Biankus    1962 - 1988
Prolific sire of barrel racing and pole bending horses

Biankus, an unusual name, pronounced by those who are closest to his roots as by-an'-cuss, with the accent on the middle syllable, and that 'an' is as in 'ankle' or 'angle'. We are unaware of the origin of the name.

Biankus was a prolific sire of barrel and pole horses. Bred in Idaho, and then owned most of his life by Glen Fletcher of Dayton, Washington, his reputation developed in the Pacific Northwest and gradually spred throughout the nation as his offspring proved themselves in the arena.

Looking at the pedigree of this stallion you can recognize some of the names, but this is not a pedigree that would lead one to believe this horse would produce barrel horses. As it was with the great Doc Bar, occasionally an exceptional, even an outstanding producer comes along. Biankus was one of those horses. In the cutting or reining fields, when looking at a pedigree and you come to the name 'Doc Bar', there is no need to look any further back. And in the barrel horse field, when you come to the name 'Biankus', you have arrived at the origin of greatness.

The AQHA records show Biankus sired 107 foals from 23 crops, with 15 AQHA performers and several Open and Youth Performance ROM earners.

The first public successes of Biankus offspring were in the National High School Rodeo arenas, as they were ridden by Glen Fletcher's grandaughters. They earned five (5) NHSRA Pole Bending titles, with numerous other placings in poles and barrels. Kelli (Fletcher) Currin recalls a pole run by Sam Bar Biankus at Moses Lake, where he recorded an amazing 19.1 second time. The unbelieving officials remeasured the course, which proved to be right on the 21' standard pattern.

Two (2) Biankus sons have made it to the NFR, and both are stallions: Captain Biankus, owned by Kelli Currin, made two trips with Kelli at the reins. Bogie Biankus, owned by Randi Rae Britt, was ridden at the NFR by Katie McCoin.

At the 2008 Northwest Finals for the BRN4D, with between 400 and 500 horses competing daily, Biankus bred horses won over $28,000! There were six (6) Biankus bred horses out of 20 in the championship round. Biankus bred horses chalked up the following wins:

Sons and daughters of Biankus continue to produce winners today, and it is common to see the characteristic Biankus appearance passed on to the next generation. Most notable characteristics are the thick mane and forelock, the smaller head, and the steep hip. Owners testify to them being easy to start, and quick learners, with lots of 'try'. These horses 'hunt' a barrel and all seem to have a natural rate. They need to be ridden hard and deep into the turn, because they will make the trip around. It is almost unheard of that one would run past a barrel.

Today, barrel racers dip into the Biankus gene pool to ensure they have a good dose of 'turn' to go along with that hot running blood that guarantees speed.

Biankus is in the pedigree of the following Sunrise West horses: