1969 Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1969 February Voice RS | Page 33

BUGABOO, NELLIE GRAY, SIL­
VER, JANE GRAY, HAPPY, LIT­
TLE MAUDE GRAY and BLOND
GODDESS are some of the colts. A
note of interest is that BLOND GOD­
DESS was shown in both Walking
and Gaited classes.
MAUDE GRAY was a daughter of
the grand old foundation stallion,
ROAN ALLEN F-38, and was out of
MINNIE BLACK. She was a beauti­
ful roan, both hind stockings, bald
and with a flaxen mane and tail. Her
conformation was of the true type
fora brood mare. In her day MAUDE
GRAY entered the show rings and
"never lost a ribbon.” In reading
some of the old articles and doing
some research about MAUDE GRAY
we found some of the following facts:
In and around the year 1940, SI800
was offered for an unborn foal of
this mare; SI6,000 worth of show
colts was produced by this mare in
just a few years; she paid off a
SI 0,000 mortgage on the Gray farm;
NELLIE GRAY was shown and un­
defeated nine times as a two-year-
old and was sold to Col. C. H. Bacon
for a record price of S4,000; BUGA­
BOO, a great roan stallion, was the
winner of the World Championship
sweepstake at Sedalia, Mo. in 1940;
LYNNIE GRAY was winner of the
1938 World’s Championship Sweep-
stakes as a three-year-old at the
Tennessee Stake Horse Show, the
championship show that preceded
the Celebration in Shelbyville, Ten­
nessee, and she also captured the
World’s honors at the Kentucky State
Fair in Louisville that same year.
Back in 1940 those were great hon­
ors and top prices we have just
mentioned!
Over the years there were several
more transactions involving the buy­
ing and selling of Maude Gray. One
was to Jim Crane of Wilson, Arkan­
sas, and then Auburn sold her to
Dr. Porter Rodgers of Searcy, Arkan­
sas. Right before she was to be sent
back to the Gray Farm where most
of her years had been spent, she died
and is buried on Dr. Rodgers’ farm
in Searcy.
Today many registration papers
still bear the MAUDE GRAY trade­
mark. This year’s World Champion,
GO BOY’S ROYAL HEIR, is out of
a mare by SIR MAUGRAY out of
MAUDE GRAY. With this blood line
and all the famous progeny of this
February, 1969
AUBURN AND VELMA CHAV on an old-time ride-
a-thon.
mare, Auburn Gray will be remem­
bered for his association with some
other greats. Some he owned, some
he only sold for others, but the ties
were there. Such names as SUN’S
CELEBRATION, MERRYBELLE.
WILSON’S ALLEN GAY GIRL,MER­
RY ROSE (dam of TALK OF THE
TOWN), STROLLING MERRYBIRD
AUBURN GRAY up on MAUDE GRAY 37077 on
his farm in the Hollow. MAUDE GRAY was by
ROAN ALLEN F-38 out of MINNIE BLACK by
(dam of SUN’S CELEBRATION and
STORMY MIDNIGHT) and TALK
OF THE TOWN himself are just a
few of the greats. Auburn acted as
agent in the sale of old MERRY BOY
to the Yandells in Mississippi. The
story goes that the horse was hard
to haul, so someone gave Auburn
SI00 to ride in the back of the truck
with the old horse from Wartrace,
Tennessee to Mississippi when he
was delivered. Auburn also acted as
agent in the sale of old WILSON
ALLEN when he moved from Pelham
to Beech Grove, Tennessee.
This man made a tremendous con­
tribution to our present-day Walking
Horse world as a breeder, a trainer
and a judge. Mr. Gray’s family still
lives on the Gray farm. His two
children, Jimmie Gray and Marianne
Gray Leech, have long been associ­
ated with Walking Horses. In addi­
tion to his two children, Mr. Gray is
survived by his wife, Mrs. Velma
Hughes Gray; one sister; a brother;
and one grandson, Rodney Gray
Hughes Leech. His many friends and
associates will long remember Au­
burn Gray and the mare MAUDE
GRAY will remain forever imprinted
on the history of the Walking Horse
breed.
HUNTER’S ALLEN F-10 by ROAN ALLEN F-38.
She was 19 years old when this picture was
made.
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