For many years, Oklahoma Star (1915–1943) was known simply as the Tommy Moore Horse, after his breeder, owner, trainer and race

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

.Short ''First Twenty Quarter Horses'' pp. 70-75 He was an influential

Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at s ...

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

in the early days of the breed.

Life

Oklahoma Star was

foal A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal i ...

ed in 1915 in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

and raced in

match race A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consis ...

s for many years throughout Oklahoma.Simmons, et al. ''Legends 2'' p. 77-78 He was bred by Tommy Moore of Oklahoma.Denhardt "Foundation Sire Oklahoma Star P-6" ''Quarter Horse Journal'' pp. 26-27, 70, 72, 402 Eventually, he was registered with the American Quarter Horse Association (or AQHA), as number 6 in the AQHA's

stud book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders ...

. His stud book entry gives his breeding as being sired by Dennis Reed, a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

, with a first dam being Cutthroat by Gulliver by Missouri Rondo. The second dam was given as OK by Dan Tucker. However, this is a corrected entry. The original entry had the same sire and dam, but the original entry had Cutthroat by Bonnie Joe, a Thoroughbred and out of Big Em by Rocky Mountain Tom.AQHA ''Official Stud Book and Registry Combined 1–5'' p. 79 Cutthroat's breeding still remains somewhat murky, as Moore was evasive about her exact breeding.Denhardt ''Foundation Dams'' p. 113All Breed Pedigree Database Pedigree of Oklahoma Star
retrieved on June 23, 2007Beckman "The Tommy Moore Horse" ''Quarter Horse Journal'' pp. 36-37

Racing career

Moore raced Oklahoma Star all over Oklahoma, matching him against all comers, usually riding the horse himself because of fears that the opposing side would bribe the jockey. Because Moore was almost fifty years old and weighed about 150 pounds, this meant that Oklahoma Star didn't always win every race, but he won enough. Ronald Mason, who later owned the horse, told Robert Denhardt that the best race distance for the stallion was an eighth of a mile. Oklahoma Star was a mahogany bay in color, with just a white

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

on his forehead, a small white spot on his left foreleg, and a white

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

on his left hind leg.

Breeding record and death

Eventually, Moore was forced to sell Oklahoma Star, and after passing through a few other owners, eventually the horse was sold to Ronald Mason of

Nowata, Oklahoma Nowata (Lenape: ', ' ) is a city and county seat of Nowata County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,731 at the United States Census, 2010, a 6.0 percent decline from the figure of 3,971 recorded in 2000. The area where it was establ ...

, who registered him with the AQHA. He died in the ownership of Ronald Mason on February 14, 1943. Among Oklahoma Star's famous offspring were Nowata Star, Star Deck, Oklahoma Star Jr and Sizzler. Two of his

s earned Race Register of Merits with the AQHA – M's Grey Lady and Sizzler.Wagoner ''Quarter Racing Digest'' p. 878 Many of his daughters went on to produce

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

s or show horses.Wagoner ''Quarter Horse Reference 1974 Edition'' p. 502

Honors

Oklahoma Star was inducted into the

AQHA Hall of Fame The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum was created by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas. Ground breaking construction of the Hall of Fame Museum began in 1989. The distinction is earned by people and ...

in 1992.

Pedigree

Notes

References

*
All Breed Pedigree Database Pedigree of Oklahoma Star
' retrieved on June 23, 2007
AQHA Hall of Fame
accessed on September 1, 2017 * * * * * * *

External links

Oklahoma Star at Quarter Horse Directory

Oklahoma Star at Foundation Quarter Horses

Oklahoma Star at Quarter Horse Legends
{{authority control American Quarter Horse racehorses American Quarter Horse sires Racehorses bred in Oklahoma Racehorses trained in the United States 1915 racehorse births 1943 racehorse deaths AQHA Hall of Fame (horses)