1963-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1963 May Voice | Page 3

Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse
1
Iripie Threat Traces To Master Show Sire Wilson's Allen
The lengthened shadow ol Wilson’s Allen—greatest TWH sire in all his­
tory on the basis of 3-generation horse show competition—will be riding on
the shoulder of great grandson Triple Threat when he meets the test o£ his
7-year-old life at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration on
World’s Grand Championship Stake Night at Shelbyville, Tenn. on Sept. 7,
It takes that long sentence to wrap up a short story.
That story is that right now—based upon performances in 1962 and 1963
to date—Triple Threat is recognized by many as “the strongest Tennessee
Walking Horse in competition today.”
Others put it more briefly and call him “the No. 1 contender for the
World's Grand Championship in 1963.”
Their faith was fortified a bit further when Triple Threat took the Walk­
ing Horse Championship Stake at San Antonio, Tex. within recent weeks.
The Voice front cover picture in this issue shows that scene. Later he won the
stake aL New Orleans, La. against intense competition.
Triple Threat is owned by Mr. and Mrs. J. Glenn Turner of Dallas,
Texas. He heads the brigade of top Tennessee Walking Horses now showing
for Triple T Ranch—a ranch that created the incorporated town of Roanoke,
Tex. (population 108). It is located 20 miles northwest of Dallas.
Can Go Indoors or Outdoors
At San Antonio the rugged Triple Threat was cheered to the echo by
thousands of throats in one of the most successful horse shows ever staged in
that vicinity. It was indoors in a huge ampitheater. Triple Threat has shown
that he can go indoors or outdoors, on any kind of track.
Today he is called “the faultless horse’’—and a sort of throwback Lo the
most rugged Walking Horses the breed has ever seen.
He is a double great grandson of Wilson’s Allen—being a grandson of Mid­
night Sun and also a grandson of Wartrace on the dam side.
The “hidden story” of Triple Threat’s revealed strength at age 7 lies in
a simple fact. He is not a "worn oul horse” at the age when most Tennessee
Walking Horse stallions have been retired to stud service or have been altered
for pleasure horseback riding purposes.
In fact, Triple Threat was not even registered with the Tennessee Walk­
ing Horse Breeder’s & Exhibitor’s Assn, at Lewisburg until after his purchase
in July, 1961 by Gaynell Tinsley of Baton Rouge, La.—former football coach
at Louisiana State University where
he was an All-American end. Tinsley Threat before he became a 2-year-olcI
is now chiefly engaged in the cattle but no attempt was made to give the
business and sold his large plantation young horse steady training. He grew
—Mibermel—during the week of April and grew, without being pushed even
15, 1963. He has two other farm prop­ a liLtle bit in his formative years.
After Tinsely acquired the horse he
erties.
was used as an amateur entry in a few
‘Tried Five Years To Buy Him’
shows. Tinsley won at Nacogdoches,
“I saw Triple Threat when he was Tex. in his class, took a class else­
one week old—thought he was as fine where and finished third in the Dixie
a looking colt as I had ever seen—and Jubilee of 1961 in his home town.
tried off and on to buy him for the
‘Lightning Struck In May, 1962’
next five years,” said Tinsley in a
It was just after the New Orleans
telephone conversation with the Voice
Editor on April 29. The horse was show, about the first of May, 1962,
that “lightning struck" in the life of
foaled May 1, 1956.
Owner of Triple Threat at that Triple Threat. J. Glenn Turner
time was Dukie Palmer of Amite, La., bought the horse from Tinsley—and
who owned the mare, Tensa’s Gypsy immediately nominated him as a head­
Girl. The mare was bred to Sun’s liner for Circle T Ranch along with
Quarterback—then owned by Tinsley the long-trained Shadow’s Luminaire.
Harold Kennedy took over the
but now owned by Hewitt J. Bordelon
of LaFayette, La. (This sire is adver­ training program that has brought
Triple Threat to his present form-
tised in the Voice Stud Registry).
Triple Threat was the first colt proving to be a man as rugged above
sired by Sun's Quarterback and the the saddle as Triple Threat is rugged
colt’s dam died without dropping an­ under the saddle.
For the 1962 National Celebration
other foal.
Apparently Palmer broke Triple at Shelbyville the Circle T Ranch list
of 13 horses showed Triple Threat as
an amateur entry for Mr. J. Glenn
Turner to ride. Mr. Turner suffered
some broken ribs in an accident in
the stable at Circle T — so Kennedy
rode the horse as the stake entry in­
stead of saddling Luminaire.
Triple Threat placed 4th in the
Stallion preliminary on Wednesday,
and ranked 5th in the stake three
nights later. Computation showed the
horse had finished the highest in re­
cent Celebration history among horses
that had been hauled in excess of 700
miles to reach the show arena—with
ju st 6 days given to recuperation. He
arrived on Thursday before the show
started Sunday.
After the 1962 Celebration the
course of Triple Threat has been an
almost unbroken succession of tri­
umphs in big stakes against top-notch
opposition. He won frequently in
Florida's Sunshine Circuit, then shift­
ed to the Southwest Circuit without
missing a step.
His San Antonio victory over a
spirited field of fine horses with vet­
eran riders drew one of the greatest
ovations ever heard in that circuit.
The San Antonio show, sponsored by
the Alzafar Shrine, was a gala 4-day
affair with the Walking Horse judge
being R. C. Hughes, Jackson, Miss.
Other first places won at San An­
tonio by Circle T Ranch entries were:
Amateur Stake, by Fred Turner, rid­
ing Shadow’s Red Ace; and Mare
Class, by Harold Kennedy riding Sha­
dow’s Invasion.
Triple Threat’s greatness as a 7-
year-old can be traced to his blood­
lines, as well as to his training concen­
trated upon a mature horse—after he
had reached full strength.
Traces To Hunter’s Allen F-10
His breeding on the sire’s side is
generally known through Midnight
Sun, the most famous son of Wilson’s
Allen. Sun’s Quarterback was out of
Little Joe's Joan. Allen’s Little Joe
was by Hunter’s Allen F-10 out of
Steagall’s Lou.
Tensa’s Gypsy Girl—the dam of
Triple Threat—was by Wartrace out
of Jennette Lightfoot. Wartrace, a
noted sire of his day, was by Wilson’s
Allen out of Nancy Patton. Nancy
Patton was by Mabry Allen F-76 out
of Hunter’s Allen F-10.
Jennette Lightfoot was by Walker’s
Allen out of Nell Eaton. Walker’s
Allen was by Hunter’s Allen F-10 out
(Continued on page 2)