tar heel
A foal of 1948 by the Hanover Shoe Farms' sire Billy Direct out of the Volomite mare Leta Long, Tar Heel's first owner was W. N. Reynolds. Tar Heel was known as the "King of Queens" because, for some mysterious reason, the genes he passed along to his daughters were very, very special. As a racehorse Tar Heel was a season's champion at two, a world champion at three, and the leading moneywinning performer both years. He was retired to stud after taking a lifetime record of 1:57 in a time trial at four. As a sire, Tar Heel is credited with 160 two-minute performers through 1981 and the dams of 400 in 2:00. At the time of his death on June 8, 1982 at age 34, Tar Heel's progeny had earned nearly $36 million. At the dispersal of the Reynolds' horses in November 1951, Lawrence B. Sheppard bought Solicitor for $100,000 and Tar Heel for $125,000, providing some of the most dramatic moments in the sales company's history, as they were the first Standardbreds to bring $100,000 at public auction.
Hanover Shoe Farms, Hanover, PA