George Lewis was foaled on April 21st, 1967. He was bred by Dr. W. D. Lucas in California. George Lewis was by Envoy, an unraced son of Bold Ruler. Envoy stood in California at El Rancho Murrieta and Los Cerritos Farm. He sired Thoroughbred stakes winners Hallowed Envoy, Century’s Envoy, Messenger of Song, Prior Approval, Diplomatic Agent, Pirate Fleet, Vol Au Vent and Envoy’s Daughter. Envoy also sired Desert Envoy, a stakes-placed Quarter Horse stallion. His Thoroughbred sons Ashcay, Bold Curl, Cable Trouble, Enviado, Envoy to Bagdad, Mr. Collator, Ruler’s Envoy and Scotts Bar also sired Quarter Horses and Appaloosas.
Bell’s Lark, the dam of George Lewis, was a Lucas homebred. She was by Unbelievable, a race-winning son of Bull Lea, and out of Frank’s Lark, by Jet Pilot. Bell’s Lark was a half-sister to Lanolark, the damsire of AQHA Racing World Champions Miss Thermolark and Moon Lark. Bell’s Lark made ten starts and won two races. She produced seven Thoroughbred foals for Lucas. Her first foal, My Lark, won thirteen races and placed second in the 1964 Howard Stakes and third in the To Market Stakes. My Lark went on to sire Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses and Appaloosas. Such A Rush, a multiple graded stakes-winning Thoroughbred son of My Lark, sired 106 AQHA recognized foals. Bell’s Lark was also the dam of black-type placed winner Rulark and race winners Lark’s Orbit, Little Joes George and First Saturday. Her daughter Prize Model was the dam of stakes winners Lady By Choice and She’s A Prize.
George Lewis was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Allan Magerman and trained by Buster Millerick. As a two-year-old, he won three races and equaled the stakes record in the six-furlong 1969 Del Mar Futurity, defeating stakes winner Swarming Bee by six lengths. George Lewis also ran second in the Caliente Futurity. He spent the winter at Hialeah Park in Florida where he won the 1970 Hibiscus Stakes by a length over Insubordination. He ran second in the Bahamas Stakes behind the 1969 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Silent Screen.
His performances in Florida made George Lewis long‐range favorite for the 1970 Kentucky Derby. He returned to California at the end of February where he ran second in the San Jacinto Stakes, San Felipe Handicap and Santa Anita Derby. That string of second-place finishes caused George Lewis to drop in the Derby rankings. In April, he shipped to Golden Gate for $112,000 California Derby. With Bill Hartack aboard, he won the race by two lengths over Faithful Leader and Hanalei Bay. That victory put George Lewis back on the Derby trail. He was immediately sent to Churchill Downs for the Derby Trial. He developed a cough after his cross-country journey. It was doubtful that he would be able to start, but by the morning of the race, his cough had cleared. He finished second to Admiral’s Shield and secured his spot in the Derby.
On May 2nd, 1970, just four days after the Derby Trial, George Lewis and Bill Hartack broke from the number two post position in the Kentucky Derby. They trailed Rancho Lejos in second for the first half of the race. On the backstretch, they moved up to challenge Rancho Lejos at the same time that Silent Screen and John Rotz made their move. George Lewis stuck with Silent Screen for a few strides but ultimately faded to fourteenth while Dust Commander overtook the field to win by five lengths.
After the Derby, George Lewis went back to California where he won the Caballero Stakes at Hollywood Park. On June 20th, he placed third in the Arlington Classic behind Corn Off the Cob and Tenacious Jr. A month later, he ran second to Mickey McGuire in the El Dorado Handicap. He won two Allowance races at Aqueduct before he ended his three-year-old season with a second-place finish in the Garrison Handicap at Liberty Bell Park in Philadelphia. He only made one start at four. His final race record was 22 starts, 8 wins, 8 seconds and 2 thirds, with $270,685 in earnings, which is the equivalent of about $2.2 million today.
George Lewis covered his first mares shortly after he left the track. Buena Shore, a chestnut stallion bred by Robin’s Nest Farm in Florida, was his first stakes winner. Buena Shore won the 1976 Golden Beach Handicap at Calder, the 1977 Renaissance Handicap at Gulfstream Park and the 1978 Pelleteri Handicap at Fair Grounds. He was exported to Great Britain and then Australia. Buena Shore stood at Bellerive Stud in New South Wales. Multiple graded stakes winner Satin Sand was one of his best runners. Satin Sand later produced Satin Covers, the dam of stakes winners Gawne and Great Shot. Other Thoroughbred stakes winners by George Lewis included Terrific Son, Miss Lauette, Right Sight, Lucky Cole, Dangerella and Bold Lewis.
The first Quarter Horse foals by George Lewis were born in 1980. By that time, he was owned by Frances “Francie” Whittenburg Klein and her husband Richard Paul Klein. George Lewis stood at the Southwest Stallion Station in Elgin, Texas and later moved to Klein’s Farm in Amarillo, Texas. Our Charge It Baby, Little Georgia Oak, Chucka Bear and Tiny Georgia were his first Racing Register of Merit earners. Francie bred Georges Jet Deck, the first and only Quarter Horse stakes winner by George Lewis. Georges Jet Deck won five races, including the 1982 Raton Futurity at La Mesa Park.
My My George, a brown gelding by George Lewis and out of Rebelohs Flame, by Flaming Jet, was his leading point earner. My My George was shown by Christina Ecker. He was the 1988 Senior Hunter Underaddle Reserve World Champion. He earned Superior Hunter Under Saddle awards and Performance ROMs in the Open and Amateur divisions. Altogether, My My George earned 173.0 performance points. Lady Three Socks, a sorrel mare by George Lewis, also earned a few performance points.
In total, George Lewis sired 224 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse foals in eighteen foal crops. They included 110 race winners, twenty ROM earners, seven stakes winners, two stakes finalists and one Reserve World Champion. They earned $2,441,775 on the track and 177.5 points in the arena.
Sons of George Lewis only sired about fifty Quarter Horse foals. Knight of Love and Itshardtobehumble were the biggest contributors to that number. His daughters produced 130 AQHA recognized foals that earned $77,377 on the track. He was much more influential in Thoroughbred bloodlines. He sired the dams of Thoroughbred stakes winners Rovella, Truly My Style, Fightin’ Buck and Susans Choice. His daughter Georgia More was the third dam of Desert Code, winner of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
George Lewis passed away in 1991 at the age of 24. He was owned by Diane E. McNalley of Berthoud, Colorado at the time of his death. His last two foals were a Thoroughbred mare named Rosalewis and a Quarter Horse gelding named Game For Anything. It’s fitting that his final foal crop consisted of one horse from each breed. This Kentucky Derby contender only made a small impact on the Quarter Horse industry, but his Thoroughbred family is still prevalent in racing and performance horses.
Sources: Equineline, Equibase, American Quarter Horse Association, Speedhorse Magazine, All Breed Database
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