Such a Rush was foaled on January, 21st, 1971. He was bred by Hubert J. Miller in California. Such a Rush was by My Lark, a chestnut son of My Host. My Lark was a half-brother to George Lewis, a notable Thoroughbred sire of Quarter Horses. My Lark won thirteen races and outran Chiclero, Nasharco and Tom Rolfe. He stood in California where he sired race-winning Thoroughbreds Cowboy Cadillac, Spanish Lark and Bell’s Jet Away. He also sired 18 AQHA recognized foals. His Quarter Horse daughter Prissy Lark was a race winner and producer. My Lark’s Appaloosa sons Bounding Lark and Diamond Lark were sires.
Miss Automatic, the dam of Such a Rush, was bred by Mrs. Lillian Butler. She was by Master Gunner, an Irish-bred son of Nasrullah, and out of Vista Miss, by Boxthorn. Miss Automatic was a full-sister to stakes-placed winner Gun Box. She produced eleven Thoroughbred foals for Miller, including race winners Toppum, Grape Juice, Denver Queen and Call Me Gunner. Her daughter Miss Rullamatic produced Jamin Johnny, an Appaloosa race winner. Miss Automatic produced her final foal, Be Automatic, at the age of 23.
Such a Rush raced for his breeder under trainer Dale Landers. On July 6th, 1973, he ran second in the Cabrillo Stakes at Hollywood Park. Two weeks later, he was second again in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship Stakes (Gr. 2). Such a Rush moved to Del Mar in August. There, he won three straight races – the CTBA Sales Stakes, De Anza Stakes and Del Mar Futurity (Gr. 2). A daylight victory in the Sunny Slope Stakes (Gr. 3) at Santa Anita marked the end of his sensational two-year-old campaign.
The Experimental Free Handicap – an annual weight-based rating published by The Jockey Club – ranked Such a Rush above graded stakes winners Money Lender, Judger, Green Gambados and Stonewalk. His three-year-old season was highly anticipated, but in three starts, his best effort was a third-place finish in the 1974 Inglewood Handicap (Gr. 2). He won one of his four starts the following year. When Such a Rush retired from racing at age five, his record was 25 starts, seven wins, four seconds and three thirds, with $181,675 in earnings, which is the equivalent of about $1.1 million today.
Although Such a Rush was unimpressive as an older racehorse, Hall of Fame jockey Willie Shoemaker said that he was one of the fastest two-year-olds that he had ever ridden. That endorsement and his sweet disposition made the handsome chestnut a popular stallion prospect. He was purchased by Chet and Kay Johns to stand to Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse mares at the Rainbow ‘J’ Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. Fred and Daine King and Charlie and Sue Dees later entered a partnership on Such a Rush with the Johns. They moved him to the Pretty Penny Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. By that time, he was a mature stallion that stood 15.3 hands high and weighed 1,300 pounds.
Such a Rush only sired one Quarter Horse foal in 1977. Such a Bigirl, a chestnut mare bred by the Bar U Bar Ranch in California, was one of eleven AQHA registered foals in his second foal crop. Such a Bigirl won five races, including the 1980 AQRA Lassie Stakes at Prescott Downs. She went on to produce five Quarter Horse foals. Her son Night Night Termite won the Hualapai Downs Futurity. Her foals Mighty Awesome and Twinkie Pie were Racing ROM-earners.
In 1981, Such a Chick, a bay Quarter Horse mare by Such a Rush, set a new track record for 440 yards at the Yuma County Fair. Such a Chick went on to produce two Quarter Horse foals. Her son Bean Fun also won the Hualapai Downs Futurity.
John I. Kieckhefer used Such a rush regularly in his program. He bred Five Oclock Rush, the leading Quarter Horse earner of Such a Rush. Five Oclock Rush was a beautiful red roan. She made eighteen starts, won ten races and placed second in the 1982 Gila County Futurity and 1983 Prescott Downs Derby. She set new track records for 400 yards at Gila County Fair and Turf Paradise. She also set a new track record at Prescott Downs for 330 yards in 16.610 seconds. Five Oclock Rush went on to produce nine AQHA registered foals, including multiple graded stakes winner Rush Fora First Down. She was also the dam of Racing ROM-earners In a Merri Rush, Rush To Bed, First Down and Five, Beduinos Rusher and A Lady Shes Not. Five Oclock Rush was the third dam of All About Larry, the 2012 AQHA Racing Champion Distance Horse, and Handsome Jack Flash, winner of the 2013 All American Futurity (Gr. 1).
Eight Oclock Rush, a full-sister to Five Oclock Rush, was the second Quarter Horse stakes winner by Such a Rush. Eight Oclock Rush won four races and set a new track record for 400 yards in 19.940 seconds in the 1984 Gila County Futurity. She went on to produce fourteen AQHA registered foals, including Racing ROM-earners With an Easy Rush, Just Sign Here, Bobs Darling Devil, Rush to the Finish, The Final Toll, Eight Oclock Rock, Parnazo and First Down Rush.
Rush to the Bar and Rush Delivery were additional Quarter Horse track record setters by Such a Rush. His Thoroughbred son In a Rush won the 1986 Grand Canyon Handicap and set a new course record at Turf Paradise for 5 furlongs in 57.20 seconds. His Thoroughbred son Keep the Change won the 1986 Flying Charm Handicap at Ruidoso against Quarter Horse company.
In total, Such a Rush sired 137 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse foals in fifteen foal crops. They included 56 race winners, 32 ROM-earners, ten stakes finalists, four stakes winners and one Superior Race Award earner. They earned $622,937 on the track and 11.5 points in the arena.
My Gold Rush and Such a Man were the only sons of Such a Rush that sired any AQHA registered foals. Daughters of Such a Rush produced 134 Quarter Horse foals that earned $453,212 on the racetrack and 125.0 points in the arena. Whats Your Rush was one of his better producing daughters. Whats Your Rush produced eleven Quarter Horse foals, including Totally Rushed, winner of the 1991 Prescott Downs Futurity (Gr. 3). Totally Rushed went on to produce The Rush Gets to You, the 1999 West/Southwest Hi-Point Three-Year-Old Gelding and 2001 West/Southwest Hi-Point Aged Gelding. Totally Rushed also produced Rush to a Win, the West/Southwest Hi-Point Aged Gelding and West/Southwest Hi-Point Distance Horse.
Char Ds Indicative, a sorrel mare by Rw Indicative and out of Vanish Away, was the leading point-earner out of a Such a Rush mare. Char Ds Indicative earned 44.0 halter points, 31.0 performance points and an AQHA Champion designation. Her full-brother, Vanishing Dancer, earned 41.5 halter points and sired a handful of AQHA registered foals. Such a Rush was also the damsire of Miss Sen Sen, an Appaloosa mare that earned an ApHC Supreme Champion title in 1997.
The last foals by Such a Rush were born in 1992 when he would have been 21 years old. He died under the ownership of the Johns and King partnership, which had expanded to include Kieckhefer. Although he has few descendants, they are still racing today!
Sources: Equineline, Equibase, American Quater Horse Association, All Breed Database
The Western Thoroughbred 