Page 95 - January 2021

Jimmy and Marilyn Harrel with 2-Time Champion Inseperable and Separate Bet.
SOCIAL CIRCLE
Duane Harrel, Jimmy Harrel and Stuart Barringer.
“He’s a straight shooter and if he tells you it’s Easter, just dye your eggs; it’ll be that-a way!” - Stuart Barringer
Stuart Barringer and I went to look at him. He was bred the way I wanted, and we pulled him out. Stuart looked at him and told me that his right foot was set to the outside and we said, ‘Isn’t that a shame,’ and put him back in his stall and went on.
“The night he sold, Mrs. Eaves had just passed away and Meredith was selling him, and she bid him back in for $20,000. Marilyn leaned into me and said, ‘Jimmy, you ought to buy him for that.’” Jimmy checked in with Stuart, who told him that if the horse vetted, he should buy him. “He x-rayed clean, so I bought him!”
Jimmy and Marilyn’s next big winner was Aha Moment, by No Secrets Here and out of Thrill And Grace, by Mr Jess Perry. The 2010 colt ran third in the All American Futurity-G1 and fifth in the Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity-G1, finishing 2012 ranked 23rd by earnings.
Among sentimental favorites are two horses named after family members: Keelas Special, a 1991 Special Effort mare out of Uptown Sis, by Beduino, was named after their daughter Keela; and Hank The First (Special Effort- Sweet Indulgence, Dash For Cash) was named after Jimmy’s father. A 1992 gelding, Hank The First ran third in both the West Texas and Ruidoso futurities and later went on to win the Champion of Champions. “He was a good horse,” Jimmy says.
THEIR RACING PASSIONS
Jimmy says selecting his next purchases and watching them develop is what motivates him. “Being hands-on has worked for me,” he says. “I’ve always been on the track early and stayed late, watching them exercise and watching them work. It’s different from what I do every day at the bank, so it gives me a break; it’s kind of my ‘fishing’ and my ‘golf.’”
He also watches TVG to keep up with the races. “I always try to keep up with our horses and pull for our friends and enjoy their successes as well,” he says.
This year he bought five yearlings for training including Griffendore, a full brother
to Uncle D (Corona Cartel-Little Surfer,
First Down Dash); one out of top broodmare Remember Me Rose (Corona Cartel-Im Moonlighting, Zevi); and one out of Secret Separation, the dam of 2012 Champion 3-Year- Old Colt Hez Our Secret.
Marilyn shares Jimmy’s love for selecting potential winners. “When we leave Ruidoso at the end of the season in September, I take the books from the upcoming sale and look at the horses that qualified for the races All American week,” she says. “I love to look at the upcoming sale books, and as we make the six-hour drive home, I turn down the pages to highlight the new offspring. Talking about them all makes our drive home pretty short, and then when we get there, Jimmy looks them over.”
Jimmy and Marilyn’s personalities mesh to make them a great couple. “They’re super people and fun clients to have,” says their trainer, Paul Jones. “They’re both just good people. Jimmy’s a smart guy and a good businessman and knows how to get things done, and like all successful men, he’s got a good woman by his side. They do a lot of things for kids, charities, and schools, and they’re thoughtful and generous in their community besides the sport of horse racing. And even at his age, Jimmy stays very active in his businesses and all the other things he’s got going on.”
Jimmy and Marilyn have a lot going on — in their social circle, the winner’s circle, and in serving their community and the industries they’re involved in.
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“They’re both just good people. Jimmy’s a smart guy and a good businessman and knows how to get things done, and like all successful men, he’s got a good woman by his side.” – Paul Jones