Mares With More
Useeit
W
e all have dreams. We go to bed at night and sleep taking us to our dream world or we find ourselves daydreaming in a quiet moment during the day. No matter the type of dream we have, these visions allow us to focus on what we need to do, to be successful in life. As horsemen our dreams often focus on what we would like to achieve with our horses on all levels of the horse industry. We take our dreams through life with some of those dreams coming true and some not coming true. This is the story of one that did come true. It is the story of Al Hoots' dream to win the Kentucky Derby and how his dream came true through his race mare Useeit. But at the same time it is the story of Useeit’s influence on the American Quarter Horse an influence that lets her serve as one of our Mares With More. Useeit was foaled in 1907 on the ranch of her breeder C. B. Campbell. Campbell is a major contributor to the development of the American Quarter Horse. We don’t realize until we research the history of the state of Oklahoma that Campbell becomes a prominent figure in this state’s history. He played a key role in the founding of three towns Minco, Chickasha and Oklahoma City. Some of his activities include being the founder of the First National Bank of Minco and to helping form the First National Bank of Chickasha serving as its President for 38 years. His role in Oklahoma City comes through land ownership as he owned land where city is now located. Despite his success in founding towns C. B. Campbell was a rancher first. He was known for his success with cattle and was the promoter of the cattle feeding stock pens in Chickasha, Oklahoma. But he was most famous for his horses. He was a breeder of polo ponies and racehorses. His obituary described how “he brought Eastern teams to Oklahoma to compete with his polo team. His team would win. His polo ponies were world famous.”
By Larry Thornton
Bonnie Joe’s,’ he said of his youth in Mexico and the Southwest. “One of them always started sideways—they didn’t have gates back then—but he could wheel around and just seem to fall out of there, and he’d be on top. I think I won seven races on him when he was 10.” The dam of Useeit was Effie M by Bowling Green. Her dam was Alma Glyn by Glyndon. This makes Useeit a sister to Joe Blair who was sired by Bonnie Joe and out of a Bowling Green mare. Joe Blair was the famous thoroughbred stallion that sired Joe Reed P-3 the double grandsire of Leo. Al Hoots bought Useeit racing her for seven years. She amassed a record of 34 wins in 122 starts. She placed 38 times. She was noted as a sprinter that was not very good beyond six furlongs. She raced at such famous tracks as the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. She went against all comers including the legendary Pan Zarita a mare she was never able to defeat. Hoots was racing his mare in Mexico. It seems that for whatever the reason Hoots entered his pride and joy in a “claiming race.” No one knows for sure why he would do that because he could lose his mare if someone claimed her. One report stated that the men that owned the participants in the race assured him they would not put a claim in on his mare. Well somebody went back on his word and claimed her. But that didn’t stop Hoots from leaving Mexico with his mare. Some reports say he did it at gunpoint. He was then banned from racing and his mare banned from the Studbook. When Hoots returned home he became ill and he died. This is
This is Black Gold going to the post. He was the full brother to Beggar Boy.
The success of Campbell as a breeder of polo ponies and racehorses was based on the horses he used. One of his stallions was Bonnie Joe. Bonnie Joe was the sire of Useeit. Bonnie Joe was a son of Faustus by Enquirer. Faustus was out of Lizzie G. This makes Faustus a full brother to Mannie Gray, the dam of legendary speed horse Domino. Olin Gentry one of the most influential men in modern thoroughbred breeding gives us some personal insight into the Bonnie Joe horses. Gentry was the manager for Col. E. R. Bradley’s Idle Hour Farm and then John W. Galbreath’s Darby Dan Farms. Gentry was involved in the breeding of 9 horses that are credited with 13 wins in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and the Belmont Stakes to go along with one English Derby winner. A sidebar that accompanied an Edward L. Bowen biography of Gentry called “A Ballad For The Time” in the April 30, 1983 THE BLOOD HORSE quoted Gentry recalling his memories of the Bonnie Joe horses. He stated it this way, “I used to ride some of the Page 20
THE WORKING HORSE • SUMMER 2012