RPM (horse)

RPM was a black stallion sired by Dark Spirit's Rebel, the 1992 World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horse, and out of Ebony's Emmy Lou.[1] As a yearling, RPM was sold to Pete Hammond and Bob Kilgore for $100,000 and put in training with Bud Dunn of Florence, Alabama, who had also trained Dark Spirit's Rebel.[2] Dunn showed RPM to the three-year-old World Championship at the 1997 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and the four-year-old World Championship in 1998. The same year, RPM was entered in the open World Grand Championship and won reserve.[2] Dunn was aiming RPM at the World Grand Championship the next year. However, in May 1999, RPM was sold to TR & N Partners for $1.25 million,[3] making him one of only 5 Tennessee Walking Horses to ever be sold for over one million dollars.[1] At the time, it was estimated that RPM's price might be the highest ever paid for a Tennessee Walking Horse.[2] The new owners moved him to Sammy Day's stable in Shelbyville, Tennessee.[1][2][3] Shortly before the Celebration, Day was convicted of bribing a judge at a different show, fined and put on suspension. RPM was returned to Dunn's training and won the World Grand Championship.[3] In 2000, RPM was retired to stud at Bridlewood Farm and then sold to Jaclyn Smith in 2005. Smith moved RPM to Rising Star Ranch near Shelbyville.[1] RPM was found sick on the morning of July 20, 2005. He was being taken to the University of Tennessee veterinary hospital when he died of an obstructed bowel caused by colic complications.[1][4]