A nightmare. That would be poor Prissy, pierced through the heart on the inside rail of the Eagle Pass racetrack on April 16, 1947.

Prissy was a record setter in the pioneer days of Quarter Horse racing. Today, she is all but forgotten, except in South Texas, where she still raises eyebrows, not among race fans, but at Moncada’s Park, home of the Eagle Pass Eagles baseball team.

Moncada’s Park was built on the site of the former Fort Duncan Racetrack, where 8-year-old Prissy met her fate in the Wainwright Derby. Her rider, Carl Ewing, brother of Prissy’s owner, Wayne Ewing, was also killed when Prissy swerved and crashed into the rail.

Prissy was buried in the track infield, a fact that has afforded Eagles’ opponents an explanation for the sometimes “mysterious” actions of ground balls hit between the pitcher’s mound and second base, the general location of Prissy’s remains.

Happily for all parties, a new Eagle Pass sports complex currently under construction will leave Prissy at rest in her old haunts.

Foaled in 1939, Prissy was sired by Colonel Clyde and bred by Chester Cooper, who also bred world champion Tonta Gal. Both of Cooper’s mares shared Peggy C as their second dam and it is interesting to note that many of today’s best Quarter runners trace to Peggy C at least once in their pedigrees, as well as the fact that Colonel Clyde, a celebrated sprinter, was sired by My Texas Dandy, the paternal grandsire of Doc Bar’s dam.

Prissy set a 350-yard world record of 18.2 seconds in the El Paso Derby in 1945; the following year she broke her own record at San Angelo in a match race against Blondie L. At various times she also beat champions Miss Bank, Queenie, Hank H and Painted Joe.

Eagle Pass’ five-day spring race meet was in full swing with more than 250 of the nation’s top Quarter Horses on hand, when Prissy was killed. Her death and that of her rider were the first at the track and no cause was ever determined for the accident.

Following Prissy’s death, it was reported that King Ranch, at the time owner of Quarter racing legend Miss Princess, as well as 1946 Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown champion Assault (both sired by Bold Venture) had queried Ewing about purchasing Prissy for their broodmare band.