November 8-23, 2013, Oklahoma City

Junior Barrel Racing

First-time breeder wins first world championship on her first time at the AQHA World Championship Show.

by Larri Jo Starkey
The American Quarter Horse Journal

Allene Tatom of Conroe, Texas, is batting .1000.

On her first try breeding American Quarter Horses, she got a world champion.

On November 3, Slick By Design won junior barrel racing with Jennifer C. Epps-Sharp of Montgomery, Texas, in the saddle at the AQHA World Championship Show.

“(It feels) great,” Allene said. “It couldn’t feel any better. I’m not quite sure (what’s next). All of this hasn’t set in.”

Slick By Design – “Slick” to Allene – is a 2007 black stallion by Designer Red and out of Dreams Of Blue by Dream On Dancer.

“I just liked the looks of Designer Red and I had a mare that was really good, and it just worked out,” Allene said.

Designer Red is a 1995 sorrel stallion by famed barrel sire On The Money Red.

Allene’s first world championship didn’t come without anxiety. Slick and Jennifer were first in the preliminaries with a blazing time of 16.644. Between them, Allene fretted.

“I was about to have a heart attack,” Allene said. “I knew he would have another nice run, because he runs the barrels the same every single time. I was pretty confident that he was going to have another scorching run. He turns the barrels so tight that I just wanted her to be clean.”

For the second run, Slick and Jennifer ran the barrels in 16.807 for a combined time of 33.451, the world championship and first place in Intermediate, as well.

“He’s my first (breeding project),” Allene said. “He’s my first stud. I was a little nervous about that, but he’s just been a dream. I couldn’t have asked for any better.”

He’s a calm stallion, she said, and hasn’t been hard to handle.

“He’s just great,” she said. “Got the best personality. Doesn’t have any bad faults. You can walk him through anywhere.”

Best of all, she said, “He’s got a full brother twho's 6 months old.”