RPM (horse)

RPM was a Tennessee Walking Horse who won a World Grand Championship in 1999. As a four-year-old, RPM was sold for $1.25 million, estimated at the time to be the highest price ever paid for a Tennessee Walking Horse. RPM was trained by Bud Dunn, who also trained the horse's sire to a World Grand Championship in 1992.

RPM

Breed	Tennessee Walking Horse
Sire	Dark Spirit's Rebel
Dam	Ebony's Emmy Lou
Sex	Stallion
Color	Black
Owner	Pete Hammond & Bob Kilgore TR & N Partners Jaclyn Smith
Trainer	Bud Dunn
Major wins
Three-Year-Old World Championship in 1997 Four-Year-Old World Championship in 1998 Reserve World Grand Championship in 1998 World Grand Championship in 1999

Life and career

RPM was a black stallion sired by Dark Spirit's Rebel, the 1992 World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horse, and out of Ebony's Emmy Lou.[1] As a yearling, RPM was sold to Pete Hammond and Bob Kilgore for $100,000 and put in training with Bud Dunn of Florence, Alabama, who had also trained Dark Spirit's Rebel.[2] Dunn showed RPM to the three-year-old World Championship at the 1997 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and the four-year-old World Championship in 1998. The same year, RPM was entered in the open World Grand Championship and won reserve.[2] Dunn was aiming RPM at the World Grand Championship the next year. However, in May 1999, RPM was sold to TR & N Partners for $1.25 million,[3] making him one of only 5 Tennessee Walking Horses to ever be sold for over one million dollars.[1] At the time, it was estimated that RPM's price might be the highest ever paid for a Tennessee Walking Horse.[2] The new owners moved him to Sammy Day's stable in Shelbyville, Tennessee.[1][2][3] Shortly before the Celebration, Day was convicted of bribing a judge at a different show, fined and put on suspension. RPM was returned to Dunn's training and won the World Grand Championship.[3] In 2000, RPM was retired to stud at Bridlewood Farm and then sold to Jaclyn Smith in 2005. Smith moved RPM to Rising Star Ranch near Shelbyville.[1] RPM was found sick on the morning of July 20, 2005. He was being taken to the University of Tennessee veterinary hospital when he died of an obstructed bowel caused by colic complications.[1][4]

Pedigree

Pedigree of RPM[1]

Sire Dark Spirit's Rebel	Pride's Dark Spirit	Pride of Midnight	Midnight Sun
			Pride of Stanley
		Spirit of Merry Boy	Spirit of Midnight
			Marilyn J
	Bridle Vale Penny	Reyclif Merry Junior	Reyclif Merry Allen
			Baby Ray
		Bridle Vale Twinkle	Wilson's Atomic
			First Chance Lady
Dam Ebony's Emmy Lou	Pride's Silver Gold	Pride of Midnight	Midnight Sun
			Pride of Stanley
		Miss Ebony Bell	Ebony Masterpiece
			Bel Aire
	Another Dimple	Another Masterpiece	Ebony Masterpiece
			Pride's Elegant Lady
		Ebony's Dimple Allen	Ebony Masterpiece
			Sheila

References

1. "Tennessee Walking horse - RPM #913503 home page by Walkers West". Retrieved 3 May 2016.
2. Mike Goens (4 June 1999). "Despite success, training Walking Horses not a Dunn deal". Times Daily. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
3. Ryan Gilchrist (8 October 1999). "Never Dunn". Times Daily. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
4. "Shelbyville Times-Gazette: Local News: Champion horse at center of lawsuit (03/04/06)". Shelbyville Times-Gazette. Retrieved 3 May 2016.