Lynn Ashby Inducted into Racing Tent of Honor

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I think it's safe to say that we all know Lynn Ashby. Her success as an Arabian racehorse trainer is undeniable. Through early January, her horses have started 3,178 times and won 567 times for an 18% winning rate. Overall, her horses finish in the top 3 46% of the time and have earned over $5 million. She has started horses at 33 tracks ranging from the Gila County Fair in Arizona to Delaware Park and Los Alamitos. She has done equally well with babies and older horses, males and females, sprinters and distance horses. It makes little difference. Her horses have set or equaled 49 track records.

Still, she has come a long way. For example, in 1984, she won the George Champie Memorial H. with Myteguy. He won $1,581 for that race, which was quite a sum in those days. Also in that year, her horse Faylajur won the Harbor Park Arabian S. He brought home $276. Compare that to this year where she won the Arabian Cup Championship Classic with DA Adios who took home a check for $62,500.

Her list of champions reads like a "Who's Who" of Arabian greats: Royal Atheena, Patriot Missle, DA Adios, Dreams Of Valor, Don Condare, Forty Thieves, Wikings Dream, the list goes on and on. She herself has won the Darley Award for Outstanding Trainer 6 times tying her with Town and Country Farm for the most Darley wins.

While that alone is enough to warrant induction into the Tent of Honor, Lynn has gone beyond that. Through the years she has spoken at countless seminars. She is always helping to get new people involved. She, along with her husband Mark, have also bred a number of very nice horses including Vamonos Juahita, Novelynn, A Noble Leap, On De Mark, Javalynn and Debutannte.

When you ask owners why they own Arabian horses, quite often they will say that they have a passion for the breed. No one encompasses that passion quite like Lynn Ashby. Her enthusiasm and dedication for these horses is boundless.

HT SARAH Inducted into Racing HALL OF FAME

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HT Sarah was foaled in 1992. She is the best runner of her sire, Mellon. Her dam, EW Rema (by El Paso), has produced 16 foals including the good runners FH Honey Mellon, Renaisance and Gennesis. Sarah was bred by Robert and Ann Kuefner of Florida. Laura Mozzer purchased her in January 1993, but Loren and Carole Nichols picked her up that summer.

According to an article written by Joe Tripi for the Finish Line, "the original plan was to pinhook her since her older sister, FH Honey Mellon, had been a successful stakes winner and had been sold to the Middle East for a good price. The plan fell through, however, when the usual connections failed to show interest, passing her up for other horses."

So Sarah was put into training and surprised everyone by easily winning her first start. She won 5 out of 6 races as a 3-year-old, including wins in the California Firecracker, Delaware Arabian Cup Juvenile and Lone Star Futurity.

She was impressive as a 4-year-old as well winning 3 out of 6 starts and finishing second the other 3 times, all in stakes. She won the Arabian Cup Sprint, Texas Oaks and Victorias Secrett S. and finished second in the California Oaks, Markel Oaks, and Princess Arabian Distaff.

It was as a 5-year-old that Sarah really flourished. That year she won 7 out of 10 with 3 seconds. She counted the Gladys Brown Edwards, Forty Thieves Classic H., Arabian Cup Distaff, Town and Country Distaff, and the Florida Arabian Cup Distaff among her wins. With earning of over $122,000 that year, she was the easy choice for Darley Champion Older Mare and Darley Horse of the Year.

Sarah went on to race one more year. She started 8 times with 3 wins, 2 seconds and 2 thirds. Although not as dominant, she still ran her heart out in every race and notched the Arabian World Series Sprint Distaff and Town and Country Distaff Sprint.

In all, Sarah compiled a race record of 4/30(18-8-2)13-8, $251,989. She finished in the top 3 93% of the time. She won at distances from 5 ½ furlongs to 1 1/8 miles and at 5 different tracks.

Loren Nichols once called her "his horse with the blue collar attitude because of the professional and honest effort she gives with each trip to the post." She certainly proved that to be true.

In 1999, HT Sarah was sold to the Jockey Club of Turkey and exported. Unfortunately for all of us, we will not be able to see her progeny race. However, she does not need any offspring to prove her greatness. She did that all by herself.