The Working Lines | Bob Robey & Harlan Part II
By Larry Thornton .....................................................................................................................................................
T
he review of Harlan’s pedigree we made in the last installment of “The Working Lines” laid the foundation for the significance of this stallion becoming a breeding horse for Bob Robey. Robey had bought this colt because he thought he would make a good roping gelding. But after some research, he opted to use Harlan to breed some colts as one of the last sons of Hank H and the last son of the great mare Dixie Beach. The proof of that decision will come as we look at how the Harlan foals made a significant contribution to this great horse going into the AQHA Hall of Fame. We will do that by profiling several key mares that were a part of the Harlan legacy. Harlan sired 403 registered foals with 155 performers. These 155 performers earned 1,123 AQHA halter points, 1,873 AQHA performance points, 51 Register of Merit, 17 AQHA Championships, 13 Superior Awards; one World Championship; three Reserve World Championships, and four AQHA High Point
DOUBLE TOUGH HARLAN buck 1997 QUARTER HORSE
TUFF OKLAHOMA HARLAN 2009 QUARTER HORSE
HARLA RED ROSE sor 1995 QUARTER HORSE AQHA # 3407405
Awards. Harlan was the AQHA leading Get of Sire stallion for the years 1965 and 1966. The foals of Harlan earned $15,241.52 in NCHA cutting contests. On the racetrack, he sired two ROM runners from six starters. One of the first mares that came into Harlan’s life was Oklahoma Rosie. This 1947 buckskin mare was a Robey broodmare. Robey reported the following, “Oklahoma Rosie was one of the first mares we bought. She was by Billy Van W. He was quite a horse in this country. He sired a lot of good rodeo horses. He was a good reining horse.” Billy Van W was sired by Budweiser by Waggoner. This is the Waggoner sired by Midnight. Waggoner was out of a daughter of Yellow Wolf. Yellow Wolf was the sire of Beetch’s Yellow Jacket, the sire of Dixie Beach, the dam of Harlan. This gives Harlan and Oklahoma Rosie a genetic tie through Yellow Wolf. The dam of Budweiser was a mare named Montie sired by a thoroughbred named Van Dorn. Van Dorn was a thoroughbred sired by G. W. Johnson.
JODIE BOB HARLAN buck 1992 QUARTER HORSE AQHA#3129604
BRIANS BETA sor 14.2 1974 QUARTER HORSE 1059800
TOPSAIL HARLAN br 1988 QUARTER HORSE AQHA-2756870
OKLAHOMA HEIRESS b 1978 QUARTER HORSE
14 Working Horse Magazine Spring 2022
HARLAN OKMULGEE buck 1972 QUARTER HORSE AQHA#0845611 HARLETTAS IMAGE b 1985 QUARTER HORSE AQHA#2296260 HARLANDER b 1957 QUARTER HORSE #0073088 GAYLES ROPER sor 1959 QUARTER HORSE TOPSAIL CODY ch 1977 QUARTER HORSE #1275074 ROSANNA HARLANA buck 1967 QUARTER HORSE HEIR APPARENT b 1972 QUARTER HORSE #0851795 YELLOW HANKIE pal 1957 QUARTER HORSE #0096725
The dam of Billy Van W was Electra, a Waggoner bred mare. Electra was sired by Clover Leaf, a Waggoner stallion sired by Fleeting Time. The AQHA Internet Records lists the dam of Clover Leaf as a Waggoner mare. Andrea Mattson, in her book ROOTS, FOUNDATION QUARTER HORSE BLOODLINES, lists the dam of Clover Leaf as a “Dun Spanish Mare.” The pedigree of the Dun Spanish Mare is unknown. Robey continued about this mare’s influence on his breeding program, “Oklahoma Rosie was a little buckskin mare that I roped calves on. Most of the big end of our mares go back to Rosie. I don’t think she ever had a daughter that didn’t produce something. Her colts were good lookin horses, and they could do things.” Oklahoma Rosie was the dam of nine foals with five performers with four arena ROM, 2 AQHA Champions, and one Superior performer. The first Oklahoma Rosie foal was Oklahoma Hank by Harlan. This 1956 dun stallion became an ROM performer in the AQHA with 30 perforHARLAN buck 1951 QUARTER MULGEE b 1962 TRIPLES IMAGE sor 15.2 1969 RED HARLETTA buck 1968 HARLAN buck 1951 LITTLE SUE III sor 1944 ROPER BOY sor 14.2 1947 DIAMOND L b 1947 JOE CODY sor 15.0 1952 DOC BAR LINDA ch 1967 HARLAN buck 1951 OKLAHOMA ROSIE buck 1947 JET DECK b 1960 QUINCY ROCKET sor 1966 PRINCE HANK sor 1951 OKLAHOMA ROSIE buck 1947
HANK H DIXIE BEACH VS QUARTER BOY VS MISS OKMULGE TRIPLE CHICK PHFFFT HARLAN RED RIVER ROSE HANK H DIXIE BEACH SAN SIEMON LITTLE SUE KING JOE ANN K BLACK DIAMOND RIO BELL 8 BILL CODY TABOO DOC BAR BETTYS MOUNT HANK H DIXIE BEACH BILLY VAN W EZ MOON DECK MISS NIGHT BAR ROCKET BAR LEOCITA HANK H PRINCESS ANN BRADLEY BILLY VAN W EZ
