Jet Deck

In 1955 my Dad thought Leo was the greatest Quarter Horse stallion of all times. So, we drove 9 hours to Perry, Oklahoma to meet Bud and Reba Warren and see the famous Leo. Bud had purchased Leo from Ted Wells for $3100.

Bud was a small fellow with a mustash and an accent half way between Canadian (he was born in Winnipeg) and Okie. Bud had a dairy and milked cows to support his horse habit. Dad had a dairy to support his horse habit. They got along famously. I was age 13 when I saw Leo. I had seen famous stallions Poco Bueno, Pretty Buck, Skipper W, Trigger and Dexter already.

At Warrens the Leo foals were impressive. They had huge hips and  sharp crisp muscle ripples. Dad selected a stud colt out of Flit's dam and by Leo, but Bud asked $1000 for him and that blew Dad out of the water. It took too much milk to purchase him.

In 1962 I was age 20 and working to make a living photographing horses. I spent time at the Centennial Race Track at Littleton, Colorado. I also worked Los Alamitos, Bay Meadows, Raton, Albuquerque, Sunland Park, Keenland, and Ruidoso. I would work with the trainers, take posed photos and send them to the owners with an invoice.

In October of 1962 I was photographing horses in training with Walter Merrick and he showed me Jet Deck--we took photos. John T. L. Jones worked for Walter and D. Wayne Lucus was the next shed row over. I thought Lucas was wishy-washy about his name.  When I found his name was Darol Wayne Lucas I thought he should be more famously known as Darol W. Lucas. That would be a better name. 

Jet Deck, October, 1962. First stud promotion photo used by Warren.

Bud Warren was hunting an outcross for his Leo mares and bought Sugar Bars. This was a brilliant decision because Leo had some coarse points. Sugar Bars with the Three Bars refinement was an ideal correction. Two great horsemen were trying to buy Sugar Bars, Hank Wiescamp of Alamosa, Colorado and Bud Warren. As his nature was, Hank was low-balling, and Bud went ahead and wrote the big check with his milk money.

As Bud was always hunting the next great stallion when he found Jet Deck. He was bred and raised by the Carters of Clovis, California, foaled April 19, 1960 and was starting to burn up the race tracks.

Jet Deck was a multiple stakes winner. He raced for two years, with thirty-one starts. He won twenty-two of his starts, four times coming in second and placing third twice. He earned $200,625.00. His highest speed rating was AAAT.

After Jet Deck's racing career, he was retired to stud ($3500 per mare) duties, but died on August 26, 1971, from an injection of barbiturates into his bloodstream. The identity of the person who injected him has never been determined.  Before his death, he sired 383 race Register of Merit earning horses, several world champion Quarter running horses, two AQHA High Point horses, and five AQHA Champions. Among his offspring are Easy Jet, Jet Smooth, Jet Threat, and Mr Jet West.

After my first photo session with Walter Merrick posing him I was able to also photograph Miss Night Bar, Moon Deck, Easy Jet, Jet Smooth, Bar Deck and other full brothers and sisters to Jet Deck for the Carters and Walter Merrick.