Continued from page 17
This is Sonny Star Duster (AQHA Champion) and Margie Star. They are shown with Ramona Dudley Acre. The show was held at Kakeeney, Kansas. They had just won the Produce of Dam Class and Margie Star was the Reserve Grand Champion Mare. to
Photo Credit: AQHA File Pho
and her ties to the Y Ranch and the Triangle Ranch. She is found in the pedigree of horses like Peppy San Badger, the NCHA Hall of Fame cutting horse and leading sire. But the Underwood broodmare band included Old Joe Bailey mares (the Weatherford Joe Bailey), the Zurick Mares and Waggoner Ranch mares. Miss Waggoner was the dam of Top Flight. She was a 1933 mare bred by the W. T. Waggoner Estate of Vernon, Texas. Miss Waggoner was sired by Buck Thomas, a Peter McCue son. Buck Thomas was out of Stockings by Old Fred. The dam of Stockings was Primera by Primero, a thoroughbred. Buck Thomas was the product of the Coke Roberds breeding program of Colorado. Coke Roberds stood both Peter McCue and Old Fred. Miss Waggoner was out of a daughter of Midnight. Midnight was sired by Badger by Peter McCue. This gives her a breeding pattern of 2 X 4 to Peter McCue. The dam of the Midnight Mare was a Waggoner Mare, breeding unknown. Miss Waggoner was the dam of Miss Dexter. Miss Dexter was the dam of Lassie Caesar. Lassie Caesar was an ROM racehorse and dam of Lassie’s Dream, who was the 1955 American Quarter Running Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. Lassie’s Dream was the dam of the AAA rated AQHA Champion Magnolia Bar. Magnolia Bar was the sire of the AQHA Supreme Champion Magnolia Pay. Magnolia Pay in turn was the sire of the great halter mare Magnolia Gay, 1972 and 1973 AQHA High Point Halter Horse. This great halter mare was an AQHA Champion that earned 941 halter points. She was Superior in Western Pleasure as well. Top Flight was an arena ROM producing stallion with Flight’s Pride. But it was through his daughters that Top Flight made his biggest contribution. His daughter Sis Flight was the dam of two AQHA ROM arena performers in Lady Van Flight and Miss Van Flight. Lady Van Flight is an AQHA Superior Halter Horse. Texas Fizz out of Susie Lue by Top Flight was an AQHA Champion. Her foal Snap’s Last was an AQHA Superior Performer. Susie Lue was the dam of four ROM arena performers in Snap’s Last, Texas Fizz, Bill’s Tequila Page 20
and Little Red Diablo. Jan’s Juanita was the dam of the arena ROM performer Juan Sweet and Toppy II was the dam of Taylor Son, another arena ROM performer. Wimpess Model was the dam of the AQHA Champion and ROM performer Supreme Model. Amiga and Chocletto were both by Top Flight and they were producers of racing ROM. Amiga produced Amiga’s Bar and Chocletto was the dam of Oscar. The breeding of Roan Queen’s mother has remained unknown. Acre described her as a “cold blooded mare.” As he later put it, “She was an ole broncy roan Kitch mare.” He went on to tell that she was a pretty wild kind of a mare. One of the interesting things about all this is that Warden Dudley never had a stallion that defined his breeding program. He bred his mares to outside stallions building a very good broodmare band in the process. The process has proven to be very successful with a pasture full of mares that became noted producers. The first outside stallions used by Dudley was Star Duster. Star Duster was owned by Quentin and Evelyn Semotan, Steamboat Springs, Colorado at the time. He was a top halter stallion being named Grand Champion at shows like the 1948 National Western Stock Show in Denver and the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show in 1948. He was named the Champion of Champions at the 1948 Fort Worth Stock Show, a special honor bestowed on the horse that was to win a class of Grand Champions from other shows. This win was over horses that included the great Poco Bueno. Here is an added note: Buck Thomas, the sire of Miss Waggoner the dam of Top Flight was Coke Roberds bred. Quentin and Evelyn Semotan were closely associated with Coke Roberds. A recent visit with the Semotan’s daughter Jo tells us the Evelyn was the person behind Roberds registering his horses with the AQHA. She filled out the paper work. The Semotan broodmare band was founded on the Coke Roberds bloodlines. This gives us an interesting tie between Star Duster, the Semotan mares and the Roan Queen’s sire Top Flight. Continued on page 24..
THE WORKING HORSE • FEBRUARY 2010