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