Doc O'Lena (1967–1993) was a Quarter Horse stallion, a champion cutting horse and a sire of champion cutting horses.Thornton, et al. Legends 4 pp. 190–205 He was inducted into both the AQHA and NCHA Halls of Fame, as was his dam Poco Lena. He was the 1970 NCHA Futurity Open Champion, followed by his full brother, Dry Doc, who won the title in 1971. As a sire, Doc O'Lena earned recognition as the first futurity champion to sire a futurity champion when Lenaette won the title in 1975. He also sired Smart Little Lena, the first horse to win the NCHA Triple Crown.
Background
Doc O'Lena was foaled in 1967, sired by Doc Bar and out of the mare Poco Lena.Pedigree of Doc O'Lena at All Breed Pedigree retrieved June 26, 2007 He is one of only two horses in the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame with both parents also inductees; the other is Easy Jet. His color was bay, and his only markings were a small star on his head, and a small white half pastern on his left hind foot.Groves "Doc O'Lena" Quarter Horse Journal p. 18American Quarter Horse Association Official Stud Book and Registry Vol. 22 p. 341 He was bred and owned by Dr. and Mrs. Stephen F. Jensen of Paicines, California at the time of registration.
Career The Jensens had hoped to sell Doc O'Lena as a yearling to cutting horse trainer, Don Dodge. Dodge had purchased Doc O'Lena's dam in 1953 from E. Paul Waggoner's Three D Stock Farm in Arlinton, TX., and had successfully shown her to win numerous AQHA and NCHA awards and titles. After seeing Doc O'Lena, Dodge concluded that he was too small to be a cutting horse, and passed on the offer. The Jensens decided to keep Doc O'Lena and get him into the hands of a professional trainer. They contacted Shorty Freeman who, in 1968, was hauling for the NCHA World Championship title showing King Skeet for Adrian Berryhill. On his way to the San Francisco Cow Palace, Freeman stopped by the Jensen's to look at Doc O'Lena. Freeman wasn't concerned about the yearling's small size, and agreed to take him for training.
During an interview, Freeman recalled the first time he tried to ride Doc O'Lena as a green broke, long yearling and the colt ran off with him. He said, "I didn't think running off belonged to him, so that didn't really bother me." Referencing Poco Lena he said, "Besides, I knew what the old mare was, so I wanted to ride him." He also said, "I didn't train Doc O'Lena anyway, he trained himself. I knew about 30 days after I got him that he was an exceptional horse... I always had to ride him last in the training program, 'cause if I didn't, I'd be mad at all the other horses in the barn. He was just that good."
In April 1970, Adrian Berryhill partnered with Freeman and they purchased Doc O'Lena from the Jensens for $15,000. In December that same year, Freeman rode Doc O'Lena to win the NCHA Futurity, and "became the first competitors to make a clean sweep of the futurity's preliminary go-rounds, semi-finals and finals", winning $17,357 for his new owners. Doc O'Lena's NCHA lifetime earnings totaled $21,991.93, and he had also earned an NCHA Certificate of Ability.NCHA Earnings for Doc O'Lena retrieved on July 4, 2007
Breeding career and honors Doc O’Lena sired 1,310 foals: 321 were AQHA point earners having accumulated 3,978.5 points; 87 earned Registers of Merit in performance events (also 9 amateur, 3 youth); 9 earned Superior performance awards; 4 were world champions; 6 were youth world champions; and 4 were reserve world champions.
Among Doc O'Lena's offspring were Doc Athena, Sugar Olena, Lenas Peppy, Smart Little Lena, and Todaysmyluckyday.Pitzer The Most Influential Quarter Horse Sires pp. 30–33 His son Montana Doc is a member of the NCHA Hall of Fame.National Cutting Horse Association " Hall of Fame " Doc O'Lena was the first NCHA Futurity winner to sire a Futurity winner when Lenaette won the Futurity in 1975. His son Smart Little Lena was the first winner of the NCHA triple crown. And in 1978, Doc O'Lena himself was syndicated for $2.1 million, at that time a record for the cutting horse industry.
Doc O'Lena was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 1997.
Sire line tree
Doc O'LenaDoc O'Lena: Inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1997. Lena's Peppy Doc Athena Montana Doc Tanquery Gin Shorty Lena Smart Little LenaSmart Little Lena: Inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2015.Smart Little Lena Smart Chic OlenaSmart Chic Olena: Inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2018.Smart Chic OlenaSmart Chic Olena: The late stallion is enshrined in the AQHA Hall of Fame, the NRHA Hall of Fame and the NRCHA Hall of Fame.From the Archives: Smart Chic Olena A Chic In TimeJole Kosloske and Chic In Time Steal the Show in USEF Large Pony Medal at Kentucky Summer Classic Smart SpookSmart Spook Crosses NRHA Five Million Dollar Threshold Custom SpookAndrea Fappani and Custom Spook Win NRBC Open Classic Challenge/$25k NRHA Open Red Stripe Spook Shine N Spook Spooks N Jewels Chics Magic PotionRemembering Chics Magic PotionWhat Makes a Legend?Chics Magic Potion 2016 NRCHA Hall of Fame inductee Olena Oak2023 Breeder’s Guide Stallion: Olena OakOlena Oak Becomes NRCHA No. 1 Money-Earning Horse Dual Oak EOrth and Dual Oak E Win ARHFA Sun Circuit HeelingComing In HotSteve Orth Goes 1-2 at ARHFA Cornhusker Classic on Hudsons’ Mounts The Spook Dun Time and Dual Oak E Collen All ChicsStuds Streakin Irish Relic and Collen All Chics Get Riata #9.5 Win Travelin JonezTravelin Jonez Very Smart RemedyVery Smart Remedy Smart Luck Very Shiney Smart Medicine Man Very Black Magic Sugar Olena Travelina CD O'Lena Mr Sun O'Lena Todaysmyluckyday
Pedigree
Notes
References
All Breed Pedigree Database Pedigree of Doc O'Lena retrieved on June 26, 2007
NCHA website retrieved on July 4, 2007
External links Doc O'Lena at Quarter Horse Directory Doc O'Lena at Quarter Horse Legends