Mares N More

s a continuation of our look at Pep Up, we will delve a little deeper into Peppy Belle, one of his famous daughters. Peppy Belle and her son Peppy San would play a major role in Matlock Rose’s life and his legendary history as a horseman. Then as you will see, she will contribute more through her son Mr San Peppy and his role as a King Ranch sire. This will show us how Peppy Belle is one of our Mares With More.

Matlock’s first association with Peppy Belle came in 1958 at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado. Matlock and Gordon Howell were sitting in the stands talking about mares when Howell asked him to look at some horses with him. One of the mares was Peppy Belle, and Howell bought her for $1,600. She was a three-year-old mare.

This is how Matlock described Peppy Belle, “She was just a nice kind of mare. It’s just something about a horse like her. You don’t see those kinds of mares very often. This mare had a good neck, good hip, wither, smart looking head, a good eye. She was a good sound-legged kind

By Larry Thornton ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

of a horse.”

AIt is interesting to see the respect Matlock had for her conformation, and then you see her pedigree. She was sired by Pep Up by Macanudo, giving us another shot of Macanudo blood in the history of horses associated with Matlock Rose. Just as we have seen with mares like Miss Peppy D, Ruth Bixler, and Do Si Do, a cutting mare that Matlock showed. Howell took Peppy Belle home and bred her to Leo San, a son of Leo he had bought to serve as his senior sire. Leo San was out of San Sue Darks by San Siemon by Zantanon, and this makes San Siemon a paternal half-brother to King P-234. San Sue Darks was out of Little Sue by Sam Watkins by Hickory Bill. San Sue Darks is a full sister to Sue Hunt, the dam of the NRHA Hall of Fame stallion Continental King by King P-234. Howell had entered the quarter horse breeding business in the 1950s to become a leading breeder of performance and halter horses. Leo San was a good sire of all-around quarter horses. He sired 23 Superior halter and performance award winners. These Superiors were won in cut-

PEPPY BELLE

sor 15.0 1955 QUARTER HORSE #0054365

OLD SORREL

HICKORY BILL

ch 1915 b 1907 MACANUDO QUARTER HORSE DR ROSE MARE ch 1934 #0000209 QUARTER HORSE CANALES BELL ROAN CLEGG 1 #0000211 ch 1923 QUARTER HORSE PELICANA #0000141 ch 1917

LITTLE RICHARD OLD SORREL

PEP UP

ch 1922

ch 1915 ch 1941 PETRA R QUARTER HORSE LUCKY MOSE MARE QUARTER HORSE ch 1933 #0000017 #0002100 QUARTER HORSE LUCKY MOSE MARE LUCKY MOSE #0000144 1904

QUARTER HORSE U0074259

CALIENTE

DEL REY

pal 1932 pal 1918 GOLD RUSH QUARTER HORSE SORREL MARE pal 1936 U0069159 sor QUARTER HORSE SORREL MARE #0000457 sor QUARTER HORSE U0079942

RED BUCK BUCK THOMAS

BELLE BURNETT

sor 1930

buck 1921 pal 1949 TRIANGLE LADY 9 QUARTER HORSE ZEPPLIN QUARTER HORSE ch 1935 #0000393 sor 1926 #0043207 QUARTER HORSE BURNETT RIDING MARE #0000446

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ting, halter, barrel racing, and calf roping. He sired 35 show ROM and 9 AQHA Champions. Wimpy Leo San, the 1961 AQHA High Point Halter Stallion, gives us another example of the Leo San/Macanudo cross. This horse is sired by Leo San and out of Aggie Dee Mac by Wimpy P-1, and her dam is Dee Gee Star by Macanudo. He is a full brother to Jimbo San, who has 16 halter points. Aggie Dee Mac is also the dam of Wimpy Leo by Leo. This horse is an AQHA Champion with a Superior in halter. Wimpy Leo is the sire of Forty Seven, the broodmare sire Wimpys Little Step NRHA Open Futurity Champion, and leading reining horse sire. Rey Del San is an ROM performer sired by Leo San and his dam is Inocente Babe by Rey Del Rancho and she is out of Incerada by Macanudo. Peppy Belle was bred by John P. Gogdell of Crowell, Texas. The AQHA Stud Book shows that she was owned at one time by J. D. Smith of Truscott, Texas. Her last owner was Gordon Howell. The pedigree of Peppy Belle is as impressive as her conformation. She comes from the combination of two of the most famous ranches in the history of the American Quarter Horse in the Triangle Ranch of Tom L. Burnett located at Iowa, Park, Texas, and the King Ranch of Kingsville, Texas. Let’s review her pedigree. She is sired by the King Ranch bred Pep Up by Macanudo, and he was out of Petra R2 by Little Richard. Old Sorrel is the sire of Macanudo and Little Richard. He was sired by Hickory Bill by Peter McCue. The dam of Old Sorrel is the mare we know today as the Dr Rose Mare. The pedigree of this mare is unknown to us, but she was reportedly a thoroughbred mare. The dam of Macanudo was Canales Belle. This mare was sired by a horse known as the Roan Clegg Horse. He is also listed on the AQHA registration form for Pep Up as a “Roan son of Hickory Bill.” His sire was Hickory Bill, and his dam was a Roan Clegg Mare. This makes Macanudo double bred to Hickory Bill with a 2 X 3 inbreeding pattern. The dam of Canales Belle was a mare listed as “Pelicana or Canales Roan Mare.” The pedigree information on the AQHA registration form tells us that Pelicana went “back to Mamie Crowder. Back to Texas Chief and Traveler breeding.”

HICKORY BILL PETER MCCUE b 16.0 1895 b 1907 LUCRETIA M ch

DR ROSE MARE

ROAN CLEGG 1 HICKORY BILL b 1907 CLEGG ROAN MARE ro PELICANA TEXAS CHIEF sor ~1905 ch 1917 OLD SORREL HICKORY BILL b 1907 ch 1915 DR ROSE MARE LUCKY MOSE MARE LUCKY MOSE 1904

LUCKY MOSE GUIDO

1904

BOETICIA

ch 1887 b 1890

DEL REY

pal 1918

SORREL MARE

sor SWEDISH KING ch 1909

QUEEN

pal 1914

BUCK THOMAS PETER MCCUE b 16.0 1895 buck 1921 STOCKINGS 2 pal 1915

ZEPPLIN

sor 1926

Mares WiTh More conTinUed

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Chunky Woodward, Peppy San and Matlock Rose receiving their World Champion Trophies

Photo from Author’s Files

The dam side of the pedigree of Peppy Belle brings in the Burnett Ranches of the Four Sixes and the Triangle Ranch. The dam of Peppy Belle was Belle Burnett, a daughter of Gold Rush and out of Triangle Lady 9. She was bred on the Triangle Ranch founded by Tom L. Burnett, the son of Burk Burnett, founder of the famous Four Sixes of Guthrie, Texas.

Gold Rush was the sire of the great cutting sire Hollywood Gold and the NCHA Reserve World Champion Jill’s Lady. Gold Rush was a Palomino stallion bred in California that was brought to Texas as a gift from his daughter Miss Anne Burnett Tandy of the Burnett Ranches and her then-husband Jim Hall to Tom L. Burnett. Burnett was interested in raising Palomino horses, and Gold Rush, a Palomino, was called in to do just that.

Gold Rush was sired by a horse called Caliente. The sire of Caliente was Del Rey. Some pedigrees will show that Del Rey was a thoroughbred. But he was actually a Palomino that was the foundation sire for the Dwight Murphy Palomino breeding program in California, one of the early foundation Palomino breeders. Del Rey was reportedly a top California stock horse. His son El Rey de Los Reyes was the first horse registered in the Palomino Horse Association and the Palomino Horse Breeders of America. Del Rey was sired by the thoroughbred Swedish King and out of a Palomino mare known as Queen. The pedigree of Queen is unknown, although records show that she came from Utah.

Triangle Lady 9 was sired by a horse named Red Buck. Liege Reed was a long-time manager associated with the Triangle Ranches. Reed had also worked on the Waggoner Ranch for a time. Liege and Tommie Reed are listed as the breeders of Red Buck on his registration application. Buck Thomas, the sire of Red Buck, was used on the Waggoner Ranch for several years.

Buck Thomas was sired by Peter McCue, who was by Dan Tucker, and out of Nora M by Voltigeur. Peter McCue was the sire of Hickory Bill, the sire of Old Sorrel, the sire of Macanudo. The dam of Red Buck was Zepplin. The pedigree information about Zepplin is basically unknown. Some say that Zepplin was a mare, and some say Zepplin was a stallion. This would make the dam of Red Buck, a daughter of Zepplin. Despite all this speculation, the dam of Red Buck is officially listed as Zepplin. The dam of Triangle Lady 9 is unknown. Her dam is listed as a “riding type mare.”

It has to be noted here that Pep Up was sold by the Waggoner Ranch to Otis Gafford, of Crowell, Texas, in July 1953. He was then sold by Gafford to Mrs. Tom Masterson, Jr. of Truscott, Texas. The breeder of Peppy Belle was John P. Cogdell of Crowell, Texas. This bit of information doesn’t tell us how Belle Burnett and Pep Up had the opportunity to produce Peppy Belle. But here is the rest of the story.

Noted horseman Lee Jones called me in 2005 to tell me the story of how Pep Up and Belle Burnett met to produce Peppy Belle. “Pep Up got his foot cut really bad, and the Waggoners took him to Dr Lacy there in Vernon. They gave him so much penicillin that they were afraid he would be sterile. So the Waggoners were going to put him down. Otis Gafford happened to be there, and he gave them $100 for the old horse. When they got him healed up some, Dr Lacy told Otis to try to find some wheat pasture to turn the old horse out on. Otis’s neighbor had a little patch of wheat, so he let Otis turn the old horse out on it, the only thing on it was a mare named Belle Burnett, and the neighbor said if the horse bred her, it would be ok. The rest is history in the form of Peppy Belle.”

Peppy Belle is the dam of 11 foals. She had five of her foals go to the arena as performers. She foaled Peppy San from her first mating with Leo San in 1959. Then in 1960, Matlock Rose became the manager and trainer for Gordon Howell, and this puts Peppy San in the hands of Matlock Rose. Matlock Rose and Peppy San went on to be a part of history in the 1962 NCHA Open Futurity as the Reserve Champions of the inaugural running this premiere NCHA event. The AQHA records show that by the time he earned the reserve championship at the futurity he was an AQHA Champion. He would be purchased in 1963 by Douglas Lake Cattle Company in Canada that was owned by C. N. “Chunky” Woodward.

The purchase of Peppy San by Woodward came because of a call Matlock Rose got from Don Dodge. Woodward was a client for Dodge, and they were looking for a stallion for the Douglas Lake Cattle Company. Dodge asked Matlock to go look at a son of King P-234 that was a part of the B. A. “Barney” Skipper dispersal sale. Matlock went to look at the horse but reported that he was “crooked in front.” So he didn’t recommend the horse. So Dodge asked if Matlock knew of a horse that would be available, and he told him about Peppy San, and so Peppy San was off to Canada.

Peppy San returned to Matlock Rose in 1967 to earn the NCHA Open World Championship and the NCHA World Champion Stallion title. They also won the NCHA Tournament of Champions in 1967. His NCHA record shows that he earned $49,478.40, garnering an NCHA Bronze Award, NCHA Silver Award, and he is in the NCHA Hall of Fame. His AQHA record shows that along with his AQHA Championship, he was Superior in cutting with 180 points. He was the AQHA High Point Cutting Stallion in 1967. His halter record shows that he earned 26 halter points with two Grand Championships and seven Reserve Grand Championships.

Peppy San went back to Canada after earning his World Championship to stand at stud. He was moved to the Matlock Rose Ranch again in 1975, where he would spend the rest of his life. He would sire 493 foals with 134 performers earning 2,279 points with 56 ROM and 10 Superior performers. He would sire 10 AQHA World Champions. His AQHA World Champions include Royal Santana, the 1991 AQHA Amateur World Champion, at the age of 20. His son Peponita also won two AQHA World Championships in cutting. Peppy San sired four NCHA World Champions and one National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity World Champion.

Mares WiTh More conTinUed

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His NCHA World Champions include Peponita and Peppy’s Desire. Peponita won two NCHA Open Championships, Peppy’s Desire won the 1975 NCHA Open World Championship, and the 1975 NCHA Non-Pro World Championship. His NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion was Peppy Bar Three. Some of his other major winners were Chunky’s Monkey Co-Champion of the 1974 NCHA Open Derby and Tip It San winner of the 1977 NCHA Open Derby. Peppy San was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 1999.

Here is a pedigree note. Stardust Desire was the dam of Peppy’s Desire and Chunky’s Monkey. Rose had shown Stardust Desire to the 1966 NCHA Open World Championship, and then Peppy San won the World Championship the next year. Sadly, Stardust Desire would only produce two foals in Peppy’s Desire and Chunky’s Monkey. Stardust Desire was sired by Stardust Red, by Macanudo Jr, by Macanudo. So this gives these two foals a 4 X 4 breeding pattern to Macanudo. Then we see that Macanudo Jr was out of Laurelena by Little Richard. Pep Up was sired by Macanudo and out of Petra R2 by Little Richard. This gives Peppy’s Desire and Chunky’s Monkey an interesting pedigree link to Macanudo and Little Richard through both their sire and dam.

The legacy of Peppy San carried on through his descendants. His son Peponita is the sire of Mr Peponita Flo, a million-dollar sire of cutting horses. This NCHA Open Futurity Reserve Champion is the sire of the legendary Shakin Flo, who counts among her win an NCHA Non-Pro Futurity Championship and the 1999 NCHA Horse of the Year. She is the winner of $428,306. Shakin Flo is proved to be a good producer as well as a good cutter. Her daughter Midnight Rendeevous counts among her titles the 2004 NCHA NonPro Futurity Championship.

Peppy San is the broodmare sire of horses that have earned over $8 million, including Smart Little Lena, winner of $743,275. The Peppy San daughter Smart Peppy is the dam of Smart Little Lena. Smart Peppy is out of Royal Smart by Royal King. Smart Little Lena is one of three horses to win the NCHA Open Triple Crown of the NCHA Open Futurity, the NCHA Open Derby, and the NCHA Open Super Stakes. He is an all-time leading sire of cutting horse money winners. His foals have won in excess of $40 million. His foals include Red White And Boon, winner of $922,063, Smart Peppy Lena winner of $494,314, and Smart Play winner of $410,688. He is the #1 leading broodmare sire of foals that have earned $26 million, including cutters like Dual Rey Me, winner of $818,177, Third Cutting winner of $544,986, and Some Kinda Highbrow winner of $449,895. Smart Peppy was the dam of Smart Hickory by Doc’s Hickory. Smart Hickory was the dam of horses that won $619,903, including Dox Smart Buy winner of $254,903, Smart Shinetta winner of $132,394, and Smart Shiner winner of $50,607.

Peppy Belle produced a number of foals, but the most significant behind Peppy San was Mr San Peppy born in 1968 from another mating with Leo San. Buster Welch was hired to train Mr San Peppy, and they won the 1972 NCHA Derby. Buster Welch and S. J. Agnew would purchase Mr San Peppy.

The King Ranch of Kingsville, Texas, was looking for an outcross stallion for their Old Sorrel family of horses. They became interested in Mr San Peppy. Welch and Mr San Peppy were heading for the 1974 NCHA Open World Championship when the King Ranch leased the horse and then purchased him in 1976. They added a second NCHA Open World Championship and an AQHA Senior World Champion Cutting title in 1976. Mr San Peppy was the first horse to win over $100,000 in the NCHA. Peponita was the second horse to pass the $100,000 in NCHA earnings.

Mr San Peppy would then set about doing his part to serve as that outcross for the Old Sorrel bloodlines that was the foundation of the King Ranch breeding program. He would sire foals that earned $2.63 million and 3,200 AQHA points in a variety of events. The leading performer sired by Mr San Peppy would be his son Peppy San Badger. Peppy San Badger was an NCHA Open Futurity Champion, NCHA Derby Champion, and an NCHA Open Reserve World Champion. He is in the NCHA Hall of Fame. Some of the other performers sired by Mr San Peppy include Tenino San, NCHA Open World Champion; Peppy San Chato, AQHA Honor Roll Calf Roping Horse; Peppy Rancho, AQHA World Champion Junior Heeling Horse; Peppys Pluma, AQHA Amateur World Champion Cutting Horse, and Organ Grinder, AQHA Honor Roll Cutting Horse.

Mr San Peppy and his son Peppy San Badger took the King Ranch to the top of the cutting industry. The King Ranch became the all-time leading breeders of cutting horse money winners, with Peppy San Badger becoming the all-time leading sire of cutting horse money winners, with his foals earning over $24 million. Peppy San Badger was replaced by Smart Little Lena as the all-time leading sire. (Keeping it in the family.)

The significance of Peppy Belle through her son Mr San Peppy shows up in the Equi-Stat all-time leading sire list of money winners, with four of the top ten sires coming from the sire line of Mr San Peppy. This list includes Dual Rey, a great-grandson, Dual Pep, a grandson, Peptoboonsmal, another grandson, and Peppy San Badger, a son.

Miss Peppy San by Leo San and out of Peppy Belle earned 1 AQHA halter point. This mare has her NCHA Certificate of Ability. She is the dam of Dear Little Lena by Doc O’ Lena, and she earned $22,018.17 in the NCHA. She, in turn, is the dam of Smart Little Dear, winner of $54,394 in the NCHA and nine AQHA performance points. Smart Little Dear was third in the 1997 NCHA Non-Pro Super Stakes. Smart Little Dear is sired by Smart And Trouble by Smart Little Lena. This is a breeding pattern of 5 X 3 to Peppy Belle.

Mr San Peppy and Buster Welch cutting on the King Ranch Photo from Author’s Files

A conformation shot of Mr San Peppy

Photo from Author’s Files

Peppy San showing off his conformation!

Photo from Author’s Files

Matlock on Chunky’s Monkey, Carol Rose on Peppy’s Desire, Don Dodge on Peponita Harold Compton Photo from Author’s Files

Peppy Belle and one of her foals. Photo from Author’s Files

BELOW | Conformation shot of Peppy San Badger or Little Peppy as he was known. Photo from Author’s Files

Miss Peppy Belle is an unshown daughter of Peppy Belle. She is the dam of horses like Peppys Genuine Doc by Genuine Doc, and he is the winner of $62,164.17. She is the dam of Docs Peppy Belle by Doc Bar, and she has an AQHA ROM performance. Docs Peppy Belle is the dam of Playboys Reno winner of $20,801.92 in the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) as an NRCHA Non-Pro Hackamore Reserve National Champion in 2003 and the NRCHA Non-Pro Bridle National Champion in 2004.

Pepo San is an NCHA money winner and son of Leo San and Peppy Belle. He is the sire of horses like Pepos Crown Royal, who is an NCHA Bronze Award winner of $43,033. Pepo San is the sire of Sugar Leo San, an NCHA Certificate of Ability winner and an AQHA Superior cutting horse. She is the dam of Dry Docs Desire, the 1984 AQHA World Champion Junior Cutting Horse.

Hubella was a daughter of Peppy Belle, and she earned one AQHA performance point. Hubella was sired by Hula San by Leo San making her a ¾ sister to Peppy San and Mr San Peppy. She was the dam of Bills San, an NCHA Silver Award winner sired by Cutter Bill and Brinks Leo Hickory by Doc’s Hickory, and he is the winner of $57,242.63. San Jose Belle by Jose Uno, an unshown daughter of Hubella. She is the dam of San Jose Hickory, winner of $225,983.79, and Jose Hickory winner of $109,043.33.

Peppy Belle leaves a great legacy for a mare that cost $1,600 after two horsemen got together to look at some horses. Maybe we will all get lucky someday and find a great mare like Peppy Belle and get one of the Mares With More we all seek to have.