The Makings of Spring: Sire Side

Last fall, a blog hop went around where people shared their horse's lineage, posting neat pictures of relatives and telling the stories of their horse's families.  I really wanted to participate, but I knew next to nothing about saddlebreds, and unfortunately unless you are an ASHA member it is really difficult to find information on any but the most famous of bloodlines.  I was able to score a few cool photos of some of Leo's more illustrious ancestors, but was unable to come up with enough information to make an interesting or comprehensive post.

Leo came by his chrome honestly

  Now that I own an OTTB, I have access to SO MUCH INFORMATION OMG!  I spent a few hours last night lost in an internet research spiral, learning everything that I could about the different pieces that came together to create Spring.  It was really, really cool, and I ended up with so much information that it won't all fit into one post.  So, today I am going to write about the bloodlines on Spring's sire's side, and am planning to write two more posts - one about her dam's side, and one about her half siblings.  Also, over the course of my internet wanderings, I found Spring's breeder (!!!!!) and may be getting baby pictures sometime in the near future!

from EquineLine

The Sire: Spring At Last

photo from the WinStar website, found on Google

Spring's sire is a 2003 stallion named Spring At Last, bred and formerly owned by WinStar Farm.  WinStar is home to several names that you may recognize, including Pioneerof the Nile and Tiznow.  Spring At Last raced for WinStar, and retired to stud with them in 2009, where he remained until 2015, when he was sold to a Saudi Arabian prince and moved out of country.  He raced thirteen times in his short career, and earned over $1,000,000.  His notable wins included the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park and the Godolphin Mile in Dubai.

photo from the WinStar website, found on Google

By all accounts, Spring At Last was a talented and versatile racehorse, winning on both dirt and turf.  His stud fee was set at $15000, and when his first crop of foals hit the racing scene in 2012 he was recognized as the top freshman sire in Kentucky, beating out Derby winner Big Brown.  His fillies have been particularly successful, his racing offspring are known for their versatility and heart.

The Grandsire: Silver Deputy

Photo found on Google

Silver Deputy was a Canadian-bred stallion who died in 2014 at the age of 29.  He was one of the top producing North American sires, and was talented enough on the track to win all two of his two starts - both at Woodbine in 1987.  He is one of the only stallions in Spring's lineage that has markings of any kind, and is almost a perfect replica of his sire, Deputy Minister.  His offspring have collectively earned over 82 million, and in addition to Spring At Last he has two other sons that are reputable sires - Posse and Badge of Silver.

The Great Grandsire: Deputy Minister

I promise that this isn't the same horse!
Photo found on Google

Deputy Minister is another leading North American sire, and was #1 overall in 1997 and 1998 - an achievement that led to his induction in the Canadian Hall of Fame.  He was known for his excellent shoulder and good hips, although he reportedly had crappy feet.  He died of cancer in 2004 at the age of 25.  He was a winner of the Eclipse award, and sired several Eclipse award winners.  He was known for being quite the character - a handful on the ground but one with an excellent personality.  He stood at Brookdale Farm, and is still featured in their Hall of Fame alongside I'll Have Another, Tapit, and Monarchos.    

The Paternal Grand Dam Sire: Dynaformer

insert heart eyes here.
photo from Google.

Spring's paternal grand dam was a mare named Winter's Gone, and she was sired by a stallion called Dynaformer.  He was a massive brown horse, described by those who knew him as "legendary," "big," and "surly and difficult."  He died in 2012 at the age of 27, and produced many talented offspring in his tenure as a stud at the well known Three Chimneys Farm. He wasn't a great performer on the track, but his offspring have proven to be quite talented; his best known son was Kentucky Derby winner Barbaros. His stud fee grew from $5000 to $150000 over the course of his time at Three Chimneys.  Interestingly, he has made it onto Behind the Bit's list of Meanest Stallions Ever, for apparently being an eater of fingers.  Descendants of Dynaformer have found success in upper level eventing, which is pretty sweet.
Through Stark Winter, bred to Dynaformer to produce Winter's Gone, you can trace back to Hyperion - another name that comes up when you search for decent eventing bloodlines.

Other Names of Note

Vice Regent, a Canadian bred stallion known for his excellent shoulder and hip (and the only chestnut that I found on this side of the pedigree)! 

image from Google.  Much chrome.  Sort of.

Mr. Prospector - a name we all know - known for passing down somewhat crappy feet. 

hey, handsome. image from Google.

Roberto, son of the well-known Hail to Reason - a foul tempered stallion described as a moody but excellent mover.

photo found on Pinterest

and Graustark, a massively-shouldered stallion known for producing excellent daughters with great stamina

photo from Google

Sire Side: Overall Conclusions

Spring has a lot of big-name sires in her pedigree.  The common themes across these bloodlines are giant shoulders, good hip angles, moodiness, and excellent stamina - all factors (aside from the moodiness) which set her up for success as an eventing prospect.  Her sire's side is predominantly bay and brown with few markings, and Spring herself is a liver chestnut with minimal white.  She is smaller than many of these horses, and more finely built, but she's also way cuter.  ;)
If you're actually still reading this, good job - I hope you enjoyed nerding out over fancy stallions with me!