Page 36 - May 2022

SPEEDLINES
“When I look at my racehorses, I look at them to
see if they can be successful in either spot. I think that it is so nice for these horses to have a second career
if they don’t do well in one.” – Lana Merrick-Bailey
Lana Merrick-Bailey
produce performance horses. So, I am glad to see he has done that. I have bred him to some of my barrel racing mares and they are doing quite well. I think it is a tribute to him that he is so versatile.”
Lana feels that Valiant Hero has a quiet presence and said this about him as a sire. “He throws really pretty babies, good- minded babies and that is one thing about High Valor that has been a positive in his career. He’s so easy going that he takes a lot of stuff some horses wouldn’t take. I have never seen a Valiant Hero, the ones that I have had and others I have seen, that rides were hot. They are pretty reasonable horses and easy going. They show the ability to get along with people and I
find that that is a highlight of breeding to Valiant Hero. His babies seem to have a lot of intelligence and work with you.” A 2019 video interview with Dona Kay Rule echoed this very description of High Valor and that speed had a part in his success. As she put it in the interview, “He has speed and with that speed he can make a mistake and makeup for it.”
Lana isn’t the only one who has found Valiant Hero to be a sire of barrel horses. Equi-Stat money earnings shows that Valiant Hero has 22 barrel racing money winners of $953,319. His leading money winner is High Valor. His next three money earners are Firin To Be A Hero ($127,383), A Valiant Nicky ($76,027) and Ittys Valiant Eagle ($58,346). They are all bred by the leading barrel breeder, the late Jud Little. Sudden Hero ($52,447) is the fifth leading money winner sired by Valiant Hero.
These five barrel horses show the ability of Valiant Hero to cross with a variety of barrel racing bloodlines. Firin To Be A Hero is out of Shebe Firin For Cash by Cash
Not Credit and out of Moon Fire Flit by Fire Water Flit. A Valiant Nicky is out of Nicky Brick House by Brick House Bouncy and out of Pass Em Nicky by Dr Nick Bar. Ittys Valiant Eagle is out of Ittys Sis by Eagles Reason TB and out of Miss Black Satin by Scooter Ed. Sudden Hero is out
of Vanilas Sudden Fame by Dash Ta Fame and she is out of SX Frenchmans Vanila by Frenchmans Guy.
Since the sale of Valor, Lana and Dr.
Jim Bailey’s breeding program for racing and barrel racing has developed into the Canadian River Quarter Horses. They breed horses for racing, whether on the track or around barrels. Valor was bred to run, but when he went to barrel racing, he became a barrel horse.
During our conversation, Lana and
I talked about the Valiant Hero/Mr Jess Perry nick. This brings a gelding named Feature Hero back into focus for us. He was bred by Lana and Kent Jackson. Feature Hero is the leading money earner for Valiant Hero with $1,418,960. He
was foaled in the second foal crop for Valiant Hero. His dam was Illegal Feature by Feature Mr Jess by Mr Jess Perry. The Canadian River Quarter Horses have two full sisters to Feature Hero in stakes placed Cheyenne Hero, second in the Lone
Star Distaff Challenge and third in the AQHA Distaff Challenge Championship, and Belle Of Valor, an unplaced runner.
in the rodeo arena in barrel racing, roping and steer wrestling. He earned one AQHA performance point along the way.
Rare High was sired by Rare Form and out of Also A High by On A High. Also
A High is the dam of five foals sired by Valiant Hero and all five are ROM with two stakes winners. The stakes winners are Valiant High, winner of the Oklahoma Horsemen’s Association Mystery Derby, and All So Valiant, winner of the OQHRA Fall Classic Stakes.
Lana continued, “When they syndicated Valiant Hero, I purchased a share. When I didn’t sell Valor, Butch Wise asked me if I was going to run
him, and I said, ‘Yes, in the barrel pen,
his conformation leans more toward a performance horse. He looks more like
a performance horse than a racehorse. I think if you look at him today you will see that. He has big body build but not tall.’”
Lana has a definite pattern when evaluating her horses. She explained it this way, “When I look at my racehorses, I look at them to see if they can be successful in either spot. I think that it is so nice for these horses to have a second career if they don’t do well in one. I really like to see my horse go on to be successful in whatever career is best for them. When I first looked at Valiant Hero, I saw he had done extremely well as
a racehorse, but I also thought he could
“I think people should pay attention to nicks when they are breeding and look for those nicks where they have been successful. It is what is best for their mares.” – Lana Merrick-Bailey
34 SPEEDHORSE May 2022
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse