In our early days of Thoroughbred-worship, we gobbled up Walter Farley’s “Black Stallion” books, just the way most every other horse-loving girl our age did. And we never forgot a thing.  One of our guiltiest pleasures is that we still like to read our favorites, like The Black Stallion’s Courage.

But of course before The Black returned to the races, he was first returned to his breeder Abu Ja Kub ben Ishak, where he remained until the death of his owner. During his time in Arabia, The Black sired many foals, but his first foal was promised - and given - to Alec Ramsey, who had saved the great sire when both were shipwrecked in Farley’s first book, The Black Stallion.  The dam was no ordinary mare, but an exquisite creature called Johar.  We have never forgotten her name.

With that thought in mind, imagine our surprise when we discovered a Gone West colt named Johar (out of one of our all-time favorite mares, Windsharp) was racing in California under the patient care of Richard Mandella.  We bet on him every time he ran, and he rewarded us with an exciting win in the Oct. 13 Oak Tree Derby.  The handsome little horse with the diamond-shaped star and snippet of white down his left nostril is not only well-named, he is the owner of a simply glorious pedigree.

But allow us to digress just a moment and return to October of 1997 when, in Pedlines #23, we wrote the following, “One horse who supplies not only a Secretariat cross but another outstanding double is Gone West. A Gone West/Windsharp foal would be inbred 3 x 4 to Secretariat and Sir Gaylord and would also own a 3 x 4 cross of half siblings Tamerett and Atan.”  We certainly aren’t suggesting that The Thoroughbred Corporation, who own and race Johar, were reading Pedlines at that time (so far as we know anyhow), but it’s fun to see a cross we mention in print pan out so beautifully in the flesh.

So, while Johar may not be a grey filly with Arabian roots, he is still very special to us.  His mother was a queen of a filly and Lear Fan, her sire, remains one of our all-time favorites.  She is beautifully bred for today’s sires, for she owns very little Native Dancer (only the one cross via Atan-Sharpen Up) and no Northern Dancer.  Therefore, when it comes time to choose her mate, one does not have to dance around doubling unsound lines in order to get the best out of her pedigree.

Plus, Johar is just a baby. With a little luck, and a trainer as caring and competent as Mandella, he should be around for a while.  Maybe when the time comes and he becomes a sire himself, someone will recognize the significance of his name and call one of his children Shetan (or Satan).  If so, the spirit of Walter Farley, who we are sure now resides in some very horsey heaven, will be smiling down on the recipient of such a name, cheering him on to glory.