THE SATURDAY POST

“The old-timers in Louisiana all remember Miss Pine,” said Glynn “Tee Red” Bernis, the former boy-rider of the legendary Chestnut mare who retired with an undefeated record in 32 career starts from the bush track circuit.

Now 62-years-old, Bernis remembers the powerful race mare with a reverence only matched by her legendary talent. “There was no other horse like Miss Pine. She could outrun anything.” He continued, “She was the best Quarter Horse that ever raced.”

Yet, you won’t find Miss Pine in a record book for racing. The Texas-bred mare was never registered nor did she race on any regulated track during her career.

As a result, the glorious legend of Miss Pine is largely invisible today. Like many of her contemporaries, the achievements of the bush track horses aren’t neatly catalogued to preserve their legacy. Rather, their history is maintained through an unofficial, and most often, oral record of their accomplishments.

“The younger generation doesn’t remember those horses,” Bernis explained as he reminisced about Miss Pine.

Yet, for the few that remember Miss Pine, she is a legend. “For a quarter horse, she was one of the best racehorses ever. You just don’t run 32 times and win 32 races on any kind of race track. She won from Maine to Spain, so to speak. Muddy tracks. Fast Tracks. It didn’t make any difference. And, it didn’t make any difference who they brought for her to race. She never got beat,” said Bernis.

As a six-year-old, Bernis began riding Miss Pine for her late owner and trainer, Pierre LeBlanc. He explained, “I rode her about four or five times. My brother, Kerwin, rode her the rest of the time.”

Bernis then recounted an incident in Texas in which both brothers rode Miss Pine to victory on the same day. “In the first match race, Miss Pine ran with open lanes. She had never run with open lanes and my brother, Kerwin, was riding her. She won by two or three lengths, but she was swerving all over the race track.”

After Miss Pine’s victory, Bernis recalled, “The people said they wanted a rematch. So, Pierre LeBlanc said, ‘We’ll rematch her in three hours, but we want a rope down the lane so that she can run straight.’”

Three hours later, Miss Pine was set for a rematch. However, this time, Bernis was called upon to ride the champion mare. “Instead of putting my brother, Kerwin, on Miss Pine, they said, ‘Tee Red, get on Miss Pine,’ since I was about twenty pounds lighter than him.”

Bernis explained, “She took about three jumps out of the gate and pulled down the rope on the race track. She still won though. It was like the other horse wasn’t even in the race.”

He marveled, “She was a sweetheart. All she knew how to do was run. She didn’t like any horse to come by her. She would never let anything outrun her.”

And, as the career of Miss Pine came to life in Bernis’ tales of the race mare, his statement, “She could outrun anything,” began to set in. He meant anything. Colts, fillies, maidens and champions. Simply put, any comers were doomed when the mare appeared alongside them at the starting gate.

According to Bernis, a loose horse couldn’t even outrun Miss Pine. In one race, the mare was matched against a contender that carried a rattling rock-filled can on its’ back. Despite the weight in favor of her opponent, the race went forward.

“There’s a Cajun saying, ‘You ride what you want, I’ll ride who I want,’” Bernis explained. “They don’t say anything about a live jockey.” And, in the end, the loose horse didn’t blemish the mare’s perfect record. “Miss Pine still beat him with my brother, Kerwin, riding.”

Yet, for Miss Pine, capturing a victory seemed to be a bittersweet occasion at times. Bernis recounted a tale in which Miss Pine was shipped to run a match race in Mississippi. “She was racing a horse named ‘Shoefly Baby,’ who was another champion Quarter Horse at the time. They matched for a lot of money. Pierre LeBlanc and some of the other guys had bet a lot of money on Miss Pine. They would bet five or ten thousand on a match race.”

However, Miss Pine wouldn’t get to bask in the glory of another victory if she beat Shoefly Baby. “Before she ran, Pierre LeBlanc told us, ‘After the race, pull Miss Pine up, leave the racetrack, put her in the trailer and head back to Louisiana. There is going to be a war after this race since they’ll be mad we took their money.’”

Bernis then reflected, “I’m pretty sure they knew she was undefeated, but they thought they could outrun her.” When she crossed the wire first, Miss Pine was loaded onto the trailer to Louisiana, without any praise or garland. “We never left her side during that trip,” said Bernis.

Yet, at times, Miss Pine brought home a much easier victory. Bernis recalled, “On one occasion, we leased Miss Pine to some people in Texas. There was a horse called ‘Be Sure Now.’ He was the leading Quarter Horse runner. They had organized a $50,000 race for ‘Be Sure Now,’ with a $20,000 forfeit penalty.” He explained, “If he ran, they could win $50,000. If he didn’t run, they had to pay a $20,000 forfeit.”

The lessors of Miss Pine saw an easy $20,000 profit before the match was ever held. “The people who leased Miss Pine brought her to the race to match against ‘Be Sure Now.’ Once the other side found out that they were racing against Miss Pine, they paid the $20,000 to forfeit.” Bernis reflected, “That’s how fast she was.”

“She was open to the world. If anybody thought they had a horse that could outrun her, they could bring ‘em,” said Bernis.

However, few came to try to conquer the mare. “Sometimes, Miss Pine would only run about five times a year. It was hard to get anyone to agree to match race her.”

And, in the end, Miss Pine retired with a Hollywood ending. The Western actor, Dale Robinson, reportedly purchased the mare for breeding. She never raced again after the sale. As a broodmare, Bernis remarked, “Robinson raced a couple of horses out of Miss Pine. None of them were really good racehorses.”

It seems Bernis’ belief proved true at the close of her career.

There was no other horse like Miss Pine on the bush track circuit.

“She could outrun anything.”

Photo Credits: Oscar and Patty Wells. Bush Track Photos. Used with Permission from the Wells Family.

There is something about a two-year-old racehorse that draws optimism from seasoned owners in a sport with dizzying odds of finding success at the highest tiers of the racing world.

Yet, the very nature of odds is that they judge what is probable rather than what is possible in the world.

Pryce Robertson, the namesake to a two-year-old colt named “Pryce’s Posse,” has proven what is possible through working toward raising autism awareness after being diagnosed with autism at an early age.

And now, Pryce has a winning two-year-old colt to bolster his cause.

His father, Rich Robertson, Managing Partner of Tri-Star Racing LLC, explained that Pryce was initially diagnosed with autism when he was 3 1/2 years old. “We were told that he would never speak a word and that we would probably have to institutionalize him by the time he turned thirteen. It was pretty dismal.”

However, Robertson and his wife, Vickie, didn’t accept the odds against their autistic son succeeding as an individual in the world. Instead, they focused on the possibilities for Pryce’s future.

Robertson explained, “We just don’t quit. My wife and I don’t have the word ‘quit’ in our vocabulary. When we received the initial diagnosis, I told the doctor, ‘I accept your diagnosis, but I will not accept your prognosis.’”

In the years that followed, the Robertsons focused on autism education and awareness. Vickie Robertson put together an educational program in their home for Pryce. There were volunteers around the clock as Pryce was schooled eight-hours a day, seven days a week. The family also created “The Pryce Robertson Autism Awareness Foundation” in an effort to help fund autism awareness and education.

The Robertsons also began participating in the racing industry in 1995. Robertson explained, “Pryce is a special individual and he has always loved the horses. They were a big part of him coming out into the world, being in a crowd and watching the horses. I owe a lot to the horse business and being in the horse industry.” As part of his gratitude, a portion of the winnings from every Tri-Star horse are donated to the Pryce Robertson Autism Awareness Foundation.

This past April, the Robertson family’s involvement in racing resulted in a beautiful twist of fate to help promote autism awareness.

Robertson saw a Posse colt enter the sales ring in Texas. The colt failed to meet the reserve price at the sale. Robertson, along with his partner and friend, Alan Dean, believed that the colt was worth a second look and went to the consignor to view the colt. He ultimately purchased the two-year-old colt privately after the sale.

Robertson explained, “Pryce’s Posse is a nice, well-balanced horse. Through our private sale, we paid $12,500 for the horse. But, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. He’s not a huge horse, but he has a lot of qualities that I look for in a racehorse. He’s very competitive and has the will to win. He wants to do things the right way.”

The Robertsons decided to name their colt “Pryce’s Posse,” after their son. Robertson chose the name when the horse demonstrated talent in training. “We initially thought of three or four names. Then, we realized that this may be a very special horse. So, I said, ‘Well, if he is going to be that special, and I have a special son with autism that put us in the horse business, I think he should be named after Pryce.”

On Father’s Day, Pryce’s Posse made his maiden debut at Arlington Park as Rich and Vickie Robertson stood at the rail and watched. In a stunning turn for home, the colt won by four lengths in his first outing.

Robertson later recalled, “When Pryce’s Posse won on Father’s Day, it meant more to me than any race that I’ve ever won. I’ve won a lot of races. I’ve won stakes races. I won with a horse at Churchill on Oaks Day. But, this particular horse winning a race on Father’s Day, knowing that Pryce was at home watching it on television, meant more to me than any race I’d ever won.”

After Pryce’s Posse won his maiden debut, the phone started ringing with lucrative offers to purchase the colt, far in excess of the original sale price paid by Robertson. Robertson consulted with his partners, as well as his wife, Vickie, and son, Pryce.

Robertson explained, “Pryce said, ‘Dad, it’s a lot of money. But, I think we should keep him.”

And, as for his wife, Vickie, Robertson already had his answer. “My wife never wanted to sell the horse. And, she’s been in the horse business long enough to know that things can happen. But, she knows the difference between the horses that you should sell and keep.”

And, Robertson agreed with the decision to pass on the offers to purchase the horse. “I think one of the reasons that I love horses so much is that you can get a young horse and you’re told, ‘Well, they probably won’t do this. The breeding says they can’t do that.’ And, you’re told, ‘You’ll probably have to pay a quarter of a million dollars to get a horse that can run.’ Well, I’ve had some great horses and that’s not true.”

Yet, Robertson’s optimism regarding his two-year-old colt has a strong precedent. The colt’s namesake, Pryce, is now twenty-years-old and is currently attending his second year of college. The family is currently building a website for the “Pryce Robertson Autism Awareness Foundation.” The Foundation continues to raise money to promote autism awareness, including funding workshops for teachers to understand autism and creating a college scholarship fund for an autistic child.

When the website is completed, the Robertson’s have decided that the administrator should be a person who was never supposed to speak a word in life - Pryce Roberston.

It appears the odds of success are tricky in both life and racing.

Sure, the odds can tell you what is probable.

But, in the end, the possibilities don’t always follow the odds.

They beat them.