LATE-SEASON MIDDLE TENNESSEE SHOWS ATTRACT TOP CONTENDERS
AS CELEBRATION NEARS
As the Celebration draws nearer and nearer, the drive is on to bring as many top contenders into the limelight as possible. Trainers who have been working their best horses carefully during the summer heat are now trying to hone them for the " big one” and are making every effort to make at least one more
top performance before going to Shelbyville. The most outstanding performances turned in recently have been
at Murfreesboro, Fayetteville, Pulaski and Belfast. These shows have been held almost consecutively
since July 17 at Murfreesboro where SUN’ S ELIMI NATOR and David Welsh established themselves as
major stake contenders by winning the championship in a top class. Following this on Saturday, July 19, Jimmy Ellis slipped up on the establishment and made a fine show on MISTER FREEWHEEL to win the stake at Fayetteville. A week later the crowds moved to Pulaski, Tennessee, to see ACE’ S SENSA TION take the blue in convincing form. The mass of Walking Horse enthusiasts held their ground for one more week to witness two sterling performances at Belfast, Tennessee on the weekend of August 1. " The MARE”... GO BOY’ S BLACK AN GEL... made believers out of a lot of people with a striking show in the mare class, and Wallace Brandon swept the field in the Stallion and Gelding Class with a fine performance on SENSATIONAL SHADOW.
MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE JULY 17 Judge— George Henson
TOR— Blue-ribbon winner of Stallion Gelding Class at
. results we received from Murfreesboro were. d and we were unable to report completely on ach class. We received only the first three winners and did not get the names of the owners of the various horses. We will give only a brief rundown on each class and the winner.
David Mason came on strong with a late-season
■r as he took top honors in the Two-Year-Old Stallion & Gelding Class on THE SUPER CHARGER.
Top winner in the Two-Year-Old Filly Class was Preach Fleming riding MARK’ S SUMMER DREAM, a beautiful smooth-going filly owned by R. D. Keene of Orlando, Florida. Preach did not make it to Tennessee until late in the summer, but has shown that he has some stock that can get along in just about any competition.
The Juvenile Class was won by Kim Lovette riding her ever-popular HILL’ S PERFECTION. This World Champion( several times over) is aiming at the Juvenile World Championship this year and has thus far " beat ' em all.” This could be Kim’ s year!
Jim Messenger made a fine show to win the Three- Year-Old Stallion and Gelding Class on THE AMBAS SADOR, a big-lick stallion that has that traditional " big Jim” way of going that the crowds like to see.
Coming into the spotlight in the Three-Year-Old Mare Class was SPIRIT’ S TULIP, with Billy Gray riding in fine form. Billy has come on strong this year and has made a lot of people sit up and take notice with this and several other top horses. He could be in the running in several classes. The popular Elmore Brock and EBONY’ S MISTER BILL took the blue in the Junior Stallion & Gelding Class. Many people were convinced that this was another horse, and were surprised to find that " Possum” had several top horses in the same age group. MIS TER BILL should do well in top competition. Elmore came back strong in the next class to take another blue on a Junior Mare, DEEP VELVET. She is no newcomer to the showring. We have always likes this mare and are pleased to see her back in the ring.
The Championship Class saw a group of fourteen fine horses enter the ring for the top spot. After a preliminary workout, Judge George Henson pulled six top contenders to the rail for a final workout. From the beginning it was obvious that SUN’ S ELIMINAT OR had come to show. David Welsh put the pressure on his mount and kept pushing for more lick and more speed. The big sorrel never let up and established himself " tops” in the minds of most observers.
PULASKI, TENNESSEE JULY 26 Judge— Albert Rowland
Called " The Red Carpet Show of the South,” the annual Pulaski, Tennessee Horse Show proved to be just that as the mass of Walking Horse enthusiasts of the nation converged on his famous " home of the Ku Klux Klan” on Saturday, July 26 to see some of the finest of our breed compete for top honors. The big talk of the show was, naturally, the Aged Stallion & Gelding Class in which the ever-popular ACE’ S SENSATION took home the blue. The big black stallion lived up to his title of " Super Horse” as he was guided through his gaits on a slick turf to win impressive honors. Too good to overlook, even as a stake class contender, was HANDSHAKER’ S DELIGHT, a superb
Junior Stallion that walked off with his class in a blaze of perfection under the expert handling of Donald Paschal. This horse could be the " big surprise” of the Celebration if he ever ends up in Aged Class competition. He’ s great!
Hitting the highlights of a fine show, we will have to mention the performance made by EBONY’ S OLD CHARTER in the Three-Year-Old Stallion & Gelding Class. He has changed hands and is now owned by
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Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse