The 2018 American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame inductees were honored at the Hall of Fame Banquet on March 4 at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida.
“Induction into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame is the highest honor possible in our Association, and we welcome these deserving individuals into the Hall of Fame,” said Craig Huffhines, executive vice president of the American Quarter Horse Association.
The horses inducted into the Hall of Fame are the stallions Otoe, Runaway Winner, The Ole Man and Smart Chic Olena; and the mare Maroon (TB).
The horsemen are AQHA Past President Gene Graves of Grand Island, Nebraska; Dr. Tom Lenz of Louisburg, Kansas; Robert Sutherland of Overland Park, Kansas; Georga Sutton and her late husband, Raymond Sutton, of Gettysburg, South Dakota; and Hawaiian Princess, breeder and horsewoman Abigail Kawananakoa of Honolulu.
Otoe
The 1960 stallion was bred by Bud Warren, who owned such sires as Sugar Bars, Leo and Jet Deck. Otoe was purchased by Dr. Jack Donald’s Donald Ranch at El Paso, Texas, for $20,000 as a yearling. Throughout his career, the stallion succeeded in everything he did. On the track, he won five of 13 races, finished second or third in another five and finished off the board only twice. As a halter horse, he won 20 out of 23 classes he was shown in and was an AQHA world champion in halter in 1962.
Runaway Winner
Bred by Chris Cox of Austin, Texas, the gray colt was a son of Beduino, the all-time-leading Thoroughbred sire of racing American Quarter Horses. Runaway Winner was foaled April 1, 1985, out of the stakes-placed Fast Jet mare Miss Fast Chic, a half-sister to the stakes-winning Real Easy Jet mare Real Easy Chic. Runaway Winner earned his place in the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame for being an exceptional racehorse and an astounding sire of broodmares that pass on speed. Runaway Winner’s daughters have been represented by 79 stakes winners, 785 other winners and the earners of more than $33.8 million from 1,463 starters, to rank him as the 11th all-time-leading broodmare sire.
The Ole Man
Bred by Frank Vessels Sr., The Ole Man was by Three Bars (TB), arguably the most all-around influential Thoroughbred sire in Quarter Horse history. The Ole Man won eight of 33 races, finished second or third in 11 others and earned $21,156 at seven tracks in two seasons of racing. The stallion sired 554 horses that started in official Quarter Horse races, with 250 returning as winners and 15 of those in stakes, for earnings of $1,077,061. In the show pen, the stallion is represented by 10 AQHA Champions; 78 horses that earned 1,335.5 points in open halter and 106 earners of 1,439.5 points in open performance, for a total of 4,555 points.
Smart Chic Olena
The sorrel stallion was foaled in 1985 on the B.F. Phillips Ranch in Frisco, Texas. Initially trained as a cutter, Smart Chic Olena is one of few who has stepped into both the cutting and reining world. His mind set and athleticism allowed him to become a bloodline staple in National Reining Horse Association competition. The stallion has sired 11 open world champions, four amateur world champions and two youth world champions in reining. To date, Smart Chic Olena’s offspring have earned more than $14 million. His daughters’ foals have earned more than $14 million and more than 16,000 points.
Maroon (TB)
Foaled in 1949 on the Alcorn Ranch, Maroon was bred by Mary Pearson. Future Hall of Fame member Suzanne Norton acquired the mare from Pearson as a 2-year-old and sent the mare to R.C. “Punch” Jones of the A.D. Jones Ranch at Tatum, New Mexico. Punch and Suzanne would later marry. In four seasons of official Quarter Horse races from July 1953 through October 1957, Maroon earned $14,016 while compiling a record of 52-12(4)-8(3)-10(5). As a broodmare, she built a legacy that spans on through today.
Dr. Tom Lenz
As a boy, Tom Lenz dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. As a man, he became one of the world’s most prominent advocates for the American Quarter Horse and humane, sensible treatment of all horses. Dr. Lenz has been an AQHA honorary vice president since 2009. He currently serves on the nominations and credentials committee and the AQHA Animal Welfare Commission. He was part of the search committee in 2014 that hired Craig Huffhines as AQHA executive vice president. Dr. Lenz began writing the monthly Horse Health column in The American Quarter Horse Journal in 1992 and continues to this day.
Gene Graves
The late AQHA past president had a passion for members and engaging them in AQHA activities. Graves, who was 75 the year he was AQHA president, thought 70-&-Over exhibitors at the Select World deserved a special all-around-type award. So, at the 2012 Select World, AQHA presented the first Gene Graves Super-Select Special Recognition Award to the Super-Select exhibitor, age 70 or older, who earned the greatest number of points in competition at the show. Not every AQHA president has an award named in their honor.
Raymond and Georga Sutton
Mention the name “Sutton” to anyone who has been in the horse industry any length of time, and that person will know you are talking about a hard-working family raising top-quality American Quarter Horses, Hereford cattle and Bison on their ranch in South Dakota. The Raymond Sutton Ranch has been home to working American Quarter Horses since 1948 and remains home to the oldest continuously produced Quarter Horse sale in the world.
Robert Sutherland
Robert Sutherland was a man ahead of his time and long overdue for induction into the AQHA Hall of Fame. One of the founders of the Hall of Fame, Sutherland in 1953 helped found the Missouri Quarter Horse Association. He served as its first president and was on the board of directors for years. Most of his life was dedicated to the preservation and promotion of and devotion to the American Quarter Horse.
Abigail Kawananakoa
The Hawaiian Princess is a leader in all aspects of her life, including on the racetrack. She is the industry’s all-time leading female breeder at the reins of an operation that has produced the earners of more than $10 million. Miss Abigail bred Florentine to Chicks Beduino to create This Snow Is Royal, who sired champion Blazin Fire, 43 other stakes winners and the earners of more than $13.9 million. She also bred Evening Snow, who became the first Quarter Horse in history to break the 21-second mark at the quarter mile when he clocked :20.94 in the AQHA West/Southwest Challenge Championship (G2) in October 1996 at Turf Paradise in Phoenix.
About the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame
The American Quarter Horse Foundation connects people and horses through charitable giving in order to develop and support programs or initiatives that preserve our horse’s legacy and further the overall well-being of the American Quarter Horse and the people who comprise the Quarter Horse family. The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum fulfills the Foundation’s mission by beautifully showcasing the hundreds of horses and people who have earned the distinction of becoming part of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. These inductees are chosen each year by a selection committee and inducted into the Hall of Fame at the annual AQHA convention. They are also honored each year at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame Dedication, which is a special celebration where the newest class’s display cases, featuring artifacts and information about each Hall of Famer, are revealed.
For more information on the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum, visit www.aqha.com/museum.
