Page 38 - August_2023

SPEEDLINES
“Here comes ol’ Tee Beau down the track with the jockey hoopin’ and hollerin’...” - Bud Warren
Charley Smith was the only jockey to ride Jet Deck.
© Ralph Morgan Newspictures
36 SPEEDHORSE August 2023
Jet Deck equaled the World Record and defeated World Champion sire Top Moon, a 7/8-brother to Jet Deck, in the 1962 Kindergarten Futurity.
were, ‘If that’s a racehorse, I’m gonna quit the business.’”
Well, time moved on and Stuchal was training a couple of horses for Warren when he called, and this is the conversation that took place. But first we will let Bud Warren set the scene up. “Remember that he had been there, actually the one I was talking to, the night we were up at Jay Chambers and looked at Jet Deck. Wilbur doesn’t say much anyway, kinda beat around the bush on the phone and I couldn’t figure out what the heck he wanted. The conversation lagged a little and finally Wilbur said, ‘I think I got me one of those things.’”
“What do you mean one of those things?” And Stuchal replied, “Well, a racehorse.” Warren’s original thought was one of
his horses was going to be a racehorse, he responded, “You don’t mean that little filly?” Stuchal replied, “No, no, it isn’t the filly.”
Warren countered, “Well, who the heck is it?” After a few moments Stuchal finally responded, “Ol Jet Deck!” Warren almost fell out of his chair.
This last conversation came before Jet Deck had an official start and so, how did they know they had a racehorse? Warren continued the story this way. “Charley Smith, the only jockey to ever ride Jet Deck, was working the colt on the track that morning and another jockey was putting a blow in ol’ Tee Beau, a tough AAA stakes horse. Here comes ol’ Tee Beau down the track with the jockey hoopin’ and hollerin’ and before Charley knows it, Jet Deck grabs the bit and from an almost standing start runs up and eyeballs the ol’ horse. It scared Charley to death because he knew Wilbur didn’t want to work Jet Deck that fast, afraid he would hurt him. But Charley and Wilbur knew what they had after that little episode, and it was that night that Wilbur called to let me know, so he could rub it in about the statement I had made up at Jay’s.”
Tee Beau was a hard knocking AAA rated racehorse with 93 starts and 14 wins, 10 seconds and 16 thirds racing until 1961. He was a three-time stakes winner, including
the prestigious New Mexico State Fair Championship in 1956 and the Miss Princess Invitational Handicap in 1957. He was sired by a Cajun-Bred Running Horse named Babe Ruth and his dam was Lightfoot Sis, the dam of 3-time World Champion Go Man Go.
The unplanned test that showed
Stuchal that he had a racehorse was just
the beginning of a very strong racing career for the colt that came as a potbellied, long neck running prospect. Jet Deck made his first start in 1962 on February 27, winning his maiden at Bay Meadows. He then shinbucked and was treated and rested. He didn’t race again until May 3, winning an allowance prepping for his first stakes win in the Los Alamitos Juvenile Championship on May 8. Note the five days between the allowance and the stakes race.
He made five starts at Ruidoso in the summer of 1962, and those races were not what they had hoped as he won only one race but did earn a third in the Ruidoso Futurity. Rested again, he returned in October at Arizona Downs to make two starts, winning both races and earning a first in the Arizona Downs Juvenile Championship. AQHA records show that he set New Track Records in both Arizona Downs starts. He beat his time of :20.1 in the first start with a :19.9 in the Juvenile finals going 400 yards.
Jet Deck went from Arizona to Los Alamitos to go undefeated in five starts from November 23 to December 22. This included three stakes wins in the Pacific Coast QHRA California Bred Futurity, the Los Alamitos Futurity and the Kindergarten Futurity. The Los Alamitos Futurity was the richest Quarter Horse race in California. He beat Lightning Belle and Go Eagle Go. His last start for the year was the Kindergarten Futurity where he equaled a World Record and set a two year old record going the 400 yards in a time of :19.9. He beat Top Moon, a 7/8 brother to Jet Deck, who was second. Tiny Charger, the noted sire, was third.
The Kindergarten Futurity win gave Jet Deck his seventh consecutive win with the last five wins coming at Los
© Walt Wiggins, Jr.