Friday, July 15, 2011
Dash Ta Fame, a Grade 1-winning son of all-time leading Quarter Horse sire First Down Dash, died at Smart Ranches in Temecula, California, on Wednesday. He was 22.
“We don't know what caused his death,” Dr. William E. Swyers, owner of Smart Ranches, told the AQHA Racing Journal. “He was in excellent health and seemed to be fine. We fed him last evening and he ate part of his meal. Then, he laid down and never got up.”
A post-mortem has been performed and, according to Dr. Swyers, there were no overt signs of pathology, trauma, or disease.
Dash Ta Fame was bred and owned by Bob Burt of Sandy, Utah, and he stood for several years at Mac and Janis Spencer Murray's MJ Farms in Veguita, New Mexico. He moved to Smart Ranches for the 2010-2011 breeding season.
On the track, Dash Ta Fame earned $290,812 while racing primarily in California from 1991-92. The stallion's seven wins in 13 starts included the 1991 Golden State Futurity (G1) and '92 El Primero del Ano Derby (G2), and he ran second in Corona Chick's 1991 Dash For Cash Futurity (G1).raced from 1991-92.
Dash Ta Fame currently is the 14th all-time leading sire of racing American Quarter Horses, and he is the all-time leading sire of barrel racing horses. On the track, Dash Ta Fame's runners have earned more than $16.8 million and include 82 stakes winners. His all-time leading earner, Robert and Del Rae Driggers' Gun Battle, won the 2006 Zia Futurity (RG1) at Ruidoso Downs and ran second to No Secrets Here in that season's Grade 1, $1.9-million All American Futurity.
Dash Ta Fame's other runners include Grade 1 winner Kendall Jackson, a gelding who at one time held American Quarter Horse racing's 440-yard world record. Through 2010, his barrel racing offspring earned more than $6.3 million, including more than $1.2 million in Barrel Futurities of America competition.