RPM (horse)

RPM
Breed Tennessee Walking Horse
Sire Dark Spirit's Rebel
Dam Ebony's Emmy Lou
Sex Stallion
Color Black
Owner Pete Hammond & Bob Kilgore
TR & N Partners
Jaclyn Smith
Trainer Bud Dunn
Major wins
Three-Year-Old World Championship in 1997
Four-Year-Old World Championship in 1998
Reserve World Grand Championship in 1998
World Grand Championship in 1999

RPM was a Tennessee Walking Horse who won a World Grand Championship in 1999. As a four-year-old, RPM was sold for $1.25 million, estimated at the time to be the highest price ever paid for a Tennessee Walking Horse. RPM was trained by Bud Dunn, who also trained the horse's sire to a World Grand Championship in 1992.

Life and career

RPM was a black stallion sired by Dark Spirit's Rebel, the 1992 World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horse, and out of Ebony's Emmy Lou.[1] As a yearling, RPM was sold to Pete Hammond and Bob Kilgore for $100,000 and put in training with Bud Dunn of Florence, Alabama, who had also trained Dark Spirit's Rebel.[2] Dunn showed RPM to the three-year-old World Championship at the 1997 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and the four-year-old World Championship in 1998. The same year, RPM was entered in the open World Grand Championship and won reserve.[2] Dunn was aiming RPM at the World Grand Championship the next year. However, in May 1999, RPM was sold to TR & N Partners for $1.25 million,[3] making him one of only 5 Tennessee Walking Horses to ever be sold for over one million dollars.[1] At the time, it was estimated that RPM's price might be the highest ever paid for a Tennessee Walking Horse.[2] The new owners moved him to Sammy Day's stable in Shelbyville, Tennessee.[1][2][3] Shortly before the Celebration, Day was convicted of bribing a judge at a different show, fined and put on suspension. RPM was returned to Dunn's training and won the World Grand Championship.[3] In 2000, RPM was retired to stud at Bridlewood Farm and then sold to Jaclyn Smith in 2005. Smith moved RPM to Rising Star Ranch near Shelbyville.[1] RPM was found sick on the morning of July 20, 2005. He was being taken to the University of Tennessee veterinary hospital when he died of an obstructed bowel caused by colic complications.[1][4]

Pedigree

Pedigree of RPM[1]
Sire
Dark Spirit's Rebel
Pride's Dark Spirit Pride of Midnight Midnight Sun
Pride of Stanley
Spirit of Merry Boy Spirit of Midnight
Marilyn J
Bridle Vale Penny Reyclif Merry Junior Reyclif Merry Allen
Baby Ray
Bridle Vale Twinkle Wilson's Atomic
First Chance Lady
Dam
Ebony's Emmy Lou
Pride's Silver Gold Pride of Midnight Midnight Sun
Pride of Stanley
Miss Ebony Bell Ebony Masterpiece
Bel Aire
Another Dimple Another Masterpiece Ebony Masterpiece
Pride's Elegant Lady
Ebony's Dimple Allen Ebony Masterpiece
Sheila

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Tennessee Walking horse - RPM #913503 home page by Walkers West". Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mike Goens (4 June 1999). "Despite success, training Walking Horses not a Dunn deal". Times Daily. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Ryan Gilchrist (8 October 1999). "Never Dunn". Times Daily. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  4. "Shelbyville Times-Gazette: Local News: Champion horse at center of lawsuit (03/04/06)". Shelbyville Times-Gazette. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
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