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World Grand Champion in 1989 |
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| Motown Magic #835331 |
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Motown Magic was
foaled on April 7, 1983 and was bred by Carl Parker-his sire, Go Boy's
Black Fury; his dam, Sundust Little Miss, a mare by Go Boy's Sundust.
The foal was
registered on June 27, 1985 as Little Miss's Fury. This name was
changed on March 24, 1986 to Go Boy's Booger Man. His name
ultimately became Motown Magic.
It was in March of 1986
that he commanded the attention of John Dunn's daughter, Sarah.
Shortly after, the Dunns purchased Motown and embarked on a most
successful career. The Dunns chose Joe and Judy Martin to
complete the stallion's show ring preparations and immediately began
collecting the blues in both open ranks with Joe Martin and amateur
ranks with Sarah at the reins. In June 1987, Trainer
Ernest Upton assumed direction of Motown and guided the up and coming
star through two Celebrations before turning the reins over to Bud
Dunn and Son Stables.
Although a young horse and a newcomer to aged stallion competition,
Motown Magic had already made a name for himself prior to the 1989
show by frequenting winners' circles throughout the circuit and
claiming many notable awards in both open and amateur events. He had
headlined nearly every showcase as a two-, three- and four-year old,
including the Razorback Charity Horse Show, the Mississippi State
Charity Horse Show and the Columbia Spring Jubilee as well as a host
of other prestigious mid-summer and fall shows. The eager black
stallion had also claimed the Three-Year-Old World Championship at the
1987 Celebration, and, after an undefeated season, was named
Three-Year-Old Horse of the Year by the Walking Horse Trainers'
Association.
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Then, came 1988, a
time of unrest and turmoil stemming from legal battles involving the
entire industry. As was the case with many horses, the repeated
changing of shoeing regulations adversely affected Motown's
performance and, consequently, his promising season as a 4year-old
contender. In fact, Motown only placed sixth in the Celebration's
Junior Walking Horse World Championship Stake that year. |
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Enter Bud and Steve Dunn, a father and son team from Florence,
Ala. who prepared Motown for his first season of aged
competition. Together, they guided the gallant stallion to an
undefeated season which included blue ribbon wins at the
Trainers' show, the Mississippi State Charity Horse Show, the
Moneytree Classic, the Hohenwald Horse Show and the Cornersville
Horse Show. Under their direction, Motown also claimed top
honors in Division B of the Walking Stallions, Over 15.2 Class
Saturday night, August 26-the preliminary to the World Grand
Champion competition.
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To long-time trainer Steve Dunn, only one thing meant
more than that ride under the shimmering spotlight during the closing
moments of the 51st Annual Tennessee Walking Horse National
Celebration . . .
. . . And that was Motown Magic, the 6-year-old black stallion that
had just propelled himself past one of history's finest assemblages of
world grand championship contenders to give his trainer a first taste
of the ultimate victory and a guaranteed place in the history books as
the World Grand Champion of 1989! |
| Owned by the
John Dunn family of Brentwood, TN, Motown, (or `Mo' as he is
affectionately referred to by his closest of fans), made what many
describe as a perfect showing in his quest for royalty. He
performed with all his heart and with what seemed like the perfect
mixture of poetic-like motion and upbeat energy; a mixture which,
if written in lyric form, would most likely go straight to the top
of the charts. In the saddle, Steve appeared calm, cool and
collected. Through the look in his eyes, spectators on the rail
could see his 18 years of training experience kicking in as horse
and rider became one. The duo was indeed dynamic and it was
obvious that Steve's father, trainer Bud Dunn, had taught him
well. |
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From the boxes, the
John Dunn family watched their first-ever world grand champion
contender anxiously, feeling a full rainbow of emotions from the time
Motown made his grand entrance before more than 28,000 screaming fans,
until the split second when the roving spotlight pierced the darkness
and came to a screeching halt on the winning team-their team.
. . . The rest is history. |
| If you wish to print off this pedigree, click
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If you have a story or photos of Motown Magic
that you would like added to this page, please forward them to
Walkers West.
<==1988 1990==>
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