of the 2016 inductees, Parker’s Trouble is a descendant of Zantanon, bringing the total to 23.