The easiest way to find out if you had a fast horse was to run it against Grey Badger II. The gray machine seldom lost and was the gauge against which the fastest horses at 220 yards were tried.
Born on May 5, 1941, on Walter Merrick’s Oklahoma ranch, Grey Badger II was sired by Midnight Jr and out of Grey Annie by Billy The Tough. The gray colt traced twice to Billy The Tough, which explained his playful antics when it came time to be saddled. Grey Badger II bucked off Merrick and a few of his family members before he was considered broke enough to race.
Sold to Chick Crisp at an early age, Grey Badger II’s first race was in 1943 against an experienced and capable mare called Black Bottom. Even though young and green, Grey Badger II handily beat the mare. His next race was four weeks later on July 4, and again Grey Badger II won. This was the start of a successful race career, and before long, the stallion ran out of competition and traveled around to find new competitors.
Sold in 1945 to Oscar Cox and Willie Shrum, Grey Badger II continued racing for several more years, even racing against his own get. One such foal was the classy Badger’s Grey Lady, who set five track records and won 26 of her 36 starts.
Other foals produced by the tough, gray stallion were AQHA Champion Wyoming Badger, AQHA Champion Figa Hancock and Grey Badger III. Two daughters of Grey Badger III produced Two Eyed Jack and Peppy San Badger.
Anne Burnett Tandy bought Grey Badger II in 1949 and used the stallion as a herd sire on her Triangle Ranch.
Grey Badger II died in 1972, and was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007.
Biography updated as of March 2007.