The Story of Rocket Bar, Part 2

The stallions Three Bars and Top Deck founded the two sire lines that battle it out each year to dominate the leading sire lists. When we look at the top 25 leading money earning sires for 2019, we see that 22 of them come from these two sire lines. Then we see that 14 of the 22 come from the Three Bars sire line. The interesting part of this observation is that the Three Bars sire line is predominantly carried on through his son Rocket Bar to his son Rocket Wrangler and to his son Dash For Cash. Then the list shows that the Dash For Cash sire line branches out through his son First Down Dash; and then through his sons Tempting Dash, FDD Dynasty, Valiant Hero, Walk Thru Fire, Sir Runaway Dash; and his grandsons First Moonflash, Kiss My Hocks and Corona Cartel; with five of Corona Cartel’s sons and a grandson also appearing on this list.

When we look at the sire influence of Three Bars, we see that he had many sons that were successful sires of runners. They include Mr Bar None, Tonto Bars Gill, Bob’s Folly, Lightning Bar, Magnolia Bar, Royal Bar, St Bar, Sugar Bars, Triple Chick, Three Chicks and The Ole Man. All of these sons of Three Bars were out of Quarter Horse mares, but the branch of the Three Bars sire line that has carried on is through his Thoroughbred son Rocket Bar.

In our November 2019 Speedlines we profiled the life of Rocket Bar. Now we will take another look back at this great stallion, and then we will look at the role of Rocket Bar in the Three Bars sire line. We will also highlight an interesting breeding pattern that has followed Rocket Bar and his ability to nick with Quarter Horse mares.

Rocket Bar was bred by Charles H. Reed and was purchased as a weanling by Dr. Harold Donovan of Raton, New Mexico. Donovan raced him from 1953 to 1958. Rocket Bar won his first race and then he injured his knee in his second start, an injury that plagued him through his entire race career. He made 35 starts with 16 wins, six seconds and four thirds with earnings of $22,904, including victories in the Phoenix Cup (twice) and the Littleton Speed Handicap. He made one start against Quarter Horses, finishing third in the Winner Take All at Albuquerque and earning an official AA rating.

Donovan retired Rocket Bar to stand at stud and George Kaufman, a prominent Quarter Horse trainer, decided he needed a stallion. Kaufman, who had been the leading trainer in the nation in 1957, 1958 and 1959, purchased Rocket Bar for $36,000. Dr. Donovan retained some breeding rights to Rocket Bar and that lowered the price to $30,000. Then Kaufman’s father-in-law,
O. W. Starlin, bought a few shares.

Rocket Bar stayed with Kaufman until Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Peckham and Mr. and Mrs. S. F. Henderson purchased the Kaufman and Starlin shares for $360,000, with Z. Wayne Griffin buying Dr. Donovan’s shares. Rocket Bar moved to Texas where he was syndicated in 1966 with the shareholders being Z. Wayne Griffin, Leo Winters, Jacob Bunn, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Carter, Dan Urschel, Mr. and Mrs. Bert Hall, Mr. and Mrs. S. F. Henderson and Harriet Peckham.

Rocket Bar died in 1970 at the age of 19. He became a million-dollar sire with earnings of $4,215,596. He sired 454 foals, 368 starters, 287 ROM, 45 stakes winners, 45 stakes placed foals and five Champions, including Mr Tinky Bar, Rocket Wrangler, Osage Rocket, Top Rockette and Nug Rock. He also sired three AQHA Supreme Champions. Rocket Bar became the broodmare sire of $8,100,906, with 637 ROM and 46 stakes winners. The list of his maternal grandget include two World Champions in Tiny’s Gay and Charger Bar.

The legacy of Rocket Bar lives on through his many fine runners, but his ultimate legacy is the continuation of Three Bars line through his son Rocket Wrangler, the sire of Dash For Cash. Rocket Wrangler was born in 1968. The story of how Rocket Wrangler came into the world is an interesting story and we will let his trainer Bubba Cascio tell us how it happened.

 “I was training some Appaloosas for a man in Bandera, Texas, named Thayer Hobson,” Bubba stated. “A real nice man. He had a lot of money. The ole man just kinda liked me. He said, ‘Bubba, you got any good mares?’ I said, ‘No sir, I don’t own any mares.’ He said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘The ones I want to own, I wouldn’t be able to pay for.’ He continued to say, ‘I tell you what I will do. You go buy any two mares you want. Keep them at your place and raise the colts, and I will put up the stud fees and whatever. It won’t cost you a quarter. I will give you half of everything.’ Well, I can’t lose, so I go and buy Go Galla Go and her mother.”

 “I set four track records with Go Galla Go,” Cascio continued. “She was by Go Man Go and out of La Galla Win. Hobson said, ‘Breed those mares to any horse you want.’ Then he said, ‘I don’t care what it costs, but I don’t want to breed to Three Bars.’ At the time, Three Bars was the big guy. I said, ‘You don’t want me to breed to Three Bars?’ ‘No sir!’ Well, I didn’t ask him why. I said, ‘Okay sir,’ and two days later, I called him and said ‘Mr. Hobson, those mares are headed to be bred.’ ‘Well, good good good! What we going to breed them to?’ I said, ‘Rocket Bar.’ He started laughing and he said, ‘You got as close to him as you could, didn’t you?’ I said, ‘Yes sir, I sure did.’ That’s how he got here.”

Cascio trained Go Galla Go throughout her career in 1963 and 1964. She was stakes placed in 1963, with seconds in the West Texas Futurity and Columbus Futurity. She won three stakes in 1964 in the West Texas Derby, Oklahoma QH Exhibitor’s Association Derby and La Grange Downs Derby. Three of her track records came in 1964 at 350 yards in Enid (Garfield Downs) in :18.080; at La Grange Downs in :18.050; and at Lubbock Downs in :18.070. She made 35 trips to the track in two years with 15 wins, 10 seconds and 6 thirds, earning $28,285.

The produce record for Go Galla Go shows that she had 14 foals/starters, 11 ROM and two stakes winners. Her foals earned $315,685. Her first stakes winner was Go Galla’s Man by Tonto Bars Hank, who won the 1969 Georgia Championship. Her one stakes placed runner was Go Galla’s Lady by Truxton King TB, who ran third in the 1975 Raton Derby.

Rocket Wrangler, her second stakes winner, never ran for the Cascio/Hobson team as Mr. Hobson passed away. J. R. Adams purchased the horse from Hobson’s widow at the urging of Bubba, who continued to train the horse with Jerry Nicodemus serving as jockey. They won the Rainbow Futurity and the All American Futurity, placed second in the Goliad Futurity and All American Congress Futurity, and third in the Sunland Park Fall Futurity, with a sixth in the Kansas Futurity. He was named the 1970 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt. 

B. F. Phillips Jr. bought half interest in Rocket Wrangler, and they stood the horse at the Phillips Ranch in 1971. Rocket Wrangler returned to the races in 1972 under the ownership of Adams, with a win in the New Mexico State Fair Handicap, a third in the C. L. Maddon’s Bright Eyes Stakes, and a sixth in the HQHRA Inaugural Handicap and the Champion of Champions. He finished his racing career with a third in the Torrey Pines Stakes, sixth in the Peninsula Stakes, and tenth in the Horsemen’s QHRA Championship in 1973. He made 23 starts with 10 wins, four seconds and four thirds, earning $252,167.

Rocket Wrangler is the sire of $9,407,809, including 1,221 starters that earned 835 ROM with 56 stakes winners. His leading money earner is two-time World Champion Dash For Cash. The maternal sire record for Rocket Wrangler shows that his grandget earned $15,222,243, including 1,232 ROM from 1,902 starters with 85 stakes winners. His leading money winner as a broodmare sire is Miami Cartel by Corona Cartel, who is a four time stakes winner, including the 2002 Los Alamitos Derby-G1. 

Three sons of Rocket Wrangler that are million-dollar sires are Rocket’s Magic, Wranglers Ridge and Dash For Cash. We will start with Rocket’s Magic, winner of the Old South Futurity and Florida Futurity and third in the 1976 All American Futurity. It has to be noted that his dam, Magic Spots TB, has a great deal of King Ranch Thoroughbred blood in her pedigree. She is by Uproar and out of Candle Lighter by Firm Ground by the King Ranch Kentucky Derby winner Middleground. The dam of Candle Lighter is Miss Charge by Depth Charge, who was used on the King Ranch. Middleground and Depth Charge are both by Bold Venture, another King Ranch stallion. This gives Candle Lighter a breeding pattern of 3x3 to Bold Venture. 

Rocket’s Magic is the sire of $3,889,388, including 402 starters earning 227 ROM with 16 stakes winners. His leading money earner is Magic Magic Magic, winner of five stakes races including the LQHBA Futurity-G2, Louisiana Bred Laddie Futurity-G3 and Delta Downs Louisiana Breeders’ Futurity-G3.

Wranglers Ridge, the next million dollar sire by Rocket Wrangler, was a multiple stakes finalist with a stakes win in the 1978 Los Ninos Handicap. He is out of Fantacia by Ridge Butler. Fantacia is out of Fantasy by Lightning Bar. Fantasy is out of the great Quarter running mare Miss Bank. This is the female family of leading sire One Famous Eagle. 

Wranglers Ridge is the sire of $1,845,908, including 289 starters, 196 ROM and 18 stakes winners. His leading money earner is Kipadeucy, a four-time futurity winner including the 1990 Denim N Diamonds Futurity-G1.

Dash For Cash, the third and most prolific million dollar sire by Rocket Wrangler, made 25 starts with 21 wins and earnings of $507,689. He won the Lubbock Downs Futurity, Sun Country Futurity and the Jet Deck Stakes at two. He won the Los Alamitos Derby, the New Mexico State Fair Handicap and the Champion of Champions at three, and was named the AQHA World Champion, Champion Three Year Old and the Champion Three-Year-Old Colt. He won the Vessels Maturity, Los Alamitos Invitational Championship and a second Champion of Champions in 1977 to be named that year’s AQHA World Champion, Champion Aged Horse and the Champion Aged Stallion.

Dash For Cash sired horses that have earned $39,991,197 and is still #4 on the all-time million dollar sire list. He has 145 stakes winners and 16 Champions, headed by World Champions Dashingly, Dash For Speed, Dashs Dream, First Down Dash and Cash Rate. 

Dash For Cash is the Rocket Bar branch of the Three Bars sire line that has made such a major impact on the continuation of this line of horses and on the million dollar sire list. The Dash For Cash list of million dollar siring sons is headed by such horses as Mr Eye Opener, Takin On The Cash, Dashing Val, On A High, Calyx, Some Dasher, Rime, Pritzi Dash, Victory Dash, By Yawl, Gone To The Man and, of course, First Down Dash.

First Down Dash was the 1987 World Champion, Champion Three Year Old and Champion Three-Year-Old Colt. He won the Hollywood Park Invitational, Laddie Handicap-G2, Dash For Cash Derby-G1, QHBC Championship-G1, Los Alamitos Derby-G1 and the Champion of Champions-G1 to earn his titles. He started in 15 races with 13 wins and eight stakes wins. Two of those wins came in the Dash For Cash Futurity-G1 and Kindergarten Futurity-G1 in five of his six starts at two. He earned a total of $857,256.

First Down Dash is the sire of horses that, to date, have won $88,854,000 with 258 stakes winners and 36 Champions. His World Champions include Wave Carver, A Ransom, Down With Debt and Dashing Folly. 

The contributions of First Down Dash to the Three Bars sire line has been phenomenal. His million-dollar siring sons include Walk Thru Fire, FDD Dynasty, Royal Quick Dash and Dash Ta Fame, who have all made the list of top 25 leading sires of money earners. Walk Thru Fire is now the all-time leading living sire of money earners with over $38,127,421. The Three Bars sire line is alive and well through Rocket Bar.

THE NICK THAT STARTED IT 

When Rocket Bar retired from racing to stand at stud, his first runners were Thoroughbred foals with 22 starters and 18 winners. He sired two stakes horses, with the first being a Thoroughbred foal recognized by the AQHA as Blue Okie, foaled in 1958. Blue Okie is the only foal by Rocket Bar that was listed by the AQHA that year, and that means he ran against Quarter Horses. His AQHA record shows that he won five of 24 starts with earnings of $4,136. The Equibase Thoroughbred record shows that he made 110 starts with 18 wins, eight seconds and seven thirds, earning $16,781.

The Quarter Horse sire record for Rocket Bar shows that his first AQHA registered foal came in 1959 with Reckon Bar, the winner of two starts in which he earned an “A” rating-equivalent to a 75 speed index today. His record shows he made 11 starts with two wins and one third earning $375. His dam is Nothing Doing by Kamachero and she was out of Speed’s Pride by Speed To Spare.

The AQHA sire record for Rocket Bar shows 10 foals born in 1960 when he sired six Quarter Horses and four Thoroughbreds. Five of his six AQHA starters earned two ROM, including Flyer’s Rocket, who was a finalist in the 1962 La Mesa Park Thanksgiving Stakes and La Mesa Park Las Ninas Handicap. This horse had five wins from 28 starts and earned his ROM in racing. He was out of River Flyer by Bob Randle, by Flying Bob and out of Miss Bob by Flying Bob.

The sire record for Rocket Bar seemed to be getting off to a slow start at this point, but his 1961 foal crop accelerated his success as a sire. This crop shows 32 foals, 30 starters and 27 winners/ROM, including five stakes winners and four stakes placed runners with earnings of $256,537.

This prompts us to ask; ‘What made this crop of foals more successful?’ The answer brings us to a nicking pattern that seems to follow Rocket Bar and his sire Three Bars. A nick occurs when a stallion and a mare or set of mares from another bloodline are crossed to produce an outstanding foal or foals. The basis for a nick is the phenomenon of hybrid vigor and the complimentary effect. Hybrid vigor is when a stallion and a mare or set of mares are crossed to produce outstanding foals. Hybrid vigor enhances genetic diversity when the two bloodlines are not closely related. This is what leads to genetic diversity which is important in improving our horses. The complimentary effect is based on what the stallion and the mare(s) bring to the mix to improve the foal through improved conformation. This takes place when the conformation of the stallion and the mare complement each other by bringing certain aspects of their conformation to improve their foals.

Following are some examples of runners from the Three Bars/Leo nick: Heavenly Flower, winner of the 1960 Rocky Mountain QHA Futurity at 330 yards and the 1961 Rocky Mountain QHA Derby at 440 yards. She set a track record at Ruidoso going 330 yards in :17.200. Her dam is Sweet Leilani W by Leo. The next two stakes winners are full sisters Laurita Bar, winner of the 1966 330-yard Texas Futurity, and Miss Bar Leo, a multiple stakes winner of the 330-yard Texas Futurity in 1966. Miss Bar Leo is also a track record setter in 1962 at Centennial Downs going 350 yards in :17.600. She won both the 1962 Colorado Futurity and Colorado Lassie Futurity. These full sisters have another full sister and brother - AAA earners Bar Leo King and Miss Cy Fair. The dam of all these runners is Leo’s Midget by Leo. Then there is Sompin Special, who won the 1966 Colorado Lassie Stakes at 350 yards and the 400-yard California Horse Racing Association Stakes. She is out of Aunt Amie by Leo. Aunt Amie is also the dam of Catawambus Bars, a AAA full brother to Sompin Special. And there is Citation Bars, who was a finalist in multiple stakes races including the 1964 All American Futurity. He is out of Leota W by Leo.
Bar Bob, another Three Bars/Leo nick, is a AAA runner and a stakes finalist in the 1955 PCQHRA Futurity. He is out of Della Bob by Leo and Della Bob’s dam is Sailor Bob by Flying Bob. 

Kid Meyers, by Three Bars and out of a Leo mare, was a AAA runner and a finalist in multiple stakes, including the 1965 Kansas Futurity and Sunland Fall Futurity. He became one of four AQHA Supreme Champions by Three Bars. Kid Meyers is out of World Champion Miss Meyers by Leo and she is out of Star’s Lou by Oklahoma Star. And then there is Fairbars, a AAA runner that was third in the 1963 Pacific Coast QHRA Futurity. He became the second AQHA Supreme Champion by Three Bars. He is out of Lady Fairfax by Leo. Lady Fairfax is out of Miss Chubby by Chubby, a son of Midnight who is a grandson of Peter McCue.

When we look at the pedigree of Leo, we see that his sire is Joe Reed II by Joe Reed P-3. The dam of Leo is Little Fanny by Joe Reed P-3. This brings us back to the 1961 Rocket Bar foal crop and the role of the broodmare sires Joe Reed II, Red Joe of Arizona and Barred, a son of Three Bars, all closely related to Leo. You will recall that the 1961 foal crop included five stakes winners and four stakes placed runners. We will start with Joada Bar, winner of 1963 PCQHRA Futurity. She is out of Lady Me by Joe Reed II. Rockarbars is the second stakes winner from this cross, winning races such as the 1968 Lafayette Derby. This cross also produced the AQHA Supreme Champion He Rocket.

Here are a few more interesting runners with ties to Rocket Bar and Lady Me, by Joe Reed II. Rocket Elaine won the 1974 Sunland Park Fall Derby. This mare by Rocket Bar is out of Moolah Me by Moolah Bux TB. The dam of Moolah Me is Lady Me by Joe Reed II. Joada Bar, out of Lady Me, is the dam of 1968 Rainbow Futurity winner Joada Bux, who was by Moolah Bux. 

Jody B Reed is another Joe Reed II daughter to produce a stakes placed runner from the 1961 foal crop. She is the dam of Rocket Joleen, second in the 1963 Intermountain Futurity. The dam of Jody B Reed is Lady Bob R by Flying Bob by Chicaro. Winning Streak is a 1965 foal by Rocket Bar that won the 1968 Long Beach Stakes. She is out of Midnight Streak by Bull’s Eye, by Joe Reed II.

Rocket Dust won the 1963 Tri-State Futurity and Waitsburg Futurity. She is out of Larson’s Gold Dust by Red Joe Of Arizona, a 3/4-brother to Joe Reed II. He is by Joe Reed P-3 and out of Little Red Nell, the dam of Nellene, who is the dam of Joe Reed II. 

Rocket’s Gold is the next stakes winner in this 1961 foal crop, and he won the 1963 Jefferson QHA Futurity. His full sister Dream Rocket won the Columbus Futurity, Goliad Futurity and Laredo Futurity in 1966. Their dam is Dream’s Gold Bar by Barred, who is by Three Bars and out of Ready by Red Joe Of Arizona.

This cross is reinforced with Rocket Bar’s 1976 filly Barred’s Rocket, who won the 1969 Bay Meadows Futurity. She is out of It’s Tidy by Barred. Her dam is Vandys Betty, by Vandy, and she is out of Garrett’smisspawhuska by Leo. This gives Vandys Betty a double cross to Joe Reed P-3, sire of Red Joe Of Arizona and Joe Reed II. Then we see that Vandy is out of Jean Ann Blair TB by Joe Blair, who is also the sire of Joe Reed P-3. This gives Vandys Betty a breeding pattern of 3x5x5 to Joe Blair by Bonnie Joe.

Here are a few more Rocket Bar/Vandy connections. Stakes winner Snazzy Man is out of Vanneva by Vandy. Vanneva is out of Little Peach, the dam of Tinky Poo. Stakes winner Rocket Vandy is out of Susan Vandusen by Vandy. Susan Vandusen is out of Sue Wood, the dam of Suleo by Leo. 

Mr Tinky Bar has to be the leader of the pack in the 1961 Rocket Bar foal crop, winning the 1963 Kansas Futurity and running second in the All American Futurity. His 1963 record gave him the Champion Two-Year-Old Colt title. The dam of Mr Tinky Bar is Tinky’s Lady by Tinky Poo. Tinky’s Lady is also the dam of the Rocket Bar stakes winner Mr Rocket Bar.

Rocket Mist is the fifth stakes winner in the 1961 Rocket Bar foal crop with a victory in the 1963 Intermountain Futurity. His dam is Tinky Berry by Tinky Poo. Rocket Mist is a full sister to Fire Rocket, the second AQHA Supreme Champion by Rocket Bar.

Some other stakes winners from the Rocket Bar/Tinky Poo cross include: Inky’s Rocket and Bombin Rocket, both out of Tiny’s Inky; Sky Way Rocket out of Tinky Chumina; Kitty Rocket out of Susie Poo, who is by Tinky Poo and out of Suleo by Leo; and La Ree Bar out of Tinky Ann. It is through Tinky Ann and her mating to Rocket Bar that have come runners such as 1971 World Champion Charger Bar and Look Her Over, dam of the 2019 World Champion He Looks Hot, to name just a few. 

Here is what makes the Tinky Poo cross so interesting. The dam of Tinky Poo is Little Peach by Beggar Boy TB by Black Toney. Beggar Boy is out of Useeit by Bonnie Joe. The dam of Little Peach is Peaches by Oklahoma Star P-6. The dam of Oklahoma Star P-6 is Cutthroat by Gulliver. Ronald Mason, the longtime owner of Oklahoma Star, professed that Cutthroat was not by Gulliver, but actually by Bonnie Joe, and if this is the case, then Little Peach would have a breeding pattern of 3x4 to Bonnie Joe. Now what makes this interesting is Bonnie Joe is the sire of Joe Blair, the sire of Joe Reed P-3, who is the sire of Leo - with the Rocket Bar/Leo cross a very prominent nick with Joe Reed-P3 bred mares. 

Voo Doo Rocket, Pitti Rockette and Red Alert are the last three stakes horses from the 1961 Rocket Bar crop. Voo Doo Rocket, third in the 1963 Los Ninos Handicap, is out of Tets Baby by My Tet Rambler by Tetros by Porte Drapeau. Pitti Rockette, third in the Portland Meadows Derby, and full brother Rocket’s Glare, winner of the Jefferson QHA Futurity, are out of Pitti Sing by Buddy Question Mark by Question Marks Sonny by Question Mark. The dam of Pitti Sing is H J Silk Hat by Bob Wade W by Question Mark. This gives Pitti Sing a breeding pattern of 3x3 to Question Mark.

Red Alert, the last stakes horse from Rocket Bar’s 1961 crop, brings us to the Rocket Bar/Leo cross. Red Alert was third in the 1963 PCQHRA California-Bred Futurity. He is out of Stage Show by Leo Tag by Leo. The dam of Stage Show is Sharon Clabber by Clabber by My Texas Dandy by Porte Drapeau. It should be noted that the Tinky Poo daughters Tinky’s Lady, Tiny’s Inky and Tinky Chumina are all out of Clabber’s Image by Clabber by My Texas Dandy by Port Drapeau.

The Rocket Bar/Leo cross was very prominent in Rocket Bar’s nick with Joe Reed P-3 bred mares. Suleo, by Leo, produced four stakes winners by Rocket Bar, including Suleo’s Rocket, Princess Rozella, El Charro Rocket and Barleo Rocket. Eight-time stakes winner Osage Rocket serves as a different example of Rocket Bar crossed with mares from the Leo line. Osage Rocket is out of Osage Lamb by Palleo Pete by Leo.  

Quincy Rocket is an example of the Rocket Bar/Leo cross. Multiple stakes winner Quincy Rocket is out of Leocita by Leo, and Leocita is out of Oncita by Band Play. Quincy Rocket has had her own impact on the million dollar sire list. She is the dam of Sweet Blush by Hempen TB. Sweet Blush is the dam of Leaving Memories, a stakes placed son of First Down Dash who is a million dollar sire of $7,930,059. Leaving Memories is the sire of Send Me The Candy, who is the second dam of 2015 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and All American Futurity-G1 winner Jess Good Candy. An added note: The dam of Send Me The Candy is Send Me Candy by Tiny’s Gay, a son of Gay’s Delight by Rocket Bar and out of Miss Ginger Gay by Palleo Pete by Leo. This gives Send Me The Candy a double dose of the Rocket Bar/Leo cross through Quincy Rocket and Gay’s Delight.

Quincy Rocket is the second dam of Blushing Bug by Bugs Alive In 75 and out of Sweet Blush. Blushing Bug’s is the sire of $5,573,792. He counts among his runners a multiple stakes winner Blushing By, whose wins include the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship-G1 and Go Man Go Handicap-G1. Blushing By is out of legendary race mare Charger Bar, who is out of La Ree Bar by Rocket Bar, and La Ree Bar is out of TInky Ann by Tinky Poo. 

Quincy Rocket is also the second dam of Sweet Victress, a daughter of Sweet Blush. Sweet Victress is the dam of Tempt Me Not, and she is the dam of A Tempting Chick. A Tempting Chick is the dam of Tempting Dash, who is by First Down Dash. Tempting Dash is a million-dollar sire with earners of $8,982,119. The leading money earner by Tempting Dash is Kiss My Hocks, the 2014 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and winner of the Ruidoso Futurity-G1 and Sam Houston Futurity-G2 where he set a New Track Record in the trials of this race for 330 yards in :16.433. Kiss My Hocks is the #3 Leading Freshman Sire of Money Earners of 2019  with earnings of $1,384,370.

Quincy Rocket is another by Quincy Farms, which also bred another Rocket Bar/Leo cross foal in Sugar Rocket by Rocket Bar and out of Sugar Mayday, by Leo. Sugar Rocket is another AQHA Supreme Champion by Rocket Bar. He is a AAA rated runner, Superior halter horse and Champion. His dam Sugar Mayday, by Leo, is out of Frontera Sugar, the dam of Champion Sugar Bars by Three Bars.

SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT

When we count up the Rocket Bar stakes winners, we see that 26 of them were out of the following broodmare sires—Leo, Joe Reed II, Bull’s Eye, Palleo Pete, Leo Tag, Barred, Vandy or Tinky Poo. Just think what might have happened if leading trainer George Kaufman hadn’t needed a stallion for his mares and hadn’t bought Rocket Bar to breed? Makes us think – might there not be a Rocket Bar as a sire of Quarter Horses without the mares he was bred to?

Then we have to stop and think - what would have happened if Bubba Cascio hadn’t trained horses for an Appaloosa breeder named Thayer Hobson, the man who didn’t want to breed his mares to Three Bars, so Cascio bred to Three Bars’ son Rocket Bar? Makes us think – might there not be a Rocket Wrangler to sire Dash For Cash? 

It is thoughts like these that make the development of the Three Bars sire line, demonstrated here by his son Rocket Bar, so interesting.