Moonsplash was foaled on May 9th, 1968. He was bred by John W. Greathouse and Ben F. Roach in Kentucky. Moonsplash was by Boldnesian, a bay son of leading sire Bold Ruler. Boldnesian won four races, including the 1966 Santa Anita Derby. His racing career was cut short due to bone chips in his knee that required surgical removal. Boldnesian went on to sire Bold Ruckus – a Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee – and Bold Reasoning – the sire of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. His sons Bold Thomas, Bold Warrior, Boldini, Bolductive, Brazen Brother, Cool Christopher, Red Wing Bold and Wing Out sired Quarter Horses. His son Bold Sensation sired Appaloosas.
Tossed, the dam of Moonsplash, was bred by J. A. Price in Florida. She was by Rough ‘n Tumble and out of Paigle, by Jack High. Tossed made 21 starts and won one race. She produced eight Thoroughbred foals for Greathouse and Roach. Her foals Foreign Actor, Ruf Ridin, Bit of Sunshine, Rough’n Toss and Don’t Miss a Trick were race winners. Her daughter Best I Can produced Quarter Horse race winner Eye Can Fly. Tossed produced her final foal – an unnamed colt by Dr. Blum – at Glencrest Farm in Lexington, Kentucky when she was 24 years old.
Moonspalsh raced for owners Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bensinger. At two, he won four of his six starts. Early in his two-year-old campaign, he equaled the track record in an Allowance race at Turf Paradise for 3 furlongs in 32.20 seconds. The 1970 Hyde Park Stakes at Arlington Park was his first stakes win. Moonsplash set a new track record for 5 furlongs in 57.60 seconds in that race. He equaled another track record in the Ak-Sar-Ben Juvenile Stakes for 5 ½ furlongs in 1:02.80. Moonspalsh placed third in the 1970 Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes behind multiple stakes winners Fast Fellow and Kfar Tov.
As a three-year-old, Moonspalsh won three races, including the 1971 Phoenix Gold Cup Handicap. He also ran second in the Golden Bear Stakes. At four, he won the 1972 edition of the Phoenix Gold Cup Handicap. He also won the Midwest Handicap and Balmoral Inaugural Handicap carrying the top weight. Moonsplash ran second in the National Jockey Club Handicap and third in the SNARO Handicap and Matt Winn Handicap. He defeated multiple stakes winners Great Mystery, Haveago, Honest Effort, Mr. Holme and Stormvogel. His final race record was 36 starts, 17 wins, 8 seconds and 4 thirds, with $154,117 in earnings, which is the equivalent of about $1.1 million today.
Moonsplash was owned by a syndicate. He stood at Bill McGregor’s McGregor Ranch in Wichita Falls, Texas. Moonsplash was 15.3 hands. His big hip, large shoulder, and elegant head and neck were typical of a grandson of Bold Ruler. His first foals arrived in 1975. Thoroughbred stakes winners Mr. Moon and Sun ‘n Splash were among his first crop of foals. Mr. Moon won the Land of Enchantment Futurity, New Mexico Thoroughbred Futurity and Conquistadores Handicap. Sun ‘n Splash won the Ducke City Handicap, Grasmick Handicap and W. E. Buck Britt Memorial Handicap four years in a row!
Queena Moon Glow, a sorrel Quarter Horse filly by Moonsplash and out of Queena Go Go, became his first Quarter Horse stakes winner when she captured the 1977 RMQHA Springtime Futurity. Queena Moon Glow earned a Superior Race Horse award. She later produced Racing ROM earners Glowin Bug and Radiant Queen.
Moonsplash’s best Quarter Horse starter was Public Affair, a gray colt out of a daughter of Joak. Public Affair won the 1979 Juvenile Handicap at Albuquerque and earned a career-high speed index of 101. He went on to sire 49 AQHA registered foals.
Mia Splash, a brown filly by Moonsplash and out of a daughter of Triple Chick, was his leading Quarter Horse earner. Mia Splash won seven races and placed second in the 1978 Santa Fe Downs Futurity and third in the C. L. Maddon’s Bright Eyes Handicap. She went on to produce Racing ROM earners Mama Mia, Dashs Splash and Splashy Girl.
Prairie Moon was Moonplash’s best Thoroughbred starter. He won sixteen races, including the 1981 Sophomore Stakes and the 1984 Nebraskaland Handicap. Prairie Moon also set a new track record at Fonner Park for 4 furlongs in 45 seconds flat. Other Thoroughbred stakes winners by Moonsplash included Not Tomorrow, Twenty Four Hours, Sweet Patina, Packed Wide, Tough Opposition, Country Breeze, Libra Moon, Colo Moon, Mr. Moon Babe, Cluff, Neat Package, Internat’l Velvet and Chosen Moon.
Hula Hi, a chestnut Quarter Horse gelding, was Moonsplash’s leading point earner. Hula Hi earned a Performance ROM in the Youth division with Jeffery Jacob Smith. Moon Talent, a brown mare by Moonsplash, earned a Performance ROM in the Open division. Moon Deck Splash also earned performance points.
Altogether, Moonsplash sired 428 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse foals in eighteen foal crops. His offspring included 199 race winners, 80 ROM earners, 16 stakes winners, 15 stakes finalist and four Superior Race Award earners. They earned $3,288,925 on the track and 72.5 points in the arena.
Sons of Moonsplash sired 400 AQHA recognized foals. Jace, a brown Thoroughbred stallion by Moonsplash and out of Oneilike, by Dancing Dervish, was the largest contributor to that number. Jace was bred by Lee and Marilyn Woods in Oklahoma. He made 22 starts and won eight races. Jace sired 130 AQHA recognized foals. Denim n’ Pearls, Sudden Panic and Miss Mito Jace were some of his highest earners on the track. Moonsplash’s sons Nip an Tuck Em, American League, Splasher, Turf Commander and Polynesian Moon also sired several Quarter Horses.
Daughters of Moonsplash produced 445 AQHA recognized foals that earned $1,035,288 on the track and 62.5 points in the arena. Tennessee Breeze, a bay Thoroughbred mare, was probably his best producer. Tennessee Breeze produced fourteen AQHA registered foals. Blue Oyster Cult, a bay gelding by Streakin Six and out of Tennessee Breeze, won seventeen races, including the 1996 Braggin Rights 870 Championship, 1996 Purina Mills Stakes, 1998 AQHA Distance Challenge #1, 1999 Best of Both Breeds Handicap and 2000 Jack Robinson Handicap. Blue Oyster Cult was the 1996 West Southwest Hi-Point Aged Gelding and Hi-Point Distance Horse. Tennessee Breeze also produced stakes winners Cast in the Wind, Magical Mystery Tour and Rockability. Her daughter Loves to Rock produced Love the Fame, a successful barrel horse.
Moonsplash’s Thoroughbred daughter Moonsashinnin cemented his legacy in Quarter Horse history. Moonsashinnin produced eight AQHA registered foals. She was the dam of Bonshinner, winner of the 1987 Gr. 2 Marathon Invitational Handicap. Moonsashinnin also produced Racing ROM earners Keep On Shining and Heclipse. With the assistance of embryo transfer, Keep On Shining produced 25 Quarter Horse foals. She was the dam of Shazoom, sire of more than 1,100 AQHA registered foals. Shazoom is a leading sire and broodmare sire. His top performers include Bon Accord, Azoom, Mr Queens Mystery, Ragazzo, Shinning Sky and Jess Zoomin. Shazoom is the damsire of champions Brace for Bernal and The Fiscal Cliff. In addition to Shazoom, Keep On Shining also produced Shining First Dash, the 2011 California Hi-Point Aged Stallion. Her daughter Nancys True Love produced Nancys Ocean, the 2010 Texas Hi-Point Three-Year-Old Filly. Keep the Fame, a son of Dash Ta Fame and Keep On Shining, is a successful barrel horse sire in Brazil.
Moonsplash’s daughters Moontonya, Milady Moon, Secret Moon and Modern Moonglo also produced stakes winners. Moontonya produced thirteen Quarter Horse foals, including Truckle Toy, the 1991 Mexico Champion Three-Year-Old Filly. Moontonya also produced Reign Splash, winner of the 1986 Prescott Downs Derby and dam of multiple graded stakes winners BCR The Reign Man and Reign of Terror. Moontonya was the third dam of Mexican Champion SF Mexican Brave. Milady Moon produced eight Quarter Horse foals, including stakes winner Lethal Effort; Secret Moon produced six Quarter Horse foals, including stakes winner Native Creeks Secret; and Modern Moonglo produced three Quarter Horse foals, including stakes winner and performance point-earner Cornada Chick. Moonsplash was also the damsire of barrel horses Adios Sweet Daddy, BJ Fanny Dash and Pats Lark.
Moonsplash’s last foals were born in 1992 when he would have been 24 years old. He died under the ownership of the Kansas Thoroughbred Association in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.
Sources: Equineline, Equibase, American Quarter Horse Association, Speedhorse Magazine, All Breed Database
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