Page 32 - July 2020

SPEEDLINES
T Th h e e S S t t o o r r y y o o f f ROCKET BAR
The Female Line, Part 3
See November 2019 for Part 1 & April 2020 for Part 2 by Larry Thornton
Rocket Bar had blazing speed that was only hampered by his bad knee. He still raced from 1953 to 1958, winning 16 of 35 starts
and earning $22,904. His first race was a 4 1/2-furlong event that he won by an almost unbelievable 45-lengths before the famous knee injury in his second race. He was a two-time winner of the Phoenix Gold Cup Handicap and then he added the Littleton Speed Handicap. His legend as a racehorse is enhanced by his winning the Littleton Speed Handicap by 3 1/2-lengths. This encouraged a turf press writer to pen, “As for Rocket Bar, he ran well enough to impress this observer as perhaps one of the best sprinters of modern times, with his flaw being his pedigree with speed doubled on
speed which gives him a safe limit of only five furlongs.” The Colorado press labeled Rocket Bar the “Rocky Mountain Wonder Horse” for his blazing speed and how he overcame adversity
to show that speed. Just think if he had been sound and could have run all
those races on four good legs.
The racing career for Rocket Bar came to an end and he set out to become a million- dollar sire with earners of $4,215,596. He sired 454 foals, 368 starters, 287 ROM,
45 stakes winners, 45 stakes placed foals and five Champions, including Mr Tinky Bar, Rocket Wrangler, Osage Rocket, Top Rockette and Nug Rock.
The last time we looked at Rocket Bar, we focused on the perpetuation of the Three Bars sire line through this great sire. This time
we will look at the role of Rocket Bar as an influence through his daughters. A highlight of this look will appear in the tail female line. As we go through these horses, we will see some familiar characters and pedigrees, but that may be the fascinating part of this review of the contribution of Rocket Bar to the racing Quarter Horse.
But first let’s revisit the Rocket Bar pedigree and some of the key characters that show up, as well as take a look at some of the females that contribute to his
pedigree. His sire is Three Bars TB, a son
of Percentage out of Myrtle Dee by Luke McLuke. Three Bars showed his speed when he won the Aqua Caliente Speed Handicap, setting an Arizona Jockey Club track record of :57 3/5 for five furlongs. Percentage showed his speed in the Cincinnati Trophy, going the six furlongs in 1:13.40. Another of his good runners was Perlette, a winner at Washington Park going 5 furlongs in :59 1/5. His foals earned $324,878.
Percentage is by Midway, a stakes winner of the Washington Handicap and Clark Handicap. Midway is by Ballot and out
of Thirty-Third by Sir Dixon. Ballot is a multiple stakes winner, including in the 6 furlong Matron Stakes. Ballot is by Voter and out of Cerito by Lowland Chief.
Percentage is out of Gossip Avenue by Bulse by Disguise. Bulse won the 6 furlong Sanford Memorial Stakes. Disguise was raced in England, where he was third in the Epsom Derby. He was a stakes winner in the Jockey
The Colorado
press labeled Rocket Bar the “ROCKY MOUNTAIN WONDER HORSE” for his blazing speed and how he overcame adversity to show that speed.