[1] Foaled, or born, in 1951, Lightning Bar was bred to be a racehorse, but injuries and bouts of illnesses kept him from racing past the age of two.

[4][5] Della P was bred in Louisiana, a leader in breeding short distance racehorses between 1900 and 1940,[6] and was taken to Arizona by Parker.

[4] When Lightning Bar was about five days old Pollard was afraid that he had leg problems and was buck-kneed, and considered putting the colt to sleep.

He sought Parker's advice, and as Pollard later related the story, "Dink just looked at me and shook his head.

"[7] When mature, the sorrel-colored[3] Lightning Bar stood 15.2 hands (62 inches, 157 cm) tall and weighed about 1,250 pounds (570 kg).

[10] Lightning Bar raced for only one year, as he suffered from bouts of pneumonia, strangles, and leg injuries.

He equaled one track record for two-year-olds at the Los Angeles County Fair race meeting in Pomona, California, running 330 yards (300 m) in 17.2 seconds.

[5][8] One of Pollard's attempts to advertise his stallion involved letting one of his ranch hands take the horse to a local jackpot roping.

Pollard said later that "I should have been suspicious when he (the ranch hand) returned with Lightning Bar that afternoon, with a sheepish grin on his face.

[14] Lightning Bar died in June 1960 from colitis-X,[13] a disease of unknown origin that can kill rapidly and without warning.

Heartbroken, Pollard sold his remaining stock and did not return to the Quarter Horse business for 15 years.