Page 17 - NM Summer 2023

Without the legendary Dash For Cash, the She established a breeding farm in the Right. It sounds ridiculous but, sometimes,
most prolific sire of sires to ever grace a paddock, a starting gate, and a breeding barn, who would B.F. Phillips have been – other than a rich Texan with oil connections?
Without Moon Lark, 1978 All American Futurity winner and renowned sire, who would Sam Howard and his brothers have been – other than big rig drivers we pass on an interstate somewhere?
Without the unrivaled eight All American Futurity victories he collected during his 47 years of training, who would Jack Brooks have been
– other than a small-time Oklahoma guy with a plastic turtle talisman in the pocket of his jeans?
The racing industry places tough demands on its participants. It throws out fifteen minutes of fame to bunches of people during the course of a year. Win a graded stakes race and you make headlines. Breed the top-selling yearling at a major sale and another headline bounces your way. Win the All American Futurity and that fifteen minutes of fame devours you, spitting you out on the sixteenth minute.
Headlines fade. Fame is fleeting. What level of contribution to the industry must you make to be remembered 20, 40 years or forever, after you’re gone? What does it take? Is it possible?
Yes, it’s possible and what it takes is carving an indelible niche in those things we call pedigrees. And that’s done by establishing industry families that wind and weave throughout those little boxes generation after generation. Eventually, after enough generations pass, the family names will drop off the pedigree charts you pull from AQHA, but they don’t disappear from time and space. Just go back a bit more and pull another report. They’re still there. Just moved back a few boxes. But they’ll never be gone. The names and their influences
will remain forever.
A beautiful example of racing family
stability is Mac Murray and Janis Spencer Murray’s MJ Farms in Veguita, New Mexico.
The story began in Racine, Wisconsin where Janis grew up as a city girl harboring
a passion for horses. As happens with so many female teenagers, the fascination hung on through the years, but Janis,
unlike the vast majority of those other girls, managed to act on hers. She
became a vet, and through a personal series of life turns, wound up in Utah.
intermountain state that insisted on teasing the racing industry with a vague promise of pari- mutuel racing.
Janis met her husband, Mac Murray, through (surprise!) horses.
“I grew up on a ranch in Utah,” Mac explained “and I always loved animals.
“We had cattle and sheep and, initially, my goal was to become a calf/team roper. I could only afford one, older horse and I learned quickly that kind of set-up couldn’t work. I was self-trained. There was one really good calf roper I watched for pointers. Not only did he have a lot of talent, but he also had
a string of five solid horses. When one got tired, he gave him a rest and got a fresh one.
I finally admitted to myself that it just wasn’t working for me.
“After college, I met a guy who enjoyed going to the races. I started going with him and liked what I saw. I even decided racing might be something I could afford.”
Most people will read the last sentence in the above quote and wonder if the young Utahan had rocks rattling in his head. He couldn’t afford to pursue calf roping, but his wallet might handle racing?
the stars line up just right and wonderful things happen. He bought a couple horses in the 1980s, but they didn’t pan out. Mac also owned a 1977 mare named Surfin Susie. He decided to take her to Janis to breed to Sir Cashanova by Dash For Cash. The result was Dashin Dee Dee, who was born in 1987.
The filly went into training and turned into a track traveler. She mowed down the competition at Los Alamitos in the QHBC Juvenile Classic-G1, the first division of the Las Damas Handicap-G1, the Sunland Park Fall Handicap-G2, and the Silver Dollar Futurity-G3 back in her Intermountain stomping ground.
She added some impressive seconds and thirds to the list and rounded out her career with $266,454 and a 105 speed index. Her closing stats were 10-4-2 from 22, including a 5-3-1 stakes record.
Dashing Dee Dee was bred to some of the best stallions of her day, including Real Easy Jet, Runaway Winner, Strawfly Special, Mr Jess Perry, and others. She did well as a broodmare, but she didn’t shine. From 21 performing foals, there were 16 winners and two stakes winners with total earnings of
“After college, I met a guy who enjoyed going to the races.
I started going with him and liked what I saw. I even decided racing
might be something I could afford.” – Mac Murray
Dashin Dee Dee. © Provided by NMHBA
SUMMER 2023 15