A Secret No Longer! Best Kept Secrete Named Congress Grand Champion Stallion

By: Brittany Bevis

It’s a secret no longer! Best Kept Secrete was the favorite of the judges in the Open Stallion classes here at the 2017 All American Quarter Horse Congress. Led by Ross Roark for owner, Bob Eurez, Best Kept Secrete first won the Open 2-Year-Old Stallions class before going on to be named the Grand Champion Stallion.

Thoroughly excited about the big win was Steve and Kathy Headley, who raised the colt and sold him to Bob. The beautiful colt is by the Headley’s stallion, Heza Secret Agent, and out of a mare named Hush Don’t Tell, by Fearles and out of Top Secretina. “We raised him and sold him to Bob when he was only a month old,” Steve says. “Bob won with him in amateur at the AQHA World Show, and he also won in the Open.”

The unique convergence of circumstances worked out perfectly for everyone involved, since the Headley family was able to present the Grand Champion award to Ross Roark and Best Kept Secrete. “We sponsored the Grand Champion belt buckles for all classes, so it was pretty cool to be out there. This is a really nice colt, and Bob is having a lot of fun with him. He’s been struggling with health issues this past year, so winning made it even more special.”

Hesa Secret Agent foals have been having a banner Congress, and the show has only just begun. In addition to Best Kept Secrete, Hip Hip Haray was named the Congress Champion in Open Yearling Mares, shown by Tom Robertson. Whois It was named the Open Congress Champion Yearling Stallion with Dewey Smith at the lead. JT Mitchell led Stylin Secret to be named the Reserve Champion in the Yearling Filly Elite Halter Futurity.

Don Griffey, trainer of Best Kept Secrete, is full of praise for the stallion and his impeccable bloodlines. “This colt won the Breeders’ Halter Futurity as a baby, and he actually went Grand Champion there as well. Then, he won the Yearling classes here in the Open and Amateur last year and was a two-time World Champion. Now, he’s won Grand!”

If Don had to pick his favorite attribute of this colt, it would be his shapely head. “The biggest thing on him is his head,” he says. “On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s a 12. It’s the first thing everybody mentions, from the experienced horseman all the way to the friend from church who comes over to visit.”

Don is well aware of how much this win means to Bob, who’s struggled with health issues for several years now. “He’s been battling cancer for the last two years, but everything is in remission now. He actually bought this colt when that all happened, so he thought he was going to miss getting to show him in Iowa, because he was in treatment. He will come back here and show him in the amateur class on Sunday.”