Champion the Wonder Horse series; he was one of several horses that Autry rode in that production. After learning about the horse through stunt man and movie horse wrangler Tracey Layne, Autry paid $75 for the original Champion, whose sire was a Morgan trotting horse from Ardmore, Oklahoma. Trained to perform numerous tricks, Champion could untie knots, fall, roll over and play dead, come at Autry's whistle, bow, and shake his head yes and no. In one film he pushes Autry into the arms of his leading lady June Storey. By 1939 his reported worth was $25,000. The original Champion died in 1943, at
Jackie Autry in the 2007 documentary, "Gene Autry: White Hat, Silver Screen", and was the Executive Producer of the 2009 documentary, "When Dream Worlds Collide". On November 25, 2010 (Thanksgiving Day), Autry was driving a car in Palm Springs that hit and killed a pedestrian, Jesus Cardova Diaz, who was a homeless man. She received no civil or criminal charges as she was clearly sober and the man she hit was jaywalking. Jackie Autry Jackie Autry is the former owner of the Los Angeles Angels and widow of Gene Autry, actor, singer and businessman. On October 2, 1941, Autry was born as