Page 14 - 2016 Stallion Register

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12 SPEEDHORSE
2016 STALLION REGISTER
Vol. 47 • No. 13 • December 4, 2015 • Norman, Oklahoma 73070-1000
Our Cover
Some stallions can be likened to shooting stars - they flame brightly, showing their light to all who are lucky enough to look up as they pass, and then
they are gone. Other stallions are more like the stars we wish upon at dusk. These constant guiding lights can be counted upon to steer us through the night. They are consistent and stable. They have been there for the ages and they will be there for the long run.
Valiant Hero, who graces the cover of the 2016 Stallion Register, is like a constant star. The 2004 brown stallion has paid his dues on the track and now has proven his mettle in the fire of the breeding shed.
Bred by Julianna Hawn Holt in Blanco, Texas, Valiant Hero is owned by the Valiant Hero Syndicate of Guthrie, Oklahoma. The stallion is already an all-time leading sire from just five crops to race, with earners of over $12.7 million at press time and nearly $40,000 average earnings per starter. He is the sire of multiple stake winners, including his leading money earner 2-Time Champion Feature Hero si 99 (2015, $1,418,960), as well as Houdini si 100 (2015, $1,162,314). Valiant Hero is among the leading sires of 2015 in all categories: money earners (#4), winners (#13), graded stakes winners (#5); as well as of 2015 two-year-old money earners (#5), winners (#8) and graded stakes winners (#2).
Valiant Hero comes from a prolific family - both top
and bottom - and was preordained for something special
from conception. He is by the all-time leading sire of money earners, World Champion First Down Dash. Valiant Hero
is out of the Chicks Beduino mare Corona Chick, a 3-time Champion, Broodmare of the Year, and AQHA Dam of Distinction. Before moving to the broodmare band, Corona Chick earned over $500,000 and set two New Track Records. As a broodmare, she is An All-Time Leading Dam of ROM with 14 starters, 11 winners and 13 Register of Merit earners from 16 foals. She has produced the earners of over $3.6 million. Beside Valiant Hero, Corona Chick is also the dam of 4-time Champion & High-Money Earning Horse Corona Cash, and Corona Cartel, the all-time leading living sire of money earners.
Coming from this blue hen family, it seemed that Valiant Hero was destined for greatness. The stallion, however, had to pay his dues, coming up through the ranks the hard way to become a top runner and then moving on to become a leading sire.
Valiant Hero began his career on the track at the age of two in modest fashion, finishing fifth in the trials to the Heritage Place Futurity and then second in a maiden
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at Ruidoso Downs. He then won both his trial to the Ruidoso Futurity and to the All American Futurity, but did not qualify to either race. He finished third in his trial to
the Dash For Cash Futurity and qualified to the Juvenile Invitational, in which he forged ahead in the final jumps under G.R. Carter to win the race by a neck to take his first step into blacktype. Valiant Hero finished his freshman year with a second in the trials to the Texas Classic Futurity, only to come back to win the Grade 1 finals in his last out of the 2006 season. He earned nearly $500,000 that year.
From humble beginnings come great things.
As a sophomore, Valiant Hero started the season with a win in the trials to the Heritage Place Derby, winning the Grade 2 finals for his third and final stakes victory. He finished the year with a second in the Rainbow Derby-G1 and a fifth in the All American Derby-G1, ending the season with another good chunk of change. He called an end to his racing career with $668,633 in total earnings.
Now it was time for the second stage of his life to begin in the breeding shed. Unlike his race career, however, Valiant Hero’s breeding career started with a bang. In this new endeavor, he found himself as the #2 leading Freshman sire of the 2011 season and #8 among all sires of two-year-old money earners. In this his first season at stud, Valiant Hero sired the earners of over $1.2 million. And, he continued to find himself at the top of the lists from that point forward, siring over $2.2 million in 2012, nearly $3.6 million in 2013, and over $2.7 million in 2014. At press time, he has 2015 money earners of over $2.9 million. Valiant Hero’s siring power is obvious, and this trend shows no signs of stopping.
Horses sired by Valiant Hero were also among the leaders at the 2015 sales. At the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale, Valiant Hero was the sire of the top seller, Bellissima Chocolata at $300,000, and he was the #5 overall leading sire with 20 horses selling for $1,159,200 (an average of nearly $60,000). He was also a leading sire at the Heritage Place Yearling Sale, Heritage Place Winter Mixed Sale and Heritage Place Fall Mixed Sale.
Shooting stars are afire and then burn out quickly. Constant stars can be counted upon to guide you through what lies ahead. Valiant Hero is a constant in the universe of our Quarter Horse industry, and it is befitting that he be on the cover of this year’s Stallion Register.
Featured on our cover this year...
Valiant Hero Photo courtesy Linda Earley
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