Page 74 - August 2021

Blessed with a muscular conformation that could give a runner, “a little more reach, a little more refinement,” Three Bars forever changed the breed and played a singular role in shaping the Quarter Horses of today.
Although Stivers attempted to cure Three Bars’ physical issues, he was unable to coax the colt’s leg to racing fitness. Stumped, Stivers gave the colt to a blacksmith named Vernon Cloud. Under Cloud’s tutelage, something finally clicked. Whether because of Cloud’s skillful handling or simply because of the passage of time, Three Bars’ leg problems retreated. “I don’t really know how they cured that hind leg,” Jack Goode would muse. “But I think it was cured during the time Vernon Cloud had Three Bars... maybe it just cured itself.” While the reason for Three Bars’ rehabilitation remains unclear, it is certain that he made his first start on November 4, 1943. Contesting a 6-furlong $1,000 maiden claiming race at Churchill Downs, the colt streaked to the front and “took command under energetic handling.” The rest of the field didn’t have a chance. After opening a considerable
lead at the head of the homestretch, Three Bars widened his advantage to win by 6-lengths.
Following his convincing debut, Three Bars spent over four months on the sidelines before returning to action at Oaklawn Park, where he snagged his second win. Rolled into another sprint race two weeks later, Three Bars finished out of the money for the first time in his short career. In the wake of this setback, the colt was given a lengthy rest before being sent to Detroit Racetrack. While most of the particulars regarding this part of Three
Bars’ career have been lost to history, it’s known that the colt had come under the ownership of horseman Eudell “Pinchy”
Wyatt by the time he reached Detroit. The colt’s sale drew very little attention. As a four year old hopelessly mired in the claiming ranks, Three Bars certainly didn’t appear to have a noteworthy future ahead.
During one misty early morning exercise session at Detroit Racetrack, a racetracker named Stan Snedigar arrived to watch the workouts. As the horses flashed by, Snedigar spotted a short, chestnut colt - Three Bars. Coincidentally, Snedigar also noticed a well- respected trainer named Frankie Childs nearby. He turned to the trainer and asked, “Frankie, who is this little chestnut horse going by?”
“That little horse is called Three Bars,” Childs responded. Through his conversation with the trainer, Snedigar learned that Three Bars was “as fast a horse,” as Childs had ever seen. Moreover, he discovered that the horse was owned by Eudell Wyatt – one of his friends – and that Three Bars was still running in cheap claiming races. After Three Bars won his first race (a claiming event with a $1,500 purse) at the track and was subsequently recognized as a horse “to watch at Detroit,” Snedigar made an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the colt privately. Still determined
to own Three Bars, Snedigar instructed his trainer to buy the horse if he ran in another claiming event. His persistence paid off.
On July 15, 1944, Three Bars appeared in a claiming race and was purchased by Snedigar’s trainer – Cal Kennedy – for $2,000. Now officially owned by Snedigar and partner Toad Haggard, the colt was sent to New Mexico
to continue his career. That September,
Three Bars concluded his season by annexing a 3-furlong race at the New Mexico State
Fair. Hungry for more success, Haggard
and Snedigar then brought Three Bars to California’s Santa Anita Racetrack.
Just before Christmas, James Byrnes, the director of the War Mobilization Office, made
a startling announcement: due to the “existing war situation,” horse racing in the United States would be put on hold indefinitely. “With the approval of the President,” Byrnes asserted,
“I urge that management of these tracks take immediate measures to bring the present race meetings to a close by January 3, 1945, and
to refrain from resuming at all tracks until
war conditions permit.” With racing brought
to a halt, any hope of continuing Three Bars’ campaign was dashed. “Here we were,” Snedigar would say, “in Santa Anita with a string of horses ready to run. And we had some that weren’t the soundest in the world, so we fired two or three horses, among them Three Bars. We fired his knees and ankles and brought him back to Phoenix.” Although the colt wouldn’t be able to race, his handlers compensated for the loss by crossing Three Bars with Quarter Horse mares. In addition, Three Bars was also bred to a handful of Thoroughbreds during 1945. The result of one of these matings was Goldspinner, a durable runner who racked up 124 starts and $14,541 in winnings over an eight-year career. While Three Bars’ 1945 stud season set
him on the path to becoming history’s greatest Quarter Horse sire, the most significant event that occurred during his layoff came when
an intrepid horseman – Sid Vail – learned
about the stallion and decided to pay him
a visit. Upon seeing Three Bars, Vail was immediately awestruck. “I heard there was
a good Thoroughbred they were breeding to Quarter mares,” Vail remembered. “I had some Bear Hug mares, so I went down to see them (Haggard and Snedigar) about it. When I saw the horse, I knew I had to have him. I had never seen anything like him. And I’ve never seen anything like him since, either.” He promptly offered the Thoroughbred’s owners $5,000 in exchange for Three Bars, which they declined. Vail couldn’t bear to let his chance slip away.
After leaving the racetrack, Three Bars settled into an unparalleled stud career. While the stallion started by standing at various locations–for a very modest stud fee– Sid Vail soon entrusted the stallion to an astute breeder named Walter Merrick (left).