By the late fall of 1998, it seemed like all you heard was Supreme Heir.  Rating after rating announced that he had been the top sire or performance sire at the World Championship Horse Show.  Names like Sultry Heiress and The Super Nova, Metro Heirea and The Edge (and several others) joined such familiar standouts as CH Utopian Melody, CH One For The Road and Lady Lenaire when discussions of his get came up.

As it turned out, Supreme Heir's 1998 record was just getting started in August.  At Tattersalls' October Callaway Hills Sale, two of his colts--Callaway's Copyright, at $250,000 and Callaway's County Fair, at $100,000--attracted the highest bids.  And then in Kansas City at the American Royal, top honors in the UPHA Three Gaited Classic went, you guessed it, to Supreme Heir kids: Callaway's Buttons and Bows, with Bel Cheval's City of New Orleans second.

Sudden success? No.  A quick study of the records reveals that one of Supreme Heirs strong suits has been a steady production of above-average show horses.  Every year there have been a few that get their names up in lights, while several others are solid contenders.

As of December 1, 1998, the 18 year old stallion had sired 341 registered foals.  Seventeen have been World's Champions, with a total of 25 titles.  Fifty-two, or approximately 15% of his get, have placed at Louisville.  He was successful from the beginning: in his initial 1986 foal crop was CH One For The Road, Three Gaited World's Grand Champion of 1991 and 1992. 

Also in that first group was CH U.S. Heir, who in a 10 year career won consistently in three gaited and show pleasure driving, with adults and junior exhibitors, at shows from North Carolina and Virginia to Pennsylvania and New York, at Harrodsburg and the Kentucky Fall Classic.

For Joan Lurie, who manages Supreme Heir at Willowbank Farm in Simpsonville, Kentucky, the acceptable everyday contender is an important counterpart to the headliners.  "I think part of his success is that whether or not his colts are the quality to win at Louisville, most of them have a very trainable attitude," she says.  "They're able to become useful."

Lurie traces Supreme's Heirs current status to the years surrounding Lady Lenaire.  The precocious chestnut picked up her first tri-color as a weanling in the 1992 Breeders' Jackpot, charged through Louisville with a win in the Yearling Breeders' Stake, and disproved the theory that in hand horses don't train on by wining the World's Championship for Fine Harness Two-Year-Old Mares.  Enormously popular, she attracted a lot of mare owners to her sire-and the colts and fillies from many of those matings are now coming online in the show ring.

Lurie hesitates to identify the best crosses for Supreme Heir.  "He has been very successful with what you would think he would: the Shamrock line of horses, CH Will Shriver mares, the Attache daughters," she comments.  "On the flip side I have a customer who has bred a Sultan daughter every year because they love their foals so much."

Another hallmark of Supreme Heir youngsters has been the diversity of their wins.  While it's true that most fall into the three gaited and show pleasure categories, they are prolific in in hand competition and successful in fine harness.  Not many are gaited, but among those which have racked are two World's Champions--Hank Heiron and Moving Time--and several other popular horses, including Heir Head and Heir Fair Lady.

Bloodlines experts will point out that Supreme Heir's pedigree doesn't lean towards five gaits.  His sire, Supreme Sultan, was better known for his walk-trot  horses, and the Stonewall Supreme line (through CH Supreme Airs) was famous for high performance hocks and fancy park trot.

More important, however, is practicality.  Trainers comment that most Supreme Heirs are pretty enough that they don't have to rack, and they're happy to skip the extra time it would take to add two gaits.

So who is Supreme Heir himself? A bright chestnut with a stripe on his face and two white stockings behind to emphasize his stylish hock action, he came on the scene as a promising walk-trot contender in 1982.  With Redd Crabtree up, he won the Two-Year Old Three Gaited World's Championship.  A fact that generally is lost to memory now is that he showed initially as Air of Class; in 1983, he was rechristened Supreme Heir.

The following year he had developed the style which would carry him to an undefeated record in the three gaited division.  While it was generally acknowledged that the two-year-old class had been a little light, the three year olds were just the opposite.  Talent-including Royal Cloisonne, Denim and Diamonds, and Country Tune--ran deep.  At Louisville, however, the result was the same, Supreme Heir was named Three-Year-Old World's Champion.  At Kansas City in the fall, he added the three-year-old title, this time defeating CH Champagnes Heiress.

As a four-year-old, Supreme Heir enjoyed a brief career in fine harness, but it was not long before his owner/breeder, Mrs. F.D. Sinclair, decided that with his good show record and his heavy-duty pedigree, he should be focused on stud duty.  He was retired and sold to Hallston Manor, Ltd., of Clay, NY.

After a year at Crabtree Farm and two at Jim and Garnetta Blalock's, he arrived at Willowbank on a freezing February day in 1988.  Now he is the acknowledged patriarch--but even so, says Breeding Manager Bonnie Blackburn, his personality is tempered.

"He loves himself and his work," Black burn reports, "but he's not cocky.  When you lead him out, he makes you feel like your leading an 18-hand stud--he's exciting and wants to be wonderful.  But most importantly, he wants to please you.  He's really a nice horse."

Bonnie handles Supreme Heir on a daily basis, and in a given year, will work with about 20 of his foals.

"He gives them a good headset, hocks, and front legs that are set on way out front, so that they can use themselves," she observes.  "They're made so they can use themselves.  But he also gives them heart and mind.  They all want to do."

As an individual, Joan Lurie finds Heir's personality comfortable, and his quirks easily predictable. "He's a very 'up' horse," she says.  "He's odd--he doesn't like any change in his life.  As long as his routine remains secure, he's fine.  He's basically a good-natured horse, a happy horse, a nice horse to be around."

Sixteen years after his last Louisville triumph, Supreme Heir remains athletic.  "He's real springy-moving, even at his age," Lurie says.  Watching him cavort in his paddock, the natural grace of his movement is apparent, and once again, he appears much larger than his 15.3 hands. 

In the peaceful, workmanlike atmosphere of Willowbank's training barn, where Supreme Heir lives, his exceptional talent and quiet intelligence fit easily into the scene. The only truly off-the-wall moments come when it is time to name the foals-and there, Supreme Heirs associates have outdone themselves.  Consider Surface to Heir...Eighty-second Heirborne...Ms. Jane Heir...Heiraising...Splitting Heirs...Call Me Heirresponsible...Heirrational...Bad Heir Day..

"We have knockdown-dragouts around here when I think they're putting a stupid name on one of my favorites," admits Bonnie Blackburn.  It all started at Willowbank, but know the clients have joined in as well, many taking great delight in a new play on Heir's name.  Soap opera devotees will recognize Miss Heirica Kane, history buffs will choose Heiron Burr, and old movie fans might select Mr. Fred Astheir.

Then there are It's In The Heir, Heir No Evil, Next Day Heir and the exotically named The Heiress of Paris.

Are they crazy? Well, it's hard to argue with success.  And if the crew at Willowbank has anything to say about it, that success will carry on until Supreme Heir is in the Sweet Heirafter.