OTTBwestern History – Truxton King

Orren Mixer, a famous Western artist, painted some of the greatest Quarter Horses of all time. He immortalized legends such as King, Wimpy and Leo. He also painted a handful of Thoroughbreds including Top Deck, Three Bars and the great Secretariat. Among the Thoroughbreds that Mixer painted was a lesser known – but still fantastically well-bred and well-conformed – stallion named Truxton King.

Truxton King, foaled in Kentucky on February 18^th, 1965, was bred by John Galbreath, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist. Galbreath made a fortune in commercial property development and had a strong interest in horse racing. In 1949, he purchased 650 acres of what was Idle Hour Stock Farm and renamed it Darby Dan Farm. Galbreath and his wife Dorothy made the first of several important stallion acquisitions when they purchased the 1956 Horse of the Year, Swaps.

Swaps was a very successful sire. Among his first foal crop was a chestnut filly born on Valentine’s Day. She was out of Banquet Bell, a stakes winning mare by Polynesian. Galbreath named the filly Primonetta, which means “first little one.” Primonetta would go on to win 17 races including the Delaware Oaks, Alabama Stakes, Molly Pitcher Handicap, Regret Handicap, and Spinster Stakes. She equaled a track record at Monmouth Park as a three-year-old and was named the 1962 Champion Older Mare at age four. Upon her retirement from racing, Primonetta returned to Darby Dan Farm.

Truxton King was Primonetta’s first foal. He was by the leading sire in North America at the time, Bold Ruler. Primonetta was later bred to stakes winners Graustrak and Hail to Reason. She produced stakes winners Grenfall, Maud Muller, Prince Thou Art, and Cum Laude Laurie. In 1978, Primonetta was named Broodmare of the Year. She outlived most of her foals, reaching age 35 before passing in 1993. Primonetta is buried at Darby Dan’s Ohio Farm.

Truxton King would never race. He began his stud career at Darby Dan Farm, but spent most of his life in Texas. In 1972, as his first foals were reaching racing age, he was standing for a fee of $2,500 at Braugh Ranches in Riviera, Texas. Mac’s Pleasure, a chestnut colt out of Pleasudier, by With Pleasure, was one of Truxton King’s first starters. Mac’s Pleasure won 13 races including the 1972 Arizona Paradise Futurity, the 1973 Arizona Derby, and the 1976 Phoenix Gold Cup Handicap. The success of his first starters earned Truxton King the respect of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse breeders alike.

There was no denying that his offspring were fast. In 1976, Truckin’ Louie, a Thoroughbred gelding by Truxton King and out of Patty Lou, by Seaneen, equaled the track record at Ruidoso Downs for 4 furlongs. Trux Top, a Thoroughbred filly by Truxton King, also equaled the track record at Jefferson Downs for 4 ½ furlongs and set a new track record at Evangeline Downs. Out of Truxton King’s 136 Quarter Horse race starters, three were track record holders. Watch Stopper equaled the track record at Parr Meadows for 770 yards in the Azure Te Marathon Handicap. Syndacator set a new track record at Manor Downs for 400 yards in 0:20.290. And Por Que set a new track record at Les Bois Park for 770 yards. Por Que also won the 1980 Lone Star Futurity.

Three of Truxton King’s most successful Thoroughbred daughters – Borgia, Proud Silver, and Princess Orizaba – raced exclusively in Mexico. Borgia, foaled in 1973 in Mexico, was bred by Justo Fernandez, the breeder of Beduino. Borgia won nine races including a Grade 3 stakes race. She was named Mexico’s Champion Older Mare in 1977. Proud Silver, foaled in 1980 in Kentucky, was out of Grow Silent, by Silent Screen. She was exported to Mexico where she won 12 races including the Grade 1 Clasico Dalia and Grade 1 Clasico Comparacion. Proud Silver was named Champion Imported Three-Year-Old in 1983 and Champion Older Mare in 1984. Princess Orizaba, foaled in 1981, was also out of Grow Silent. She won the Grade 3 Clasico Indenendencia and was named Champion Imported Two-Year-Old Filly in 1983.

Truxton King’s highest earner in the United States was I’m a Banker, a 1982 stallion out of Bank Officer, by Intentionally. I’m a Banker won nine races including the 1986 Grade 2 Longfellow Handicap and the 1986 and 1987 editions of the Grade 3 Kelso Handicap. He earned a total $464,856 in his career. Truxton King’s other Thoroughbred stakes winners included Bold Blazer, Narrow Way, Twentyone Stitches, Truckin Harold, King’s Place, Dos Reyes, Apostolic, Royal Rampage, Primonann, Honor King, Kinchloe Prince, Lachlan, Little Truck, and Truck Or Win.

His chief Quarter Horse earner was Miss Reber, a bay filly out of Reber, by Mr Bar None. She won seven races and placed second in the Bay Meadows Futurity and third in the Golden State Futurity and the Kindergarten Futurity. Truxton King’s stakes winning Quarter Horses also included Bold China, winner of the 1980 Brady Autumn Futurity, and Ms Easy Truxton, winner of the 1989 Summer Futurity. He sired 76 ROM earners including Plead to Ruler, Go Galla’s Lady, Fine Linen, Bold Babette, Top Truxton, and China Queen. Truxton King also sired six Superior Race Award earners.

In total, Truxton King sired 555 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse foals in 23 foal crops. Those included 18 stakes winners, four graded stakes winners, three champions and earners of over $6.9 million on the track. His sons did not duplicate his success as a sire. I’m a Banker only sired eight Thoroughbred foals before he passed away at seven years old. Mac’s Pleasure sired three stakes winners and Truxton Fair sired one stakes winner. Truxton King was much more successful as a broodmare sire. His Thoroughbred daughters produced 589 foals, 257 winners, 15 stakes winners, and earners of over $7.4 million, not including his Quarter Horse descendants. Thoroughbred stakes winners out of daughters of Truxton King include Ambassador, Calorie Canyon, Costa Azul, Just Plain Smart, Musical Moraig, Phoenix Sunshine, and She’s Ecstatic. His Quarter Horse daughter Zoya produced Fightin Jane, winner of the Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity. Truxton King’s descendants are still racing, barrel racing, and showing today.

Truxton King died of a heart attack on February 21^st, 1996 at age 31. He is buried at Oak Tree Ranch in Bandera, Texas.

Fun Fact: Truxton King’s 1972 foal crop also included Wingonetta, a Thoroughbred stakes mare by Miss Wingo Plead, by Wingo Boy. Wingetta would not produce any notable runners, but in 1983 she did give birth to twins by In Totality, a stallion by In Reality. Both foals, a filly named Twinette and a colt named Twinetto, survived. They both won money on the track.