GAINES’ DENMARK SONS AND GRANDSONS
On a nameless Morgan mare, Crigler’s Denmark sired Rex Denmark 1884, who in turn is the ancestor of the greatest performers of the breed. On a mix-breed mare called Roy—her ancestry incorporating asil Arabian (*Stamboul), Matchem-line Thoroughbred, Sir Peter Teazle and Morgan—he also sired Tom Bass’ first great mare Miss Rex 1889, a winner at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Miss Rex was the greatest five-gaited mare of her era for in 1897 she won the Stillwell Stake at Kansas City, beating her own sire for the title in a contest lasting well over two hours.
Rex Donnell, foaled in 1900, is another Rex Denmark son. His dam is contested; it is either Miss Belle LeGrand, a Mambrino Chief great-great-great-granddaughter, or it is Lucile by Miller’s Lexington by Cabell’s Lexington—I take it to be the latter based on his conformation, which takes strongly after the Morgan. Dr. Cheatham, who owned and showed this horse, tells an amusing story about him: “Rex Donnell carried a natural tail and he always carried it higher at his slow gaits (walk, running walk, foxtrot or canter); and in speeding him in his rack and trot it went still higher, and to ginger him his tail would land bottom side up on his back or against one’s back if he were under saddle, and it would remain there until the show was over, unless the contest lasted over one hour.” As to his way of going: “Rex Donnell’s gaits were as natural as they were perfectly performed. He could go 15 mph in his running-walk with much ease and pleasure to his rider and was the only horse I ever owned or saw with this natural slow gait that could [also] give you an open foxtrot [and] a square rack, without too much body swing, and a slow rebounding canter---not a lope as most present-day so-called canters.”
Montrose: There are no criticisms to make concerning the conformation of this 1869 son of Diamond Denmark. Montrose was foaled in Bourbon County, Kentucky but left many daughters in Missouri through his son Moss Rose 1877 who for a time was owned by Clark and Potts, and shown by Tom Bass out of their barn in Mexico, Missouri. Montrose also sired King Lee Rose 1889 who was foaled in Missouri and likewise contributed many broodmares.
Rex McDonald: This wonderful coal-black stallion was foaled in 1890 in Callaway County Missouri, near the heart of Little Dixie. Rex McDonald is the greatest of all Rex Denmark sons and one of the two most outstanding Saddlebred sires and show performers ever foaled—the other being his own descendant, Wing Commander (who was not born until 1943). Defeated only three times in hundreds of contests, he changed ownership many times through a lifetime of 23 years, always for big money. His last owner was wealthy businessman Ben Middleton, a Tom Bass student and patron who lived in Mexico, Missouri. Middleton did not acquire Rex McDonald until the horse was 18 years old; when asked by a newspaper reporter why he bought the stallion, Middleton shut his eyes, breathed out a long breath, and said, “I just wanted to be able to say that I had owned something like that.” During Middleton’s ownership and at several earlier periods as well, Tom Bass was responsible for Rex McDonald’s care and training. When the stallion died in 1913 he was buried on the site of his last show, the fairgrounds at Mexico; but shortly thereafter the body was re-buried on Tom Bass’s property. After a vandal torched the old Bass barn in the 1980’s, his bones were dug up again and the grave today can be visited on the grounds of the old Potts and Clark barn, which later became the Art Simmons barn, and which is now the home of the Museum of the American Saddlebred in Mexico, Missouri.
Rex Peavine: Rex McDonald’s greatest sons were McDonald
Chief 1896, Rex Blees 1897, Star McDonald 1899 and Rex Peavine 1899. Tom Bass had charge of most of these and we will return to them in an upcoming article which compares conformation and performance style of Rex McDonald and Wing Commander. For the moment it’s worth noting the contrast in conformation between the short-backed Rex McDonald and the long-bodied Rex Peavine. Rex Peavine is out of Daisy 2nd, a halfMorgan mare sired by Black Hawk 1833 but whose tail female goes to Gaines’ Denmark, Tom Hal, Sir Archy and the part-Morgan stallion Old Nero. Although he had some horse show wins, Rex Peavine’s main fame came through his ability to sire horses better than himself. The excellent mares Edna May, Hazel Dawn and Liberty Girl are his get, while famous male sons included Mass of Gold (gelded), Jean Val Jean, Kalarama Rex, Bugger Boo, Jack Twigg, Oklahoma Peavine and Chester Peavine.
We’ll be picturing many of these in upcoming installments.