Shue Fly (1937–1963) was a

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 ...

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

who was one of the dominant

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 on the

racetrack A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also u ...

during the 1940s.

Life

Shue Fly was registered with the

American Quarter Horse Association The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive even ...

(or AQHA) as number 717. She was a

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

mare, foaled in 1937 and bred by Lloyd Miller of Chamita, New Mexico. She was owned by the Hepler Brothers of

Carlsbad, New Mexico Carlsbad ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city population was 32,238. Carlsbad is centered at the intersection of U.S. R ...

at the time she was registered. Her sire was Cowboy P-12, and she was out of Lady Luck by Booger Red by Rancocas, 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 ...

. The second dam was an unnamed Thoroughbred mare.American Quarter Horse Association ''Official Stud Book and Registry Combined 1–5'' p. 101 Through her sire, she descended from Yellow Jacket and

Peter McCue Peter McCue (1895–1923) was a racehorse and sire influential in the American Quarter Horse Association (or AQHA), although he died before the AQHA was formed. Life Peter McCue (foaled 1895) was registered in the '' American Stud Book'' as a T ...

twice. Her dam was a descendant of

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

, the first American bred Thoroughbred to win a major race in England.
Shue Fly Pedigree at All Breed Pedigree
' Some early reports had her dam as a mare named Nancy M who was by Jack McCue (a son of

) and out of Fanny by Jack McCue. However, the Hepler brothers, who raced and then used Shue Fly as a

broodmare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

, investigated her background and came to the conclusion that she was out of Lady Luck.Nye "Meet the Champ" ''The Quarter Horse'' pp. 9 & 15

Racing career

During Shue Fly's racing career she was named the World Champion Quarter Running Horse for 1941–1942, for 1942–1943, and for 1943–1944.Wagoner ''Quarter Racing Digest'' p. 1087 The official AQHA records show her starting six times, with two wins and a top

speed rating In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...

of AAA. However, the 1946 ''Yearbook of the American Quarter Racing Association'' (or AQRA) states that she had won ten of eleven starts.American Quarter Racing Association ''Quarter Running Horse 1946'' p. 17 Her very first race was when she was three, and had just been broke to ride, when she went up against Question Mark in a half mile race. She finished second, but it was a good finish for a green-broke mare. Next, in December 1941, she was matched against

Clabber Clabber is a four-player trick-taking card game played in southwestern Indiana near Evansville, Indiana, Evansville. Clabber is a member of the Jack–Nine card games, Jack-Nine family of trick-taking game, trick-taking card games that are popula ...

at the distance of a quarter mile, and won, setting a track record in the process. In the 1942 Championship race, she went to her knees coming out of the

starting gate A starting gate also called a starting barrier or starting stalls is a machine used to ensure a fair start to in horse racing and dog racing. History Throughout the history of horse racing, there have been proposals as to how better to start ...

, but managed to get up and finish first by a nose, beating Clabber, Nobodies Friend and Joe Tom.Nye ''Great Moments in Quarter Racing History'' pp. 23–25

Broodmare record

As a broodmare, Shue Fly produced three

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 ...

s that earned a Race Register of Merit, including Royal Charge.

Death and honors

She died in 1963. Shue Fly 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 2005.

Pedigree

Notes

References

*
All Breed Pedigree Database Pedigree of Shue Fly
' retrieved on June 30, 2007 *
American Quarter Horse Foundation – Shue Fly
' accessed on November 11, 2010 * *
AQHA Hall of Fame
' accessed on September 2, 2017 * * *

External links

Shue Fly at Quarter Horse Directory

Shue Fly at Quarter Horse Legends
{{authority control American Quarter Horse racehorses 1937 racehorse births 1963 racehorse deaths AQHA Hall of Fame (horses)