Photo by David Sinclair
Liz Sinclair
shootshorses.com
ANIMAL ATHLETE
“He adores London and runs his
heart out for her every time, but
like most of the horses who haven’t
competed on the national level, he
lost his focus during the long go
in the big stadium,” said Amanda
Gorham, London’s mom. “We’re
incredibly proud of them both.”
During RFD-
TV’s The
American,
the eyes of the
barrel racing
world were
focused on the
7-year-old sorrel
gelding who set
the arena on fire
in the semi’s and
set everybody’s
heart dreaming
about a 10 year
old million
dollar winner.
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www.rodeofame.com
London Gorham
is a special 10-year-old
and rides with an uncanny
presence for one so young,
but we wouldn’t know
anything about her without
the help of her partner,
Frenchman’s
Assassin.
He’s by the iconic South Dakota stallion, Frenchman’s Guy and out of the
royally bred Huggy’s Spitfire, from the families of Easy Jet, Rillito Deck, Sir
Winsalot and My Texas Dandy. Assassin was purchased by the Gorham’s as
a 3-year-old and sent for training and a little seasoning at smaller barrel races
for a few years. After a 6-month layoff for a suspensory tendon injury, the pair
picked up where they left off setting arenas ablaze. The crowds and energy at
Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth suited Assassin, who really hadn’t been to
any big rodeos prior to the semifinals. AT&T was a different story.
By Lori O’Harver