8 September , 1962
Celebration Story
( Continued from Page 6 )
Mrs . Porter Rodgers of Searcy , Ark ., who maintain one of the greatest breeding establishments ever developed for the Tennessee Walking Horse .
Black Jack , on the other hand , is owned by Captain and Mrs . Earl A . Self of Mobile , Ala ., who are newcomers to the Tennessee Walking Horse picture but they promise to be more and more prominent in the years ahead . Celebration spectators have these owners and these horses to thank for a tremendous show Tuesday night . It was a repeat ol the June 1 Columbia Spring jubilee in which the same two horses finished the same way on a track covered with mud . At the time it was termed a “ pre- Celebration test of strength ” by knowing observers .
Placed third behind the two frontrunners was Mr . Magic , ridden by Charlie Martin of McFarlin Stables , Murfreesboro , for Mr . and Mrs . George Holmes of Chardon , Ohio . It was Mr . Magic ' s first defeat in a major show this year . Fourth place honors went to Go Boy ' s Sun Again with jack Warren of Lewisburg up for Bob Guinn , Savannah . Spectators expect to see these horses again Saturday night .
Steve Beech of Belfast led Go Boy ’ s Skylark to the Tennessee Walking Horse Yearling Championship of tire World for Columbia ’ s W . H . Brown , a breeder for three decades and owner of many champions . Steve ' s father , S . W . Beech , Jr ., walked Go Boy ’ s Black Angel to reserve honors for her owners , Donnell Baggally and Dr . F . L . Rogers of Murfreesboro and Cadi /, Ariz . Dr . Rogers was unable to come to tlie Celebration this year .
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Aged Walking Stallions — the Celebration class that has proved the source for every World ' s Champion Tennessee Walking Horse since the mare , White Star , took the crown in 1951 — seize the baton tonight as the Big Show of 19G2 quickens its pace to the tune of a smashing three-night attendance tecord .
Wednesday night ' s paid attendance of 9,168 compares with 5,861 of last year — testifying to the enormous growth this year in crowds for early in Celebration Week . Here is the record for official paid admissions through three nights — the Sunday night showing being free with no record kept :
1961 Monday 5,571 T uesday 6,409 Wednesday 5,861
17,841
1962 |
Gain |
|
7,346
8,547
|
1,775
2,138
|
9,168 |
3,307 |
25,061 7,220
This crowd cheered two of the greatest Walking Horses in the present decade to victories in the Three-Year- Old Stallion class , won by Cotton Queen ’ s Go Boy , and the Four-Year- Old Gelding Class , with the trophy going to Golden Sundust .
McFarlin Wins Pony Class This throng also saw 17-year-old Jimmy McFarlin of Murfreesboro , almost a newcomer to Lhe Celebration , taking the Walking Pony trophy for older juveniles on his own ScaL Man . Second was Jimmy Ellis of Orrville , Ala ., in his 12th Celebration appearance on his own Sun ' s Glory Boy .
Sharing attention tonight with the stallion class will be Walking Ponies , riders 14 years and under — the opening event at 7:30 p . m .; Owner-Amateur Walking Geldings , and the Colored Grooms on Walking Horses class that always concludes the Thursday night show at Celebrations . Three non-Walking classes are also set tonight .
Between Classes 37 and 38 there will be a colorful official retirement ceremony for Go Boy ' s Shadow — twice Grand Champion of the World ( 1955- 56 ) — and sire of the 24th Celebration ' s first two World ' s Champions in their age classes — crowned Monday night .
A distinct favorite was in the minds of many when last night ' s show opened with 49 horses crowding the 300-foot long oval track in the showdown for Three-Year-Old Walking Stallions . He was Cotton Queen ' s Go Boy — ridden by Douglas Wolaver of Diana , near Pulaski , in Giles County . Wolaver rode him to Lhe World ’ s Two-Year-Old Walking Horse championship in 1961 and he has never been beaten in a major show .
He and 18 other stallions were parked for the rest while other entries briefly performed to show the judges whether others deserved a second look .
Then came the test and Cotton Queen ' s Go Boy met it with one of the finest performances of his young life . This horse has been tabbed by knowing experts as one of the truly greats for his age in Celebration history . He is owned by Bob Guinn of Savannah , Tenn ., and Myron Wolaver , father of Douglas — the 24-yearold trainer who rode Mack K ' s Handshaker to the World ’ s Grand Championship in 1960 to be the youngest ever on the throne at age 22 .
Finishing behind Cotton Queen ’ s Go Boy in the superb test of threeyear-old horseflesh were : second , Sun ’ s Delight with Neal Branscum for A . S . Dean , Christiana , Tenn .; third , Mack K ' s Big Story , Buddy Kirby up for Mr . and filrs . Lacy West , Kingsport , Tenn .; fourth , Go Boy ’ s Black Velvet , Paul “ Whitey ” Whitehead up for O . B . Kibler and the Kibler Farms , Mt . Orab , O ., one of the nation ’ s great showplaces of agriculture ; and fifth , Champagne Jet with Wallace Brandon up for Binns and Raney of Little Rock , Ark .
Twenty-nine horses took the track in the Walking Pony class for mounts limited to 58 inches , and juvenile riders 15-18 years o £ age — this being a preliminary to the Walking Pony World ’ s Championship Stake that can include younger riders . Twelve ponies survived the cut-off originally and two more were added during the final test for the showdown .
Then came one of the dramatic moments in recent Celebration history . Shelbyville girls had won this event for the last three years — Vicky Lynn Thompson in 1959-60 on Go Boy Wonder and Judy Wiser last year on her Shadow ’ s Jet . Last night Vicky Lynn was on her twice-champion and Judy was on a new horse , Go Boy ’ s Darlene .
But victory went to the boys — Jimmy McFarlin of McFarlin Stables , Murfreesboro , took the trophy on his ScaL Man that his parents acquired in 1961 immediately after Jimmy rode the horse to ninth in the preliminary and sixth in the Saturday night stake event . And Jimmy Ellis was second on his five-year-old Sun ’ s Glory Boy , one of the few ponies of the present day sired by the great stallion — Midnight Sun . Both boys are high school seniors this year and plan to study agriculture in college .
Vicky Lynn placed third on Go Boy ’ s Wonder for O . D . ( Peck ) Carlton , Albany , Ga .; Joe Kelley , Jr ., of Columbia fourth on his own Little Bit O ’ Trouble ; and Jo Anne Hensley , fifth on Midnight Easter Sun for W . F . Ballentine , Columbia , S . C . Judy Wiser was placed ninth . All 14 of the horses judged qualified for the World ( Continued on Page JO )