Disco Jerry was foaled on May 18th, 1978. He was bred by Marion D. Kirkland and Anatole Bourque in Louisiana. Disco Jerry was by Never Dance, a gray stallion by the 1962 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Never Bend. Never Dance sired a limited number of foals. His highest earner was Lava, winner of the 1982 Capital City Handicap at Penn National. Sea Bouquet, the dam of Disco Jerry, was by multiple stakes winner Crewman and out of Sweet Blossom, by Promised Land. She produced nine foals including race winners Author of Liberty, Art and Music, Kimberly Shan, Kanusue, Joker’s Swifty and Millie’s Bouquet. Her most successful starter, Avenger’s Bouquet, won the 1986 Tellike Handicap. Avenger’s Bouquet went on to produce Quarter Horse race winners Sunset Bouquet and Its My Bouquet.
During his racing career, Disco Jerry was owned by Ridetto Inc. and trained by his co-breeder, Anatole Bourque. He made his first start in a Maiden Special Weight at Fair Grounds on February 11th, 1981. He placed eleventh. He finally found the winner’s circle in his fourth start, a Maiden Claiming race at Jefferson Downs. He won another claiming race before stepping up to the Allowance class. Towards the end of his three-year-old season, he won back-to-back Allowance races at Jefferson Downs. At age four, Disco Jerry finished eighth in the Delta Downs Gold Cup Handicap before dropping back into the claiming ranks. He retired at age five with a race record of 28 races, seven wins, six seconds, one third, and $30,005 in earnings.
After he retired from racing, Disco Jerry was purchased by Sonny Stanley to stand at the Ladybug Stallion Station in Madill, Oklahoma. Although the gray stallion had never won a stakes race, Sonny was impressed by Disco Jerry’s Quarter Type conformation. Obviously, the co-breeder of the all-time leading sire First Down Dash knew what he was doing. Fred Stanley, Sonny’s son, said this about his father’s strategy: “Dad always said to throw the sale catalog and pedigree sheets away… You breed for a runner and when you come with that runner, they’ll offer you more money than you can spend. When you’re in the winner’s circle, you’ve got their attention.” It was not long before Disco Jerry had everyone’s attention.
One of the first mares that Disco Jerry covered was Send Me Candy, a stakes placed mare by Tiny’s Gay. The resulting foal, Send the Gals Candy, became Disco Jerry’s best Quarter Horse starter. As a two-year-old, Send the Gals Candy, won the Los Ninos Handicap and Gr. 2 Sunland Park Fall Futurity. He also placed third in the Gr. 1 All American Futurity. At three, he set a new track record for 350 yards in 17.290 seconds in the Gr. 3 Town Policy Handicap at Los Alamitos. In total, Send the Gals Candy made eighteen starts, won six races, and earned $291,286 on the track.
After Send the Gals Candy, Disco Jerry continued to sire graded stakes winners including Imafastermaster, winner of the 1992 Gr. 1 Heritage Place Futurity. He also sired Speedy Disco, winner of the Gr. 3 Blue Ribbon Derby; Do Ya Disco, winner of the Gr. 3 Trinity Meadows Futurity; and Quick Step Disco, winner of the Gr. 3 Ruidoso Horse Sale Futurity at Sunland Park. Other stakes winners by Disco Jerry included Sunday Cruiser, Unshakable, Lest Expected, Jerry Disco, Dancing Manor and The Disco Angel. His best Thoroughbred starter, Discos My Name, won the 1993 Jean Lafitte Futurity at Delta Downs.
In 1993, Sonny Stanley passed away from cancer. His wife Weetona Stanley carried on his breeding business along with their three sons Stan, Steve and Fred. With Weetona as his owner, Disco Jerry became a leading Thoroughbred sire of Quarter Horse stakes winners and money earners. He also established his reputation as a performance horse sire. Bop With Me Baby, a gray gelding by Disco Jerry, was the 1995 World Champion Green Working Hunter. His offspring also qualified for the World Show in Pole Bending and Barrel Racing. Discos Dash was the Reserve World Champion Pole Bending horse in 2003. Fleet Feet Flyin, a bay gelding by Disco Jerry and out of Joyous Bug, by Bugs Alive in 75, made four starts on the track before becoming a barrel horse. He won the San Antonio Derby and Lazy E Derby and earned over $150,000 in the barrel pen. Other successful barrel horses by Disco Jerry included Do It For Candy, My Disco Rose, Beautiful Buddy Love, Disco Yawl, Disco Veronica and Lil Electric Cowboy.
In total, Disco Jerry sired 447 foals in sixteen foal crops. They included 214 ROM-earners, 181 race winners, seven stakes winners, six Superior Race Award-earners, one Regional Champion, one Reserve World Champion and one World Champion. They earned $2,454,103 on the track and 898.5 points in the arena. They also earned $8,697.30 at the AQHA World Show and $15,931.35 in the Barrel Futurities of America. They had far more barrel racing earnings, but that information is hard to track because it was not recorded with the BFA or Equistat.
Sons of Disco Jerry that went on to sire racehorses and performance horses include Buckeyes Jet, Coyote Springs, Disco Ace, Disco Master, Discos In Town, Jerry Wayne, Mr Grant Too, Seabolt, Snow Party and Special Kinda Dancer. His most prolific son, Jerrys Disco Moon, was the 1998 Northwest High Point Three-Year-Old Colt. Jerrys Disco Moon went on to sire race winners and 1D barrel horses. Some of his notable offspring include Pittses Big Sky Guy, Sam Feather, Color Me Famous, Jerrys Disco Joe and Gold Moon Disco 37. He is still available to breed to through ICSI.
Daughters of Disco Jerry were exceptional producers. His best producing daughter, Disco Del Rey, was the dam of stakes winners Dash Del Rey, Fast Del Rey and Jess Jones. Her offspring earned over $800,000 on the track. Send the Guys Candy, a full sister to the aforementioned Send the Gals Candy, produced stakes winners This Candys Okay and Send a Candy Guy. Miss Blue Chew, the highest earner out of a Disco Jerry mare, won the Gr. 1 Remington Park Futurity. Other stakes winners out of Disco Jerry mares include Toy Dreams, Sheza Dashing Disco, Trevors Easy Tipper, Wheely Quick and PYC Kant Katch Me.
Disco Jerry is also the damsire of numerous barrel racing money earners. Flingin Roses, a two-time AQHA World Champion and BFA Futurity World Champion, is by A Streak of Fling and out of Dancing Rose Lady, a daughter of Disco Jerry. Other successful barrel horses out of Disco Jerry mares include Bells Disco, Ima Dance Hall Girl, Rebull, Junos Magic, Perks Prize Dash, Frenchmans Fever, Pawn N Perks, Perks First Go, Disco Bling, Alive Disco Rose, Dream On Perks, SO Perksamericanrose, Famous Blue Eyes, Rose for Perks, Pita Perks, Famouskansaswildcat, Bobbie Gene, DHR Disco Fire, Streakinflingindisco, Jitterbugz, Pyron Rose, Alotofstreakindisco, Chasin Disco Lights, Lightz Camera Action and Oh Whatta Boy. In total, Quarter Horse daughters of Disco Jerry have produced earners of $5,092,963.87 on the track and 656.5 points in the arena. His grandget have also earned over $110,000 in the BFA.
Disco Jerry’s last foals were born in 2000. His descendants are highly sought after on the racetrack and in the barrel pen.
Sources: Equineline, Equibase, American Quarter Horse Association, Ladybug Stallion Station, Stallion E Search, All Breed Database
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