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SPEEDLINES
Pokey Bar’s winning connections include owner Hugh Huntley, trainer Newton Keck and jockey Kenneth Chapman.
POKEY BAR WINS THE 1961 ALL AMERICAN FUTURITY (400 YARDS)
several of the other qualifiers. Golden Note had six starts before the All American trial with four wins. She was second to Bunny’s Bar Maid in the Los Alamitos Juvenile Championship that made her stakes placed, and Mr Three Bars was third in this race. Leona Dee, an Arkansas bred mare, was sixth in the same race.
When the All American Futurity finals started, Pokey Bar with Kenneth Chapman in the saddle shot out of the gate from along the rail leading all the way. He seemed to get stronger as the race went
on. As the race progressed, Bunny’s Bar Maid made a valiant effort closing fast, but the filly was unable to overtake the colt. Pokey Bar, under a hand ride, finished 1 1/2-length ahead of Bunny’s Bar Maid in
a time of :20.10. Golden Note was third by a nose while Mr Three Bars was fourth with Three Chicks finishing fifth. The
first five were followed by Savannah Cates, Magnolia Bar, Leona Dee, Art Bar and David Cox.
The influence of Three Bars runs very deep in the 1961 All American Futurity. He was the sire of Pokey Bar, Bunny’s Bar Maid,
Pokey Bar was bred and owned by Hugh Huntley of Madera, California. Huntley put together a broodmare band that included a mare named Pokey Vandy, a widely raced daughter of Vandy. She went to the post
49 times with 10 wins, six seconds and 11 thirds, earning $32,088. She was the winner of three stakes races in the Rocky Mountain QHA Futurity, the Gold Bar Stakes and the Autumn Championship. She was the 1955 AQHA Champion Aged Mare. Pokey Bar, sired by Three Bars, was her first foal.
Pokey Bar was started under saddle by Malcolm Anderson as a yearling. Anderson had another horse he was starting and
that was Decidedly, who won the 1962 Kentucky Derby. Anderson reported this, in the article “Huntley’s Flying Machine” in the January 1963 issue of The Western Horseman, about what they found in common about the two colts. “I got the same report from both boys. Each felt he was riding a colt that had the power and coordination to do anything you asked, and that could whirl and unload him easy as pie.” Anderson went on to explain that if you showed both colts what you wanted
you were okay to go on, but don’t give the wrong message.
Pokey Bar went to Newton Keck to start his official race career. Keck officially started the colt on February 3, 1961, at Bay Meadows and he finished third. His next start was a second on February 10 in another maiden race, and then he got his maiden win on February 21. He did not return to the races until August at Ruidoso Downs with an allowance win, setting him up for the All American trials.
The 1961 All American Futurity had four trials with 34 horses looking to qualify. The leading contender for the All American was Bunny’s Bar Maid, who was undefeated in her five starts including a win in the Kansas Futurity. She won her trial in a
time of :20.60. Pokey Bar won his trial in
a time of :20.80, making him the third fastest qualifier. The other trial winners were Golden Note in a time of :20.70, which was second fastest, and Art Bar was the fourth fastest qualifier with a time of :20.90.
Bunny’s Bar Maid was made the favorite to win the race because of her trial time and her undefeated record. She had also beaten
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