Excerpts from The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal, April, 2006.
Special Effort's (SI 104) racing career will be etched in Quarter Horse Racing history as one of the finest ever. Special Effort began his racing career at Ruidoso Downs in the Grade 1, Kansas Futurity Trials. He won his first race by an awesome 4 1/2 lengths. He continued his campaign by winning the Kansas Futurity, the Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity, followed by the rich Grade 1 All American Futurity. This made Special Effort the first and only American Quarter Horse to sweep the triple crown at Ruidoso Downs. He dominated the All American field by 4 lengths over a muddy course in 1981. Special Effort went on to be named Champion 2 year old Stallion, Champion 2 year old, and World Champion for 1981.
The winner of 13 of 14 races, Special Effort retired with earnings of $1,219,949 - the second richest Quarter Horse at the time.
His jockey Bill Hunt said "He can run and he loves to. He kind of thinks its a game out there."
He was syndicated for 15 million (150 shares at $100,000 a piece).
Special Effort was a true quarter-mile horse," Glen Blodgett (Four Sixes Ranch horse manager) said. "He could run on down the track himself, and so can his offspring and his second-generation offspring as well. They're true quarter horses."
As a broodmare sire whose daughters have produced earners of more than $25.7 million, Special Effort is third on the all-time list by earnings, behind only Dash for Cash and Easy Jet.
Special Effort passed on in 2006. He is buried next to Streakin Six, the stallion who occupied the stall across from the aisle from him in the Four Sixes' stud barn in 1993-2005.
"He was such a dominant racehorse, winning all those races by those huge margins, "Blodgett said. "And as a stud , he was very easy to work with. He was a tremendous racehorse and a tremendous sire. He'll have a lot of influence for years to come - a very, very longstanding impact."
Now he's gone. And his legions of admirers will have to make do with the lack of Effort. But we and the breed are better because he passed through our lives.
