Page 32 - NMHBA Spring 2022

“There’s nothing wrong with growing old.
“You’ve learned so much and had so many experiences. Just don’t forget to share.”
– Sonny Henderson
with that of trusted advisers Ivan Thompson, Bob Austin, and Jim Wells.
Henderson was scheduled to meet his colleagues in Lexington at the Keeneland September Sale. He flew into the venue in
his private plane and walked into the sale just minutes before the gavel came down on a horse named Suddenbreakingnews.
“Ivan and Bob found the horse,” Henderson recalled. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t really like him. He’s by Mineshaft and I recognized the potential of his pedigree, but it was Ivan and Bob who pushed me to go to $72,000 on him.
“He left Keeneland with Bob, who put a lot of weight on him. The next time I saw him, I was staring at a big Thoroughbred that I didn’t recognize! Where I come from, I’m used to
Pictured above, Sonny with his wife Helen and jockey Luis Quinonez for Suddenbreakingnews.
Pictured at left, Suddenbreakingnews and jockey
Luis Quinonez after winning the Southwest Stakes-G3 at Oaklawn Park.
seeing Quarter Horses and speed horses, but I can tell you I knew I was looking at something special when I saw this horse start to move. He showed he could go two turns, and there was a ton of stamina in his pedigree.
“I started referring to him as a ‘throwback.’ To me, his running style was remindful of the old-timer horses, the distance horses, and the horses that came out of Europe. Like I said earlier, my tendency is to pay more attention to the bottom side of the pedigree than the top, and I like his mare lines. It didn’t take long to see the further he went, the better he got. It was a fantastic feeling for me.”
Suddenbreakingnews, the second of those 17 yearlings Henderson bought over a two- year stretch, went to Donnie Von Hemel for
training. The colt’s connections soon began dreaming and thinking, “Could this be Kentucky Derby material?”
Henderson was back into racing with both feet. He was also spending a lot of time with his renewed interest in the stock market and, of course, there was the ranching and his Brangus cattle. But don’t forget, this is the man who throws that huge shadow. He could handle it. He had everything covered.
Time passed and one of the races penciled into Henderson’s busy schedule was the 2016 Kentucky Derby. Suddenbreakingnews had made it, going into the race in good shape with firsts or seconds in all but one of his earlier outs. He was pegged
at 20-1 odds. That didn’t bother Henderson. Remember, he hails from the pages of Texas Ranger history and, as the saying went, “A Ranger doesn’t stampede.” He also has the strength of half a century of racing horses in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Besides, he already logged a long-shot victory when he bought the bay colt and later admitted, “He was the sorriest- looking colt of all the ones I bought.”
Suddenbreakingnews didn’t win the Kentucky Derby, but he acquitted himself very well. He was boxed in early, making up more than 24-lengths to finish fifth. Today he’s fat and enjoying pasture life.
There is no pasture life for Henderson, however. He and wife Helen count their long list of blessings, including Suddenbreakingnews and Henderson’s new-found health. They have about 40 horses, with half of them in training in Kentucky, New Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. They’re also standing two young stallions in Weatherford, Texas – Quarter
Horse Pa Cha Ching (Tempting Dash-Toole
N Round, Jody O Toole) and Thoroughbred Dorrance (Distorted Humor-Apologize, Lemon Drop Kid). Life is good for Henderson, with no worries about being 83 on March 5.
“There’s nothing wrong with growing old,” he said. “You’ve learned so much and had so many experiences. Just don’t forget to share.”
Sonny and Helen are standing two young stallions in Texas . . .
2017 Quarter Horse stallion
Pa Cha Ching, a two-time stakes winner.
2016 Thoroughbred stallion Dorrance, shown winning a 2018 Maiden Special Weight at Remington Park.
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New Mexico Horse Breeder
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Dustin Orona Photography Coady Photography