The Working Lines | The Legacy of Joe Hancock
I
By Larry Thornton ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ have covered many famous and important stallions in “The Working Lines.” The contribution made by these stallions varies over time. The significance of some stallions seems to come and go in a cyclical fashion. While some stallions hold their position as major contributors to the modern quarter horse. These stallions hold their influence because of such practices as inbreeding and linebreeding. Joe Hancock is one of those stallions that has stood the test of time to become an integral part of the breed. A review of his life and the foals he produced will show how he was used to produce a wide variety of race and performance horses. It will also show how his legacy is being passed down by inbreeding and linebreeding. Joe Hancock was bred by John Jackson Hancock of Perryton, Texas. The widely accepted authority on the early years of Joe Hancock has been Tom Hancock of Nocona, Texas. Tom a grandson of John Jackson Hancock and son of Joe David Hancock. Tom has told the Joe Hancock story in such publications as Diane Simmons’ book, LEGENDS Volume 1, published by WESTERN HORSEMAN and with Scott Wells in his SPEEDHORSE story, “The Hancock Heritage.” We will rely on these stories and several others to profile the early life of Joe Hancock as well as a visit I had with Tom Hancock. Joe David Hancock, lived in Nocona, Texas and traveled to his father’s place in Perryton during the summer for a visit. While at Perryton, Joe Hancock traded with his father for an unnamed yearling stallion that was still nursing his mother. The colt had been hurt, but Joe D. Hancock still made the trade. When he was ready Joe D. Hancock took his unnamed colt to the racehorse trainer Bird Ogle in Oklahoma. Ogle would name the unnamed colt “Joe Hancock” when he entered the horse in his first race. When they asked Ogle the name of the horse all he knew was he was owned by Joe Hancock and thus the name became permanent. Joe Hancock became a top racehorse reportedly beating the likes of Little Red Nell, the second dam of Champion Quarter Running Stallion Joe Reed II. Joe Hancock was so successful that it became next to impossible to find a match for him. He was so successful he was advertised in the FORT WORTH STAR TELEGRAM as “open to the world at any distance from the starting line to 3/8ths of a mile.” Tom Hancock reported that they would race Joe Hancock for purse money at a half mile. As he put it, “He won the half mile races by getting a good start and they couldn’t catch him.” Hancock believed the only time Joe Hancock got beat was at a half mile against a horse named Chester B. Ogle took Joe Hancock to the famous Arlington Downs at Arlington, Texas to get a match with the big boys. He tried to match Joe Hancock by telling those at the track that he was just a pony horse. Tom Hancock told that Ogle “didn’t think there was a living horse that could beat him.” The horseman at Arlington Downs must have felt the same way because a match never materialized. Bird Ogle or his son George would eventually approach Joe
14 Working Horse Magazine 2018 December
D. Hancock about buying his prized race stallion. Of course the answer was no, but through persistence, Hancock did finally price the stallion at $1,000. Ogle bought the horse. He then took Joe Hancock to the Tom Burnett where he reportedly sold the horse for $2,000. Tom Burnett was the son of Burk Burnett the founder of what we call today the Burnett Estates and their 6666’s Ranch. Joe Hancock would live out the rest of his life on Tom Burnett’s Triangle Ranch that became a part of the Burnett Estate after his death. He would produce ranch horses, racehorses and arena performers. He would die in 1943 from complications of a severely cut foot. Joe Hancock was registered as foaled in 1923. Some say he was foaled in 1926 but the year 1923 seems to be the date has stood the test of time. Tom Hancock, Cora Hancock wife of Joe D. Hancock and Billy Joe Hancock son of Joe D. Hancock submitted a signed statement about the pedigree history of Joe Hancock. The pedigree of Joe Hancock was considered controversial and criticized by many and to some it didn’t matter. The sire of Joe Hancock was John Wilkens. John Wilkens was destined to be a racehorse. But he had a thin walled hoof that couldn’t stand the stress of racing. Will and Ed Moore would buy John Wilkens from George Watkins a relative of Samuel Watkins of the Little Grove Stock Farm where he was bred. They would bring him to Texas. The Moore’s would eventually sell him to famous JA Ranch of the Palo Duro Canyon of North Texas. The JA Ranch would use him for several years where he was known as “The Moore Horse.” He was purchased by John Jackson Hancock from the JA Ranch in 1922. Peter McCue the sire of John Wilkens was sired by Dan Tucker. Nora M was the dam of Peter McCue. Dan Tucker was sired by Barney Owens, a son of Old Cold Deck by Old Billy. The dam of Dan Tucker was Butt Cut by Jack Traveler. Nora M a Thoroughbred mare was sired by Voltigeur by Vandal. The dam of Nora M was Kitty Clyde by Star Davis The dam of John Wilkens was Katie Wawekus, a thoroughbred mare. The sire of Katie Wawekus was Wawekus by Alarm. The dam of Wawekus was Maggie B. B. by Australian. Katie Wawekus was out of Lucy Hit by Voltigeur. This makes John Wilkens 3 x 3 linebred to Voltigeur. The dam of Lucy Hit was Miss Hitt by Prolific. The AQHA Stud Book tells us that the dam of Joe Hancock was unknown. But through the information provided by many historians and the Hancock family, we have some interesting information on the mare that was the dam of Joe Hancock. Pedigree Researcher Andrea Mattson lists the dam of Joe Hancock as the J. J. Hancock mare. (J. J. Hancock being John Jackson Hancock.) The sire of the J. J. Hancock mare was a Percheron Stallion. “Joe Hancock” in Bob Gray’s book, GREAT SIRES OF THE PAST states that Joe D. Hancock described this Percheron stallion to Franklin Reynolds as “a solid black... a horse of splendid conformation but not one of these extremely large Percherons that are sometimes seen. He was a horse of nice size for his purpose and I do recall he was a registered horse of pure blood.” The Percheron Stallion was owned by Ralph Wilson.
