Go Boy's Royal Heir was foaled the property of T. J. Raney and Howard Binns of Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 5, 1960.  His sire was Merry Go Boy, the World's Grand Champion Walking Horse in both 1947 and 1948, and he was out of Merry Marquita by Sir MauGray.  His second dam, Strauss' Merry Maid was by old Merry Boy and his third dam was a daughter of King Denmark.  Foundation animals appear twelve times in the third and fourth generations of his pedigree.


 

Go Boy's Royal Heir was named Go Glen Boy when first registered.  He was not shown as a two-year-old.  He was worked as a three-year-old by Percy Moss in Bastrop, Louisiana, and, later that year, he was moved to the E. L. Burgess Stables in Sherrill, Arkansas.
 

During the winter of 1964-1965 Steve Hill swapped for one half interest in Go Boy's Royal Heir and the future champion was moved to the Steve Hill Stables, in Beechgrove, Tennessee.  Later that season, Dwain Clark of Beverly Hills, California, and W. M. Duncan of Inverness, Mississippi purchased the horse and he was shown at the Celebration that year by Steve Hill.   1965 was the last year that four-year-olds were shown as aged horses, and Royal Heir placed second in the aged stallion class and third in the Grand Championship Stake event that year.   Later that fall, Steve won both the Junior Stake and Grand Championship Stake with Go Boy's Royal Heir at the Chicago International.

At the 1966 Celebration Horse Show, still the property of Clark and Duncan, Royal Heir was again second in the stallion class.   During that particular class, an accident inside the ring just as the horses were being lined up broke several of Steve's ribs and bruised the shoulder of Royal Heir.   The Official Veterinarian recommended that Royal Heir not be shown later that week in the Grand Championship Walking Horse Stake.
During the spring of 1967 Royal Heir was sold to Dr. and Mrs. C. L. Sexton of Florence, South Carolina as a mount for their granddaughter, Candace Williams, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the horse was moved to the stables of Donald Paschal in Readyville, Tennessee.

Saturday, Stakes night, 1968, presented a filled stadium for the Grand Championship.   Nineteen horses, the largest stake event ever at the Celebration grounds, entered the ring individually as their entry numbers were called that night.   The field was finally narrowed down to twelve horses, and from that twelve, Go Boy's Royal Heir and three others were called to the rail for a final workout.   The applause of the enthusiastic crowd assured that the selection of Go Boy's Royal Heir as the 1968 Grand Champion Walking Horse of the World was a popular decision.

Under the tutelage of Donald Paschal, Go Boy's Royal Heir had been declared first in the stallion class and repeated his memorable demonstration of true walking gaits to win the coveted big stake.   The 1968 Grand Championship marked the first time for a mount of Donald Paschal to receive that distinction.

Candace Williams won both the class for Owner/Amateur Stallions and the Owner-Amateur Riders.

<==1967   1969==>

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