1965-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1965 September Voice | Page 12

(Continued from page 6)
The final night of the Celebration was without par­
allel in the modem annals of Walking Horse activity.
A large and enthusiastic crowd turned out to cheer
for their favorites in this last night of championship
classes. There was a read scarcity of standing room,
and if you had a seat, you were among the select.
However, when the final stake began there were few
if any sitting down.
The renowned and universally-popular Triple Threat
carried talented and hard-working DOUG WOLAVER
to the winner’s circle with a magnificent performance
in the Grand Stake. Doug and his horse fought off
the challenge offered by ten other great horses (seven
stallions, two mares, and one gelding) in winning
the prize that Triple Threat had so narrowly missed
on two previous occasions. This year, in a pleasant
addition to the Celebration routine, the horses in
this class were introduced individually and with suit­
able fanfare as they entered the ring. This certainly
added to the drama and excitement of the stake be­
cause the crowd immediately picked its favorites and
really rooted when one of its "Grand Champions”
made a pass.
Judging by crowd noises the two primary favorites
were Johnny Midnight, with "old-reliable” SAM PAS­
CHAL in the irons, and Triple Threat with Doug
Wolaver doing the honors. In the final workout all
the trainers and fans really let loose in a last-ditch
effort to capture the judges’ fancy. When EMMET
GUY slowly called off the winning number the noise
became truly deafening as the World’s Grand Champ­
ion, Triple Threat, made that last pass in the spot­
light for all to see. Reserve honors went to Johnny
Midnight and Sam Paschal. This horse last year tied
fifth in the big stake and, if he continues to improve
as he has in this past year, he should be one of the
leading stake horses in the country for the next few
years.
It was by no means a two-horse battle, as both
Doug and Sam were really pushed by several other
horses. STEVE HILL and Go Boy’s Royal Heir were
in the thick of the battle from start to finish and
lived up to pre-Celebration notices. Steve and his
horse are sure to be contenders in the future if this
performance is any indication of what this fancy black
stallion is capable of accomplishing. GEORGE LIV­
INGSTONE and his great mare, Mighty Sunbeam,
opened a lot of eyes with a real good showing. This
mare worked extremely hard throughout the class
as George took no chances on making the all-impor­
tant last workout. Unfortunately this had a telling
effect on the big mare in the latter stages of the
class, but this by no means detracts from her splen­
did showing. Tying fifth in a class of this calibre is
indeed an accomplishment, especially for a mare.
BUD DUNN placed fourth with a determined show­
ing on Go Boy’s Sun Dust. Bud has shown this horse
consistently throughout the year and has amassed
quite a string of blues and an enthusiastic following.
His Celebration showing did nothing but enhance
his reputation and project him as a leading contender
in future shows.
12
In the junior class the real crowd-dazzler was BUDDY
HUGH on his white horse, Shadow’s King Cotton.
This horse is being compared to the best of the white
horses in history for his excellent showing all year
and his crowning victory as the World’s Grand Cham­
pion Junior Walking Horse. Buddy’s horse electrified
the crowd with his blazing speed in the running walk
and his superb exhibition of the flat-foot walk and
canter. This was a repeat victory for Buddy, as he
swept the junior title last year on Gunsmoke’s Son.
BETTY SAIN took Shaker’s Shocker to reserve hon­
ors in this class on the strength of a consistent show­
ing in all three gaits. Betty, who does an excellent
job of training her own horses, thrilled her many
long-time supporters with her showing and was a
popular choice with the crowd.
Goldfinger was the magic name, 1151 was the call
number, and WINK GROOVER was the agent in the
saddle who guided this beautiful horse to the Two-
Year-Old Championship. Goldfinger stole the show
from a class full of promising horses and swept to a
three-card first place finish over such outstanding
horses as The Entertainer, with JOE WEBB in the
irons, and Big Shot’s T Bird with BILLY BRANTLEY
up. The crowd pulled hard for this beautiful gold-
colored horse in both the stud class and the stake
as his name was constantly in the limelight. Joe
Webb rode The Entertainer expertly to capture re­
serve honors for this full brother to the 1964 Grand
Champion Carbon Copy. Joe has often compared this
young horse to his famed brother, and the flashy
black stallion shows all the signs of following Copy’s
illustrious footsteps. Billy Brantley’s horse was hitting
the biggest lick seen on a two-year-old in a long
time. T Bird is a big strong horse who is growing
every day and Billy feels he has a genuine contender
for future honors.
Bomb’s Bally Hoo was a popular repeat winner
in the Amateur Championship Stake. D’LEESE WIL­
LIAMSON piloted her horse to the blue ribbon in
this class loaded with fine amateur mounts. Tying
reserve to the repeating champion was newcomer
LYLE CASHION, JR. on The Society Playboy. Lyle
and Playboy won the Amateur Stallion preliminary
earlier in the week while Bomb’s Bally Hoo tied third
in the same class. However, in the final showdown,
D’Leese and her horse were not to be denied the
blue ribbon. Lyle Cashion is quickly making a name
for himself in the Walking Horse world. Besides his
fine showing in the amateur classes, his entries also
did well in the halter classes. Lyle is determined to
make his new Cashion Stables one of the best breed­
ing establishments in the country and he is certainly
off to a good start. Moonglow Jr., with JAMES K.
TAYLOR in the saddle, tied third in the Amateur
Stake. He kept this big-time horse on the rail and
made a determined showing to tie the yellow ribbon.
Little Bit O’ Trouble, 1963 and 1964 World Cham­
pion Pony for Riders 14 and Under, and reserve
World’s Grand Champion Pony in 1964, won the
Grand Championship this year with young RAY
BEECH up. Ray has won many titles on this great
(Continued on page 19)
VOICE of the Tennessee Walking Horse