Dixie Darlene

INDUCTED TO THE RACING HALL OF FAME

January 22, 2005

by Stephanie Corum

When you are by a Hall of Fame stallion and out of a stakes-placed mare by a Hall of Fame stallion, the expectations are tremendous. Dixie Darlene has surpassed those expectations and rightly joins her famous sire Wiking and broodmare sire ZT Ali Baba in the Arabian Horse Trust Racing Hall of Fame.

Dixie Darlene is one tough chick. From 1997 through 1999, she raced 40 times with 17 wins, 10 seconds and 4 thirds. That means she finished in the top three 77.5% of the time. She won going both short and long at tracks from coast to coast. Her best year was in 1998 when she posted a record of 15(7-5-2)5-5, $158,083. Her victories included the Delaware Arabian Cup Distaff (G1), Florida Arabian Cup Distaff (G2), Sapphire Sprint (G3), Cre Run Oaks (G3) and Buzz Brauninger Distaff H. Along with those wins came 5 stakes placings, including a second in the Gladys Brown Edwards Arabian Cup (G1), and all together that garnered her both Darley Horse of the Year and Darley Champion 4-Year-Old Filly.

In an interview following her Darley wins, breeder/owner/trainer Bill Waldron had this to say about Dixie Darlene; she had a "unique ability to adjust to just about anything you ask her for." Cathy Waldron chipped in that "Bill must work with her talent and personality very carefully. She is very much a one-on-one personality. Dixie loves Bill and that's it, she's just not interested in anyone else."

Following her racing career, in which she earned over $280,000, Dixie Darlene retired to the broodmare band alongside her mother, BW Ali Catt. BW Ali Catt has been an outstanding producer for the Waldr.ons. A stakes-placed winner, she is also the dam of champion Mr Full Service, who at age 11 became the oldest Arabian to win a graded stakes when he took the Arabian Cup Sprint (G1). She is also the dam of stakes-placed winners Z T Ki and Doctor D.

Dixie Darlene is looking to be as proficient a roodmare as she was a racehorse. Her first foal, Dixies Delight, is by Sam Tiki, which makes her a ¾ sister to Mr Full Service. The now 4-year-old filly ran well last year at Delaware Park including a second in the Betsy Ross S. and a third in the Arabian Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Dixies Chick (by Burning Sand), a 2002 filly, is her second foal and will no doubt be making her presence felt at Delaware Park this year.

It takes something truly special for a filly to be named Horse of the Year, and Dixie Darlene obviously had the necessary qualities. It will be fun to watch and see if her foals can follow the family legacy.