ALEXANDRIA, LA–MARCH 12–The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA) is pleased to announce that trail-blazing owner and conditioner Ronald Briley and multiple stakes-winning Louisiana-bred Zupers Quick Dash will be inducted into the 2025 LQHBA Hall of Fame. They will be honored at the LQHBA Champions Banquet on Saturday, April 12 at Evangeline Downs.

Ronald Briley

Beginning at a very early age, Ronald Briley was destined to follow his passion with horses. From growing up riding horses on his grandfather's farm in Louisiana, to training close to 500 winners who earned over $1.4 million in purses,  capturing 17 combined futurities and derby wins, and 5 leading quarter horse trainer  titles, Briley is a very worthy inductee into the LQHBA Hall of Fame.

His son Chris remembered Ronald sharing stories that on Sundays, Ronald's father would load up the entire family in a horse-drawn buggy and venture a mile down the road to enjoy an afternoon at the bush track for horse racing.

Ronald worked at a paper mill to support his growing family but could not deny his passion for horses and acquired  his trainer's license in 1966.

That same year, his first racehorse, Dick Istre won back-to back races with one at Little River Downs in DeQuincy, Louisiana and the other at Evangeline Downs in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Just one year later, Briley hit pay dirt with the Kansas-bred Go Vicki Meyers. The daughter of Mr Meyers out of the Three Bars (TB) mare Otro Mambo (TB) had a highly successful career in Louisiana. She made 38 starts between 1968 and 1970, winning 22 races, including 11 stakes.

Following her retirement from racing at the end of 1970, she entered her second career as a broodmare, producing three foals, including a stakes-placed filly by Lion Deck named Lionette who made 16 starts at Delta Downs.

Go Vicki Meyers first foal was an unraced daughter of world champion Jet Deck, Magic Garden who is the dam of stakes winner Time For Magic SI 111, winner of 17 races and $73,772; and stakes-placed seven-time winner Bad Magic SI 99 who earned $22,148.

Go Vicki Meyers was inducted into the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Hall of Fame in 2017.

"She was a phenomenal mare," stated Chris Briley. "No distance was too tough for her, and she went on to produce some exceptional runners."

Briley's training career spanned five decades, including 24 Thoroughbred winners who earned $457,444.

His 54-acre farm in Grand Prairie, Louisiana remained his base throughout his career but expanded significantly through the years. The 54-acre property had a 48-stall barn, a five and a half-furlong training track, 3 stall starting gates and  a swimming hole.

There were no shortcuts in his care for his horses with Briley believing in the best hay, feed and supplements. Chris stated that his father had three top priorities: God, his family and his horses.

"My brothers and sisters all helped, but as the oldest, I was at the barn each morning before school, caring for each of the horses in our barn," shared Chris.

Briley took great pleasure in mentoring and supporting young jockeys and trainers and his son spoke fondly of Ronald's relationship with Jockeys Larry Freeman,  David Copling and Alvin "Bubba" Brossette.

LQHBA Champion trainer Kenneth Roberts, Sr., gives Briley tremendous credit for his success as a conditioner.

"I met Ronald in the 1980's at Jefferson Downs (in New Orleans)" Roberts said. "I was just getting started in Louisiana and he had some of the best horses on the racetrack. He made me feel welcome and I learned a lot from him. I will never forget him telling me that people will try to discourage you, but don't quit. If you stay with it, you will end up on top."

Briley was very personable, which along with his extensive knowledge and passion for racing was a potent combination for attracting owners.

"Daddy brought in owners from all over the world, some as far as Australia," said Chris. "We all marveled that he never forgot a name!" Ronald had supportive relationships with his owners such as W. O. Bergeron, W. A. Darling, C. T. Fuller, Henry Griffin, Sam Rankin, Rodney Verret, Earnest Landry and so many others.

Briley's track record setting trainees included Go Vicki Meyers, Top Mast, Debs Mini Bar, Their He Goes and Jet Injun, a son of Jet Deck, who won 17 of his 43 races and was voted Champion Aged Stallion in 1971. Other outstanding racehorses in Briley's Stables included Miss Fancy Meyers, Double Knit, Pocket O Doe, Gotta Go Chocolate, Magic Injun and Hog Heaven to name a few.

Briley trained until 2017 and passed away on March 21, 2020, due to natural causes. He is survived by his wife, Defline, who will turn 82 in June; sons Chris, Mike and John as well as daughters Rebecca and Angela Briley Johnson. He was preceded in his death by daughter Debbie Briley who passed away at 17.

In an incredible historical feat, Ronald Briley's cousin, Lonnie Briley, will be in the North American and international spotlight on Saturday, May 3, when he will saddle Coal Battle in the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs!

"We are incredibly proud of Lonnie, and of course, know that Daddy would be too," said Chris Briley. "Lonnie had some Quarter Horses before he concentrated on Thoroughbreds and worked many of them on our farm."

But three weeks before the "First Saturday in May," the spotlight will be on Ronald. Rebecca Briley proudly reported that around 35 family members will attend the LQHBA Hall of Fame awards ceremony on April 12 to celebrate the legacy of a true Louisiana horseman.

"We are so thrilled that our dad, Ronald Briley will be inducted into the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Hall of Fame," said Rebecca. "He along with many others that love quarter horse racing were vital in making the sport come to life. His horses had an unbelievable following which boosted our state's economy from the betting, entertainment and the number of people hired to support businesses."

Zupers Quick Dash                                                       

Each Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Hall of Fame inductee brings a unique and special story that will be shared at the annual  LQHBA Champions Banquet.

That is certainly the case with 2025 Equine honoree Zupers Quick Dash who was bred by Mark Langford and consigned to the 2007 LQHBA Yearling Sale. Ponderosa Ranch of P C, Inc. and McM Farms, LLC, (M.C. Morris and Coulon Jumonville) had partnered on many notable Quarter Horses and had their eye on the son of Heza Fast Dash out of the Zuppardo's Prince (TB) mare Oh Shez Zuper (TB), at the sale. Purchased privately, Jumonville explained why both men thought he would be a good investment.

"He was a big, nice looking colt," Jumonville said. M.C. was interested in the Zuppardo's Prince influence on the dam side and as part of the Heza Fast Dash syndicate, I had seen him cross pretty well with everything."

Jumonville purchased Heza Fast Dash, the young stakes-winning son of Heza Fast Man, and brought him to Louisiana in 2003 to begin a stallion career that saw him become the 10th nationally ranked all-time leading sire of money earners. In 2022, he was inducted into the LQHBA Hall of Fame.

 Zupers Quick Dash is from Heza Fast Dash's third crop. The sorrel gelding did not vault into contention right off the bat, but that did not concern his connections.

"He was gelding when he went into training," said Jumonville. "M.C. and I agreed that we partnered on a racehorse, not a stud. Nine out of ten times, when he and I went into partnership, our focus was on racing, not breeding."

Heath Taylor trained Zupers Quick Dash in the beginning. He posted four third-place finishes at Delta Downs under respected veteran Quarter Horse pilot Gilbert Ortiz before breaking his maiden on April 30, 2009.

"He just needed to mature," stated Ortiz. "He was a good natured horse; real laid back Louisiana-bred. I really enjoyed riding him and felt that he was one of those who would give 100%."

In his 3-year-old season, Zupers Quick Dash was sent to the barn of Bobby Martinez, who trained several stakes winners for Morris including  Zupers Quick Dash's  full brother McM Dashmaster, winner of the 2010 Lee Berwick Futurity(RG1).

"Zupers Quick Dash had some foot issues but was very level-headed and we began to see with his breeding, that he could go long," said Martinez. "I was fortunate to train him; he showed us he was a stone-cold runner."

He won five races as a 3-year-old, including the first of two editions of the Vals Fortune(RG3) at Delta Downs; the Don Cravins at Evangeline Downs the Louisiana Classic(RG2) on Louisiana Champions Day at Fair Grounds. He won just one of his four starts in 2011 before winning each of his three starts, all stakes as a 7-year-old.

The norm might be for a racehorse to tail off as they age, but that was not the case with Zupers Quick Dash, who had set two 400-yard track records at Delta Downs in 2010 (:19.657, followed :19.421 seconds) but added an additional track record in the final race of his career on July 13, 2013. He won the $100,000 Louisiana Classic Stakes(RG2) in gate-to wire fashion under jockey David Alvarez That was a 440-yard stakes with Zupers Quick Dash crossing the wire in :21.264 seconds. That record still stands today.

Zupers Quick Dash's dam, Oh Shez Zuper (TB), was a half-sister to stakes winners Bardi Time (TB) and Miss Fine Warrior. She produced 12 ROM, 3 back type that include Zupers Quick Dash's full brothers Lee Berwick Futurity(G1) winner McM Dashmaster ($425,487) and stakes-placed McM Zuper Man ($130,218).

Zupers Quick Dash was euthanized on September 4, 2013, and buried at Martinez's ranch near McDade, Texas.

The intrepid multiple stakes winner completed his career with a record of 12 wins from 29 starts, earning $471,129.

"You have horses that win a futurity or several derbies or graded stakes, but very few do it the hard way," Jumonville reflected. It's a great honor to see him go into the Hall of Fame. It was a blessing to own him; we can certainly call him a horse of a lifetime."

LQHBA Hall of Fame History

This will be the tenth class inducted into the LQHBA Hall of Fame, which was launched in 2016 in celebration of the association's 50^th anniversary.

INDIVIDUALS

Claude & Bessie Jeane
Leverne Perry
Lee Berwick
W.A. Darling
J.E.Jumonville Jr.
Dale Rogers
Claude W. Boutte, Jr.
Phillip Calais, Sr.
Glenn Fontenot
John Soileau, Sr.
Larry Findley, Sr.

HORSES

Oh Black Magic
Rockets Magic
Royal Bushwhacker
Go Vicki Meyers
Hesajoy
Streakin La Jolla
Mr Jess Perry
Vals Fortune
Feature Mr Jess
Heza Fast Dash
Jess Louisiana Blue
Hemp Meyers
Sir Runaway Dash

"We are pleased to welcome Ronald Briley and Zupers Quick Dash into the LQHBA Hall of Fame," said Bruce Salard, LQHBA executive director. "Both are deserving of this honor based on their considerable accomplishments in the Louisiana Quarter Horse industry. We look forward to the induction ceremony on April 12!"

About the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA)
LQHBA is the state racing affiliate of the American Quarter Horse Association. It is also the official registry for accredited Louisiana-bred racing Quarter Horses and is recognized by the Louisiana Legislature and the Louisiana State Racing Commission. Since its inception in 1966, the association has developed many programs to further breeding and racing in Louisiana. Last year in Louisiana horsemen competed for over $24 million in purses, and breeders' incentives for mares and stallions of accredited Louisiana-bred foals totaled approximately $4.8 million. LQHBA oversees the annual LQHBA Yearling Sale and has raised and donated over $850,000 to support its Louisiana youth scholarship program.
 

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