sneakasmoothie web

In the Blood: Sneak A Smoothie

sneakasmoothie webSneak A Smoothie and Todd Bimat won the ICHA Futurity Open with a 220.5. • Photo by Suzanne Sylvester

The fall futurity season is now in full swing. Each fall, an onslaught of events mark the beginning of show careers for a new crop of foals. Anticipation is high as owners, breeders and trainers hope these new horses fulfill their expectations.One of those newcomers, Sneak A Smoothie, lived up to those expectations when she won the 2015 Idaho Cutting Horse Association Futurity Open. Owned by J Five Horse Ranch Management LLC, she scored a nice 220.5 with Todd Bimat in the saddle. GS Cutting Horses LLC bred Sneak A Smoothie. Let’s take a look.

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The pedigree of Sneak A Smoothie starts with her sire, 2005 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Horse of the Year Smooth As A Cat, a winner of $500,038. Smooth As A Cat has offspring earnings of more than $15 million. He was bred by Tommy Manion Inc. and is owned by Tommy’s son, Kyle Manion. Smooth As A Cat is a son of the all-time leading sire of cutting money-winners, High Brow Cat. Smooth As A Cat’s dam is Shes Pretty Smooth (Wheeling Peppy x Smooth Hickory x Doc’s Hickory), who carried Tommy Manion to the 1994 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro Championship. Shes Pretty Smooth was bred by Billy Morris III, a leading breeder of cutting horses and former Chief Executive Officer of Morris Media Network, which owns Quarter Horse News.

SmoothAsACat1Smooth As A Cat, Equi-Stat Elite $15 Million Sire

Sneak A Smoothie is out of Sneakin Cee, a winner of $135,542. Her foals have earned more than $100,000, with Sneakin Out To Play (by Freckles Playboy) her top earner at $55,947. Sneakin Cee was bred by the late Billy Cogdell, of Cogdell Ranch in Tulia, Texas.

The Cogdell breeding program was based around ranch-bred and -raised horses that could go to the arena and win. One of the ranch stallions was Maxi Lena, sire of Sneakin Cee. Maxi Lena (Doc O’Lena x Marian’s Clown x Gay Bar King) sired earners of more than $940,000, including Susie Dry, winner of the 1993 NCHA Derby Non-Pro.

sneakincee webIn 2005, Sneakin Cee, heavy in foal to Dulces Smart Lena, went through the NCHA Super Stakes Sale, where she brought a final bid of $156,000 from Marshall Chesrown’s Black Rock Ranch LLC.

It was his interest in cutting that led Cogdell to the 1977 NCHA Futurity Sale and the purchase of a filly. The little filly (and she was little) was Lynx Melody. She was only about 13.2 hands when she competed in the 1978 NCHA Futurity, and she was already a mother, having foaled just prior to the Futurity. The new mother would go on to win the 1978 NCHA Futurity Open with Larry Reeder in the saddle. She returned in 1979 to win the NCHA Derby Open and was the NCHA Open World Champion Mare in 1980. Her career earnings were $113,682.

Lynx Melody was sired by NCHA Derby Open Champion Doc’s Lynx (Doc Bar x Jameen Tivio x Poco Tivio). Lynx Melody was out of Trona, who was by Leon Bars. Trona was out of Miss Royal Fleet, who was sired by Royal King, a son of King. Miss Royal Fleet was out of Fletter, by Sonny Kimble. Sonny Kimble is reported to be a three-quarters brother to the great King P-234. Sonny Kimble was sired by Zantanon, the sire of King P-234, and out of Queen, a daughter of Jabalina, who was the dam of King P-234.

Lynx Melody went to the broodmare band to produce 16 money-earners that banked $1,215,655. Her leading earner is Shania Cee, a winner of $408,633 and the 1999 NCHA Futurity Open Champion and 2000 NCHA Horse of the Year. Lynx Melody produced four foals that have earned more than $100,000, including Cattin (by Smart Little Lena), Crackin (by Smart Little Lena) and Sneakin Cee, the dam of Sneak A Smoothie.

Crackin is the dam of Kwackin (by Dual Pep), who is the dam of 2006 National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion Smart Crackin Chic (by Smart Chic Olena). Lynx Melody’s daughter Shakin Cee (by Colonel Freckles) is the dam of 1998 NCHA Horse of the Year Shakin Flo. Shakin Flo is the dam of Midnight Rondeevous, the 2004 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro Champion.

With her first win in the books, Sneak A Smoothie is now on to more shows to display her cutting skills as a representative of her deep roots in the Lynx Melody family.

About the author: Larry Thornton’s dream to become a Quarter Horse breeder started with a serious interest in bloodlines in the mid-1960s. This intense interest led to a long career as a prolific writer and student of Quarter Horse pedigrees and the genetics that can be found in those pedigrees. Larry has been a contributor and/or consultant to several outstanding equine books and magazines, including Quarter Horse News. He is the founder and publisher of the digital newsletter Bloodlines-N-Pedigrees.

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