the winners’ list to ten as opposed to five in years
past. Great excitement filled the stands as the crowd waited expectantly to hear who the fourth World
Grand Champion would be. There was little applause for GREATER GLORY, the Reserve Champion, that year. He was ridden by Billy Grubbs for Haynes
Haven Stables, Spring Hill, Tennessee.
1943— Now in its fifth year, the Celebration was taking on some real importance in the horse world. People were convinced that it was here to stay and that their World Champions were significant. As the big stake arrived a lot of people were surprised to see STROLLING JIM again in contention. Floyd Carothers was riding him for Oakwood Acres, owned by the Rambo Estate in Fayetteville, Tennessee. The horse, then a seven-year-old gelding, made his usual fine show but it was not good enough in the minds of the judges. He was reserve again!
1944— The Celebration was now established as a key factor in the horse world. With forty classes in the show, it was becoming somewhat of a spectacle. As the fateful night arrived, a large crowd was on hand to witness the championship stake. There were eight horses entered in the big stake and it was a good one. The World Grand Champion that year was... well, you already know about that, but it was BLACK ANGEL, ridden by S. W. Beech, Jr., that was Reserve Grand Champion. S. W. was riding for
Blissful Farms, Marianna, Arkansas.
1945— The horse business in Middle Tennessee was beginning to pick up a little in 1945 and people all over the deep south were becoming interested in the
breed. The big show in Shelbyville continued to grow as the breed expanded. Called a " community miracle,”
the Celebration packed ' em in for this show in the waning days of World War II. There were horses entered in the big stake that year whose owners came from many states, including: Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Alabama, and... Louisiana, the home of COTTON-PICKIN’ MAC, owned by Earl Carter of Shreveport Whatever happened to our 1945 Reserve World Champion?
1946— The advent of the " big-time” Tennessee Walking Horse was drawing nigh as the 1946 world championship contest approached. Throughout the summer there was talk about the return of the fabulous black stallion that had won the big stake the year before with Fred Walker in the saddle. There was also a lot of talk about a fancy black challenger being groomed for the world title by a man named Winston Wiser. As the final decision approached, the large crowd gathered in Shelbyville was " wrung out” with excitement. The blue was tied and it was a popular victory, but the 1946 Reserve World Champion, MERRY GO BOY, was to become one of the all-time greats.
1947 _ The fortunes of the show horse world are strange indeed. The 1945 and ' 46 World Champion came back again in 1947 and tied third, while the Reserve Champion of 1946 came back and won his first of two World Grand Championships. By this time the Tennessee Walking Horse was achieving a measure of success as a show horse. The " big-time” Walking Horse was coming into his own and the Celebration continued to grow and prosper. As the dust of the Celebration ring settled and the horses were lined up for the last time, the crowd waited in suspense for the Champion to be named. Few people remember the Reserve World Champion that year... it was MERRY WILSON, a fine mare owned by C. & S. Coal and Clay Co., Zelienople, Pennsylvania.
1948— Little happened within the period of one short year and at the 1948 Celebration the story of the year before was repeated. The same horse won the title and again MERRY WILSON was tied reserve. She went on to become a top broodmare whose name appears quite frequently on the pedigrees of our current stock. The big news of 1948 was not horses, but progress, and the Celebration held its first show at their new showgrounds in Shelbyville.
1949— Stallions had reigned as " kings” for the past four years and as the 1949 Celebration approached there was much speculation that it would again be won by the masculine gender. The unexpected happened, however, and it was a mare that won the; ■ spot that year. The Reserve Championship title to a stallion, OLD GLORY’ S BIG MAN. Ride: Carl Edwards for Florida Queen Cigar Compa.
Quincy, Florida, he was tied the runner-up in a i class of top horses.
1950— The tables were turned this year, as the r < ord now indicates that it was MIDNIGHT MEP who failed in her bid to capture two world titles i;
row. The Reserve Champion of the year before now wore the roses and MIDNIGHT MERRY, ridden by
Steve Hill( one of our Celebration judges this year), was crowned Reserve World Champion. She was owned by Mr. Hill and Billy Duncan of Inverness, Mississippi, and went on to become a fine broodmare.
1951— The purse of the Celebration was getting bigger and 1951 saw a big jump in the prize money. A total of $ 3,500 was set aside for the Championship Stake and it was MIDNIGHT MACK K, owned by Raymond Rebsamen of Little Rock, Arkansas and ridden by Jack Slayden, that got the second largest cut of the purse that year. MACK K, as he was to become known, was to make three major efforts to achieve stardom, only to fail three times. He came back in 1952 and tied third.
1952— After a full year’ s layoff, the Grand Champion of 1950 was brought back into the thick of the fray at the Celebration. OLD GLORY’ S BIG MAN, a beautiful horse in his own right, reportedly did not achieve stardom as a breeding sire at his Florida home and consequently his owners decided to bring him back as a show horse. His efforts failed, however, as he was tied the Reserve Champion of the World in 1952.
1953— It was a repeat performance for another top challenger in 1953, as MIDNIGHT MACK K made another bid for the roses, only to fail again. In 1953 MACK K was owned by Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Jennings of Asheville, North Carolina, who had high hopes of
carrying the world title to an eastern state. The big chestnut stallion made a gallant effort and was popular in every respect, but when the cards were marked he was found wanting. He was once again a Reserve
Champion of the World.
1954- The heyday of MIDNIGHT SUN and MERRY GO BOY was behind the Celebration by the middle 1950’ s. It would rest with their offspring to decide the champions of the future, and decide they did. Since that time, the names of both these great champions