07/02/07 Rocket Bar

The wonder horse of the Rocky Mountains, I'm Jeff Keane and I'll return with more on the determination of this running horse wonder. Breezing through his maiden race as a two-year-old Rocket Bar quickly became a force to be reckoned with, here's Becky with more. Arizona born Rocket Bar hit the ground running in 1951. Sired by Three Bars and out of stakes winner Golden Rocket, his champion heart knew no limits. Winning his maiden race by forty-five lengths was only the beginning. In just his second race, Rocket Bar stumbled in the mud at the gate he managed not only to recover but won the race with no other horse even in the picture. So that's where he earned the name Wonder Horse. Yeah Jeff, unfortunately his stumble caused a knee injury laying him off for the remainder of the year. But a little pain couldn't keep this horse down. Back running in his third year, he successfully raced through his fifth. Retired in 1958 Rocket Bar raced into the winners circle sixteen times of his thirty-five starts. At stud, he brought nearly as much attention as on the track his high demand found him one of the first Quarter horses with multiple owners in the industry. Dieing after colic surgery at 19 an autopsy found the stallion indeed had a large heart at two and a half times the size of the average horse. You know an oversize heart was also what made Secretariat so fast! I guess that brings new meaning to the saying great horses have a lot of heart, I'm Jeff Keane.