World's Fastest Human Meets Wonder, the Quarter Horse

Mission Viejo, CA--The following is an excerpt from SLQH Racing Publication's new Quarter Horse book, "Rockets of the Racetrack: True Stories of American Quarter Horse Racing." The equestrian book features informative articles, short essays, and stories about the people, history, horses, racetracks, and events in the sport of Quarter Horse racing. It is available for purchase at amazon.com or www.fasthorsesfastmoney.com.

EXCERPT FROM "ROCKETS OF THE RACETRACK"

He sprinted boldly into the record books in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, winning four gold medals for the U.S. in the 100 meter dash, long jump, 200 meters, and 400 meter relay.

The world´s fastest human being was the hero of the Berlin Olympics, living proof that Adolph Hitler´s theory of racial superiority was deeply flawed.

The son of sharecroppers and the grandson of slaves, Jesse Owens—a true African-American superstar—showed Hitler and the Nazis that Aryan supremacy simply did not apply to track-and-field events, where Owens crushed his Caucasian opposition.

The question was: Could Owens, at the peak of his game, outrun a…Quarter Horse?

After his triumphant 1936 Berlin Olympics, Owens began a new commercial enterprise: racing against horses at country fairs and expositions across the nation.

According to an article in the "American Quarter Horse Racing Journal," Owens once boasted in a newspaper that he could outrun any horse for 100 yards. The owner of a Quarter Horse named Wonder decided to take Owens up on his offer; the owner did not believe that any man could outrun his horse.

A race was scheduled at Oakland Ball Park, the "Journal" reports.

Before the race, Owens claimed that he´d run against 150 horses and beaten all but 12 of them—and those losses were only by the smallest of margins, the racehorses barely nipping him at the wire. (Some sources believe that Owens´ secret was to begin each race with a gun shot, which spooked many horses into breaking slowly or awkwardly.)

However, Owens apparently didn´t realize that he was going to face a Quarter Horse—rather than a Thoroughbred—in the Oakland race.

"What´s a Quarter Horse?" he reportedly asked.

Apparently some bets were made. Wonder´s owner, according to the "Journal," exhibited great confidence that his charge would win.

As usual, the race started with a gun shot—but Wonder reacted much differently from the other horses Owens had faced. The Quarter Horse exploded off the line when the gun discharged; jockey Ralph Banks recoiled in the saddle, something that had never happened to him before, notes the "Journal."

Wonder reportedly left Owens in the dust. After running only 15 yards or so, Owens gave up and walked off the track.

I imagine him shaking his head respectfully and thinking, "That´s a helluva´ fast son-of-a-gun."

That day Jesse Owens learned what an American Quarter Horse is.