Page 45 - August_2023

Champion Jet Charger, by Jet Deck and out of a daughter of Leo, after winning the 1970 Texas Futurity in Goliad, Texas.
“He (Jet Charger) is one of the greatest conformation horses, one of the greatest running horses that I ever had. I wish I could raise another one as good a lookin and as good a runner as he was. He would be a great foundation sire for anybody, if you could raise one like him.” - Bud Warren
World Champion Mr Jet Moore, by Jet Deck, winning the 1972 Go Man Go Handicap.
Jet Smooth, a full brother to World Champion Easy Jet, winning the 1969 World Championship Quarter Horse Classic at Ruidoso Downs.
World Champion Easy Jet, by Jet Deck.
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and four thirds. His stakes wins include the Texas Futurity, Raton Futurity (400 yards), Rocky Mountain QHA Derby (440 yards), Sunland Park Fall Derby (440 yards), and the Clabbertown G Handicap. He was the 1972 Champion Aged Stallion.
The life of Jet Deck tragically ended
in August of 1971, when the stallion
was found dead in his paddock. It was determined that he died of a barbiturate overdose. No one has ever been charged with the crime. This great stallion left this world producing just 580 foals with 486 starters, 383 ROM, 67 stakes winners and 81 stakes placed runners. He proved to be a great cross on Warren’s mares, but he did pretty good with many bloodlines with
total earnings of $6,803,329. Some of his major winners include World Champion Easy Jet and World Champion Mr Jet Moore, as well as divisional Champions Jolly Jet Deck, Elan Again and Gallant Jet, and Possum Jet, although not a Champion, but an All American Futurity winner.
Then we must add this note on the World Champion Easy Jet and his full brother Jet Smooth, one of the first crop stakes winners. They were both sired
by Jet Deck and out of Lena’s Bar, the Thoroughbred daughter of Three Bars. When I talked with Warren, we discussed many of his horses. When I asked him about the best mare he ever saw, he related that Lena’s Bar was “the best he had ever
seen.” This is quite a statement coming from Warren, a dyed in the wool short horse man. When I asked Walter Merrick why he bred Lena’s Bar to Jet Deck, he had a simple answer - it was Midnight Jr, the stallion he regretted selling to H. S. Bissel.
When I started reporting on Bud Warren and his breeding program, I wanted to highlight a number of things, and I think we have done that. We have looked at his philosophy on Quarter Horse racing, his desire to breed a good horse with good conformation, and the speed to be competitive on the track. But most of all, this review has given us a great example of the pedigree history of the racing American Quarter Horse and how many of our bloodlines came together to form the breed we have today. After all, we have to know where we came from to go forward to breed the next generation.
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