27/09/2026
Easy Jet was foaled in 1967. He was bred by AQHA Hall of Fame member Walter Merrick. Easy Jet was by Jet Deck and out of the Thoroughbred mare Lena’s Bar.
As a two-year-old, Easy Jet won the All American Futurity, Blue Ribbon Futurity, Columbus Triple Crown Futurity, Lubbock Downs Futurity, Kansas Futurity, Laddie Stakes, Rocky Mountain QHA Futurity, All American Congress Futurity and Sunland Park Fall Futurity. He was the 1969 High Money Earning Horse, AQHA Racing Champion-Two-Year-Old and World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse.
After a brief stint at stud, Easy Jet returned to the track in 1970. He won the Raton Derby, Rocky Mountain QHA Derby and Colorado Wonderland Handicap. He was named the Champion Three-Year-Old and World Champion again. In total, Easy Jet made 38 starts, won 27 races, and earned $445,723 on the track.
When Easy Jet retired to stud full-time, he became the first All American Futurity winner to sire an All American Futurity winner. His daughter, Easy Date, won the 1974 edition of the race. His sons Pie In the Sky and Mr Trucka Jet won the race in 1979 and 1985 respectively. By the time Easy Jet sired three winners of the All American, his stud fee was $30,000, which is the equivalent of about $120,000 today.
Altogether, Easy Jet sired 2,507 AQHA registered foals that earned over $26 million on the track. Easy Jet had to be euthanized in 1992 due to laminitis. He was buried in his paddock on Walter Merrick's 14 Ranch near Sayre, Oklahoma. He was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame the following year.
Lena’s Bar, the dam of Easy Jet, was a Thoroughbred mare by Three Bars and out of Lena Valenti, by Gray Dream. She was bred and owned her entire life by Walter Merrick. When Lena’s Bar was born, New Mexico was the only state allowing Thoroughbreds to run in major Quarter Horse races. However, Thoroughbreds were still prohibited from entering Quarter Horse futurities. Therefore, Merrick did not start conditioning Lena’s Bar for racing until she was three years old.
For five years, Lena’s Bar dominated tracks across New Mexico. In 1957, she won four starts, earned her AAA rating, and equaled the track record at Albuquerque for 400 yards in 20.300 seconds. As a four-year-old, Lena’s Bar won four more races including the C. L. Maddon’s Bright Eyes Handicap and Buttons and Bows Stakes. She also placed third in the Shue Fly Stakes.
At age five, Lena’s Bar had her best year of racing. She won the Bright Eyes Stakes and set new track record at Sunland Park for 350 yards in 17.900 seconds. She ran her greatest race on August 16th, 1959, in the Miller Motel Allowance at Ruidoso Downs. In that race, she defeated four AQHA Champions – Go Man Go, Double Bid, Vandy’s Flash and Vanetta Dee. Lena’s Bar continued racing until she was seven years old. She retired sound. In total, Lena’s Bar made 76 starts, won 24 races, and earned $28,311, the equivalent of about $285,000 today.
In 1962, Lena’s Bar joined Merrick’s broodmare band. She produced five foals - Double Dancer, Delta Rose, Jet Smooth, Mayflower Ann and Easy Jet. The year after Easy Jet was born, Lena’s Bar died from a bladder infection. She was only 14 years old. Lena’s Bar was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2003.
