Racing Career
Barabara L's first race was in 1949 at Del Rio, Texas, where she came in fourth and only rated a B speed index (a measure of how fast a horse ran in a race). She didn't win a race until her third start that year, completing a 440 yards (400 m) course in 23.4 seconds. In the following years, she raced at Centennial Race Track in Colorado; at Raton in New Mexico; at Albuquerque, New Mexico; at Phoenix, Arizona; at Los Alamitos Race Track in California; and at Bay Meadows Race Track. She raced for Lumpkin until 1952, when she was sold to A. B. Green. Green raced her until May 1955, when her last start was recorded with the AQHA.
Barbara L raced for seven years, starting 81 times. She ended her career on the track with 21 victories, 23 seconds and nine third-place finishes. During her racing career, she beat a number of the top racehorses of her time: Stella Moore, Blob Jr, Bart BS, Johnny Dial, and Monita. She won six stakes races, placed second in four, and came in third in three. Her earnings on the racetrack were $32,836 (approximately $280,000 as of 2013). The stakes wins were the Speedwell Handicap, the Del Rio Feature, the Bart BS Stakes, the Miss Princess Invitational Handicap, Maddon's Bright Eyes Handicap, and the Pima County Fair Premier Stakes. She set two track records—one at Centennial for 400 yards (370 m) with 20.2 seconds, the other at Los Alamitos for 400 yards (370 m) with 20.5 seconds—and equaled the 350-yard (320 m) track record at Los Alamitos with a 18.5 second run. The AQHA awarded her a Race Register of Merit and a Superior Race Horse award.
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