Page 48 - September 2022

SPEEDLINES
The supplemented fees would boost the All American Futurity to a million dollar race. This not only made the 1972 All American Futurity the
World’s Richest Race, it made it the World’s First Million Dollar Race.
the World Record for 440 yards in a time of :21.02. Her overall record shows that she had 23 starts with 12 wins, six seconds and three thirds earning $406,811.
Possumjet retired to the broodmare band where she produced 14 foals with 14 starters that earned 11 ROM. She was the dam
of three stakes placed runners in Possums Gal, who was third in the 1978 Midway Downs Futurity; Gene Jet, second in the 1986 Intermountain Derby as well as third in the 1985 Leo Handicap; and Genuine Knockout, third in the 1989 Jess Burner Memorial Handicap. Genuine Knockout
was also fourth in the 1989 All American Gold Cup. Genuine Knockout is the dam of Falling In Loveagain, winner of the 1998 All American Futurity, and Lady Knockout, dam of Shesa Knockoutcartel, winner of the 2021 Louisiana Juvenile Stakes and the 2022 Old South Derby.
Possumjet won only one stakes race in her career but showed she could be competitive with some of the best the breed had to offer. But when the
stakes race you win is the All American Futurity, it puts you in a special category giving a man that worked hard all his life
the opportunity to fulfill the All American Dream.
with a second in the 1965 All Distance Championship Series at La Mesa Park and
a second in the Christmas Championship
at Blue Ribbon. They retired her to the broodmare band where she produced nine foals with nine starters, eight ROM and two stakes winners. Possumjet was one of the stakes winners.
The race career for Possumjet started on January 1, 1972, winning her trial for the Blue Ribbon Futurity. She ran second in the finals. She then went to South Texas for the Columbus Triple Crown Futurity. She won her trial and then she came back to run fifth in the finals, but was disqualified and placed seventh. She was off then to the West Texas Futurity at Sunland Park to win her trial and qualify for the Futurity Consolation where she ran third. She next went to Raton and La Mesa Park for the Oklahoma Futurity. She won her trial, qualifying for the Consolation and winning that race. Then came the Raton Futurity where she finished second in her trial, qualifying for the finals where she finished third. This race record gave Jack Byers enough money to fulfill
his dream of running in the All American Futurity.
Possumjet was supplemented to the All American Futurity and she was one of eight to pay the fee to run. The supplemented fees would boost the All American Futurity to a million dollar race. This not only made the 1972 All American Futurity the World’s Richest Race, it made it the World’s First Million Dollar Race.
The results of the trials were as
follows, Miss Ooo Wee with a time of :19.66; Twelve Five with a time of :19.86; Callmemyoh with a time of :19.90; Go For Two with a time of :19.91; Chicory Moon with a time of :19.93; Magnolia Jet with
a time of :19.98; Possumjet with a time of :20.01; Top Don with a time of :20.02; and Realm Rogue with a time of :20.02. Realm Rogue, Hot Kiss and Top Don tied for the time of :20.02 and Hot Kiss lost the shake to get into the finals.
Some notes on the trials will show that Miss Ooo Wee’s fastest qualifying time
of :19.66 was 1/100th of a second off Mr Kid Charge’s Track Record in the 1971 All American Futurity. Byou Bird, winner of the Kansas Futurity, and Gallant Jet, winner of the Rainbow Futurity, didn’t qualify
for the finals. Byou Bird made the second consolation, and she won that race.
Pete Herrera was the jockey for Possumjet. He got the ride when Boyd Morris broke his foot and couldn’t ride Possumjet for Byers. Herrera recalled the race this way in a post- race interview for The American Quarter Horse Journal, “We got away pretty alertly but Callmemyoh got the lead a few jumps out of the gate. We started to cut down the lead. After about 200 yards from the gate, we were in front and going at a pretty good clip. It was at this point that I started to think we might win the race. Just about then my filly stumbled a little bit, but she recovered real good and started rolling again. Then all of a sudden, I had to worry about Miss Ooo Wee ‘cause she was really pouring the gas to it. She closed up real fast and it was so close at the finish line I didn’t know whether we won it or not.”
Possumjet did win the race in a time
of :20.4 on what is listed as a slow track
as her qualifying time was :20.01. She earned $349,129 with the winner’s purse as well as the nominator and breeder award. Miss Ooo Wee was second, Callmemyoh was third with Chicory Moon fourth. The rest of the field across the finish line were Thymus Jet, Go For Two, Top Don, Realm Rogue, Twelve Five and Magnolia Jet. Possumjet took the rest of 1972 off, having earned $384,791 from 12 starts with seven wins, two seconds and two thirds.
The three-year-old year saw Possumjet go to the post 11 times with five wins, four seconds and one third earning $22,020. She ran second in the South Texas Derby, Top Deck Stakes, Three Bars Stakes and the World’s Championship Classic where she ran second to Truckle Feature when he set
46 SPEEDHORSE September 2022
Pete Herrera, jockey of Possumjet.
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