By Curtis Stock, Horse Racing Alberta

EDMONTON, AB–SEPTEMBER 2, 2025–Cliff and Audrey Whitelock waited more than 50 years for something like this.

Alberta Breeders and owners since 1968 the Whitelocks won their first major stakes - the $57,000 Alberta Stallion Stakes Futurity for two-year-olds at Edmonton’s Century Mile on August 16.

"Audrey just about fell off the couch," said Cliff, who will turn 95 in two months, who was watching their quarter horse Rocn On West zip down the middle of the track two weeks ago on television from their home just outside of Drayton Valley, winning by three-quarters of a length.

"He bobbled a little at the start but all he did was get down to business and run harder.

"Never had anything like this happen before and we’ve been in the quarter horse business for a long time," said Cliff, who also used to train but now relies on Brandt Laczo, whose parents ran against the Whitlocks.

"To be honest, Audrey and I didn’t really think we had a chance," Cliff said of the 330-yard race.

Not too many people did. Winning his first race of his career after a pair of fourth-place finishes Rocn On West was sent off at 35-1 and paid $73.10 to win, $37,20 to place and $10.60 to show.

"We never bet a nickel," said Audrey, 82.

"If we were at the track I would have bet a couple of dollars on him. But we were at home watching on TV and I’m computer challenged. I don’t know how to bet online.

"I guess we should have bet some money on him. But we didn’t have the confidence."

Watching with the Whitelocks was their neighbour and friend Dave Meston, who helps the Whitelocks out on their five quarters of land where they raise 230 head of cattle and grow grain and hay.

Cliff also spent 36 years in the oil and gas industry working as a battery operator for Texaco Canada, City Service and Western Decalta.

Cliff said Meston was the only one who thought Rocn On West had a chance.

"He kept telling me he was going to win.

"Me? You could have knocked me over with a feather," said Cliff, who has been married to Audrey for 67 years.

"I would have been happy if he ran somewhere around the middle.

"He was only the seventh out of eight horses to qualify for that stake. The other horses had some nice races and were all pretty well bred," said Cliff.

"Rocn On West broke about fifth but he really took off half way through the race," he said of the race which was only open to two-year-olds that were by a stallion that stood in Alberta.

"He’s damn quick.

"That was as much excitement as I’ve ever had."

Rocn On West was sired by Western Moonshine out of Rocn The Timbers (by First Timber).

The Whitelock’s own Western Moonshine, who never raced. But then neither had Rocn The Timbers.

"Cliff owned the sire and I gave him the mare," said their friend Wes Oulton, who today is still a quarter horse owner, trainer, and breeder.

"That’s what friends do," said Oulton, who used to train for the Whitlock’s. "Cliff liked the mare - he thought Rocn The Timbers would be a good match for Western Moonshine - so I gave her to him.

"We do each other a lot of favours and I like helping my neighbours."

There certainly wasn’t anything special about Rocn The Timbers.

"She’s blind in one eye and can’t see very well out of her ‘good’ eye," said Cliff. "Wes told me I could have her.

"If you start for the door and she sees you, you better get out of the way. Sudden motion frightens her."

The Whitelocks have a full brother filly weanling to Rocn On West that Cliff believes is going to be special.

"Best looking horse you’ve ever seen.

"She’s as good as we’ve ever raised in the 50-some years we’ve been breeding.

"That’s a lot of time," said Cliff, who was given a trophy a few years ago for his 50-plus years of registered quarter horse racing.

"Cliff is the first and only 50-year plus breeder of quarter horses for racing purposes recognized by the American Quarter Horse Association," said Oulton.

"We’ve been racing quarter horses for 50 years trying to win the race we just won," said Cliff.

The Whitelocks won one other stake - the Prairie Gold Futurity at Northlands Park with Ali Rey in 2001 - but it wasn’t near as lucrative as the Alberta Stallion Stakes Futurity.

The year 2001 was the first time Edmonton ran quarter horses. Calgary had a quarter horse racing exhibition in 1968 but there was no betting.

"If memory serves me right we got $7827.00 for the Prairie Gold at Northlands which was a good race purse at that time. With this one we won $25899.00.

"There just didn't used to be much money in quarter horse racing back then. There still isn’t but it’s sure a lot better than what it used to be," said Cliff, who, for a while, also raised Apaloosas.

"When there was no money everybody helped each other hauling each other’s horses and then running against them.

"I won a lot of races where the total purse used to be $350," said Cliff, who had just finished picking up bales of hay.

"He never quits," said Oulton. "He’s somebody you can depend on. If he says so it’s done.

"And his wife works as hard as he does."

Asked how many horses they have owned Audrey said "Oh, gosh; I couldn’t even guess. Way more than 100 though.

"And, with their pedigrees, all of our horses today go a long way back.

"We’ve spent a lot of money on horses."

"The Whitelock’s have been great for our business," said Oulton.

"They bought a lot of top stallions and broodmares to Alberta."

Two stallions that the Whitelocks stand for their much-sought-after pedigrees were sons of two of the premier race horses of all-time: Moon Deck and Mr Bar None.

Seventy years ago Mr Bar None won Futurities and Derbies and set track records across North America including the richest of all quarter horse racing - the Autumn Championship at Los Alamitos - which was the forerunner of today’s Champion of Champions and is today’s thoroughbred equivalent of the Kentucky Derby with a purse of $30,000.

Also setting the world record for 350 yards - a time of 17.6 second - at New Mexico’s Ruidoso Downs Mr Bar None had 36 starts, 22 wins, 10 seconds and a third.

At the end of 1958 Mr Bar None added three more titles to his name: Champion Running Horse of the Year, Champion Three-Year-Old and World Champion.

In his first year of stud Mr Bar None’s breeding fee was $300 which is those days was the price of a nice, new car.

He beat the fastest horses in the world.

Moon Deck, foaled in 1950, started 62 times in six years. He won 11 of his races, placed second 11 times, and was third six times.

He was also a top stallion, siring Jet Deck, who won 22 of 31 races earning $200,628 and winning 13 stakes.

In total, Moon Deck sired 343 foals - 181 of which were winners and 20 were stakes winners.

His sons and daughters won $1,282,145.

Cliff got started into quarter horse racing mostly on a whim.

"I had this bird-brained idea to raise quarter horses. I phoned the owner of Mr Bar None and bought one of his horses. That’s all it took.

"I just liked to look up their pedigrees.

"And I loved their quickness and how smart they were.

"It was a lot of fun. We met so many new friends."

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Curtisstock@icloud.com, Follow me on X (Twitter) and on Facebook.
Author: The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty.

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