Hempen was foaled on March 24th, 1962. He was bred by John and Phyllis Valpredo in Bakersfield, California. Hempen was by Indian Hemp, a chestnut son of leading sire Nasrullah. Indian Hemp was a stakes winner in England and North America. He won the 1951 Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot and 1953 Yerba Buena Handicap at Tanforan. Indian Hemp stood at Three Rings Ranch near Beaumont, California where he sired champion T. V. Lark, as well as stakes winners Linita, Ipse, Mr. Wag, Old Mose and Chapati. His Thoroughbred sons Baby Indian, Bold Hemp, Cedar Court, Cordage, Hemp, Hempaces, Indian Tribe, Jungle Savage, Manu, Prince Hemp, Private World and Sea Him Go sired Quarter Horses.
Serry, the dam of Hempen, was bred by Mereworth farm in Lexington, Kentucky. She was by Spy Song, a multiple stakes winner and influential sire of Thoroughbreds. His best starters included Crimson Satan, Big Band and Duc de Fer. Spy Song often appears in Quarter Horse pedigrees through his daughters Secret Port – the dam of Vikingson – and Tiptoe Tune – the second dam of Merridoc. His sons Master Melody, Song-Stylist, Great Threat, Last Spy and Sing Along also sired Quarter Horses.
Serry made seventeen starts and earned $6,675 on the track. Her best efforts included second place finishes in the 1954 Debutante Stakes and Miss America Stakes. Serry produced five foals for the Valpredos, including race winners Serry’s Dream, Mr. Blast and Space Spy. She sold to Ted Greely in California. It was under Greely’s ownership that Serry produced Cherokee Arrow, a full brother to Hempen and sire of 414 AQHA recognized foals. Serry later sold to Preston Madden in Kentucky where she produced Lord Ivan, a race winning Thoroughbred. Serry sold again to Leo Winters in Oklahoma where she produced Quarter Horse race winners Lisa Mariea and Justinian. Her final foal, Serrys Sage, was foaled in 1974 when Serry was twenty-two years old.
As a two-year-old, Hempen won his first five starts. He broke his maiden in spectacular fashion. He was just 3/5ths off the track record in a three-furlong race at Santa Anita. Hempen then defeated Tom Rolfe, the eventual winner of 1965 Preakness Stakes, by 3 ½ lengths in a six-furlong Allowance race at Arlington. Hempen defeated another classic winner when he won the Garden State Trial Purse over Hail to All, the eventual winner of the 1965 Belmont Stakes. He placed second in the California Breeders’ Champion Stakes at the end of his two-year-old season. At age three, Hempen won the 1965 San Miguel Stakes over stakes winners Isle of Greece and Charger’s Kin. He also placed second in the Los Feliz Stakes.
On June 4th, 1966, Hempen set a new track record in the Olympia Handicap at Arlington for 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.00. He then won the Midwest Handicap at Hawthorne over stakes winner Swift Ruler. Hempen also equaled the track record for 6 furlongs in the 1966 SNARO Handicap at Sportsman’s Park. Hempen ran his final race at age five. In total, he made twenty starts, won eleven races, and earned $108,808 on the track, which is equivalent to about $1.05 million today.
Hempen entered stud in 1968. His first foals were born in Kentucky. His first Thoroughbred stakes winner, Hempens Song, won the 1971 Shady Well Stakes at Fort Erie. Hempens Song also won the 1972 Magnolia Stakes and Princess Stakes. Hempen’s highest-earning Thoroughbred starter, Startahemp, won the 1974 Sport Page Handicap at Aqueduct. Other Thoroughbred stakes winners by Hempen included Annihilate ‘em, Bearer Bond, Sturdy Indian, Radio Control, Heather Lane, Shoe’s First Shoe, Great Sire, Hempen Star, Hempens Book, Patty’s Hoss, Bosephous, Mady’s Song, Fun and Tears and Falacy.
Hempen’s first Quarter Horse foals were born in 1973. I’m Gorgeous, a sorrel Quarter Horse filly by Hempen and out of a stakes-placed daughter of Double Bid, won the 1976 Rainbow Derby. She was named the 1976 AQHA Racing Champion Three-Year-Old Filly. Other early Quarter Horse stakes winners by Hempen included I’m Sincere, Double Knit and Bold Tactic.
In 1976, when Hempen was fifteen, he was purchased by AQHA Hall of Fame horseman Walter Merrick. Merrick syndicated Hempen and moved the chestnut stallion to his 14 Ranch in Sayre, Oklahoma. Merrick appreciated Hempen’s well-balanced, quarter-type conformation and proven early speed. He said that “next to Three Bars, he probably did my program as much good as any Thoroughbred I ever used.”
The first champion that Hempen sired in Oklahoma was Rise N High, a sorrel gelding out of a daughter of Easy Jet. As a two-year-old, Rise N High set a new track record in the 440 Ranch Futurity at Trinity Meadows. In 1984, he won the Gr. 1 Los Alamitos Invitational Championship, Gr. 2 Sophomore Handicap and Gr. 3 Z Wayne Griffin Director’s Stakes. Rise N High was named the 1984 AQHA Racing Champion Three-Year-Old Gelding. As a four-year-old, he won the Gr. 1 Horseman’s QHRA Championship. In total, Rise N High won twelve races and earned $522,075 on the racetrack.
Hempen was especially effective on Easy Jet mares. In 1988, Liberty Coin, a sorrel gelding by Hempen and out of Cherished Lady, by Easy Jet, was named the AQHA Racing Champion Two-Year-Old Gelding after he won the Gr. 1 Ed Burke Memorial and Gr. 1 Denin N Diamonds Futurity.
In 1988, Rapid Voyager, a brown filly by Hempen and out of a Jet Deck mare, was named the Mexico Champion Three-Year-Old Filly after she won the Hipodromo de las Americas Classic and set a new track record in the Clasico Beduino at Mexico City for 350 yards in 17.340 seconds. Rapid Voyager went on to produce Racing Register of Merit earners Predecesor and Jeweled Voyager.
Backward Glance, a sorrel colt by Hempen and out of a Kitman’s Angle, was the 1988 Oklahoma Hi-Point Aged Stallion. The following year, Go Little Poggo, a sorrel filly by Hempen and out of a stakes winning Rocket Wrangler mare, was the 1989 Texas Hi-Point Aged Mare. Other Quarter Horse stakes winners by Hempen included The Shogun, Hempens Jet, Mr Easy Ed, Hempeasy Girl, Favorite Past Time, Dealin Easy, BCR Hempens Baby, Flaming Hemp, First Session, First Byron, Texigo Star, Ima Ten Too, Charmin Too, Hemps Folly, Hempens Chicgay, Mark of the Jet, Talladega, Ten Ana Half, Loads of Laughs, Do It Again Precious, Royalty Rules, Rapid Voyager, Hemp Easy Boy, Hempens Hare, Screen Test, Keep a Secret, Noble Reflection, Make It Yours and Indian Weaver.
His offspring also excelled off the track. Hempens Double, a sorrel stallion by Hempen and out of a daughter of Double Bid, earned an AQHA Champion title in 1985. Hempens Moon Bug, Hemps Best Bid, Hempens Winner and Tinys Hemp earned Performance ROMs.
Altogether, Hempen sired 1,049 registered Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse foals in twenty-three foal crops. They earned $10,934,471 on the track and 165.5 points in the arena. He sired 602 winners, which is an impressive 72% of his offspring. His get included 518 ROM earners, 116 stakes finalists, 47 black-type stakes winners, 37 Superior Race Award earners, eight graded stakes winners, three regional champions and three AQHA Racing Champions. His Paint and Appaloosa offspring are not included in those statistics. Notably, Zeebediah was an APHA Champion Running Two-Year-Old Colt and Hempen Easy was an ApHC stakes winner.
Hemp Meyers was his most successful son at stud. He sired Quarter Horse stakes winners Flashy Hemp, Sonova Hemp, Hog Heaven, Hemps Jolt and Fast Hemp. His sons Bar Hemp, Easy Hempen and Speedy Hemp also helped solidify Hempen’s reputation as a sire of sires.
Daughters of Hempen produced 2,251 AQHA recognized foals that earned $15,452,134 on the track and 1,027.5 points in the arena. The leading earner out of a Hempen mare was Separatist. He won sixteen races, including the Gr. 1 Governor’s Cup Futurity, Gr. 1 Governor’s Cup Derby and Gr. 1 Golden State Derby. Separatist was named the 1999 AQHA Racing Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, 2000 California Hi-Point Three-Year-Old Colt, 2000 AQHA Racing Champion Three-Year Colt and Champion Three-Year-Old.
Dashing Folly was next highest earner out of a Hempen mare. She was the 1996 World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse, AQHA Racing Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and Champion Three-Year-Old, 1996 California Hi-Point Three-Year-Old Filly, and 1997 AQHA Racing Champion Aged Mare.
Other racing champions out of Hempen mares included Extra Easy, the 1980 AQHA Racing Champion Three-Year-Old Colt; String Em Easy, the 1985 Mexico Champion Two-Year-Old Colt; Way Maker, the 1989 AQHA Racing Champion Two-Year-Old Gelding; Better Than Never, the 1994 AQHA Racing Champion Distance Horse; and Shining Sky, the 2001 AQHA Racing Champion Two-Year-Old Gelding.
Iron Rooster, a gelding by Easy Jet and out of Moon Snipper, by Hempen, was the 2002 Reserve World Champion Breakaway Roping. Three Folly Six, a full sister to Champion Dashing Folly, was the 2010 World Champion Junior Barrel Racing horse. Other notable barrel horses out of Hempen mares include Hemp N Easy, Jet Will Do, Lencho, Taken Candy, Cash On Hemp, One Slick Bobby, Uno Mas Corona, Lacy J Fame, Rare Elmily, Famous Lil Dasher, Strawfeather, Double the Nonstop and Shetland Fame. Performance ROM earners out of Hempen mares include Prompt Verdict, Billingsley Charge, Fall Victory, Fall Victory, BCR Lantys Bar, Glory Comes Around, Beyond the Ledge, Arbitrarily, Band Review, Hesa E Z Flyer, Sassy Fire, Went For Pie, Ima Hempen Bug, Deliver It Quick, Just Mark Me Tuff and Hempenita Jane.
It is hard to summarize the profound impact that Hempen had on the Quarter Horse breed and the western industry. As of last year, he was ranked 40th on Speedhorse Magazine’s list of All Time Leading Broodmare Sires by Money Earned. He also appeared in the pedigree of the 2025 AQHA/PRCA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year Tell Em PYC, aka “Banker.” Four barrel horses at the 2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo – Ivory On Fire, Cowboy Ta Fame, JM Pocketsdoubledash and Streak N Liza – also traced back to Hempen.
Sources: Equineline, Equibase, American Quarter Horse Association, Speedhorse Magazine, All Breed Database
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