In The Blood: ARC Gunnabeabigstar—WEG Part 1

On May 18, the United States Equestrian Federation named the horse-and-rider teams that will represent the U.S. on the reining squad at the 2018 Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Equestrian Games. The plan calls for “In The Blood” to look at the pedigrees of the five horses over the next few installments.

The five teams are: Jordan Larson on ARC Gunnabeabigstar; Cade McCutcheon on Custom Made Gun; Casey Dreary on Heavy Duty Chex; Dan Huss on Ms Dreamy; and Tom McCutcheon on The Wizster. Let’s see what we find about these reining horse pedigrees.

ARC Gunnabeabigstar

ARC Gunnabeabigstar (Gunnatrashya x Wimpys Little Chic x Wimpys Little Step) is owned by HDC Quarter Horses USA LLC, of Coral Gables, Florida. He is a 7-year-old stallion bred by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, of Weatherford, Texas.

ARC Gunnabeabigstar and Jordan Larson, pictured at the 2017 NRHA Derby • Photo by Waltenberry

“Big Star” was the 2014 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity Level 4 Open Co-Champion, the 2017 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Reserve Champion, the 2017 High Roller Reining Classic Derby Open Champion and the 2017 American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Senior Reining Reserve World Champion. He has earned $304,777.

Our look at the pedigree of ARC Gunnabeabigstar will highlight the influence of Colonel Freckles, the 1976 NCHA Futurity Open Champion, and the reining legend Be Aech Enterprise on the stallion’s pedigree.

 

Sire Line

Gunnatrashya (Colonels Smoking Gun X Natrasha X Trashadeous) was the 2009 NRHA Futurity Open Champion, the 2009 All American Quarter Horse Congress Reining Champion, 2009 Triple Crown/Dorminy Brothers Plantation Futurity 3-Year-Old Open Champion and the 2010 NRHA Derby Open Champion. He earned $236,457.

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Gunnatrashya. • Photo by Cam Essick.

Gunnatrashya is the sire of horses with Equi-Stat earnings of more than $1.5 million. His money winners include Inferno Sixty Six ($202,476), who was the 2015 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion and the Derby Level 4 Open Champion at the 2017 Cactus Reining Classic.

Colonels Smoking Gun (Gunner) earned the 1996 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Championship, banking $177,386 in his career. He is an Equi-Stat Elite $10 million sire. In addition to Gunnatrashya, his foals include Americasnextgunmodel ($305,779), the 2012 NRHA Futurity Open Champion; Gunners Tinseltown ($316,233), the 2012 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion; and Gunners Special Nite ($222,974), the 2007 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion.

Gunner is sired by Colonelfourfreckle (Colonel Freckles X Miss Solano X Doc’s Solano). Colonelfourfreckle is a leading Equi-Stat paternal grandsire of reining horses with performers having won more than $10.5 million. His sire, Colonel Freckles, is the Equi-Stat paternal grandsire of reining horses with earnings of $1.4 million.

Doc’s Solano is sired by Doc Bar out of Susie’s Bay (by Poco Tivio). Doc’s Solano is an Equi-Stat sire of horses that have won more than $3.7 million including Big Red Solano ($228,940), the 1987 Bonanza Cutting 4-yr-old Open Reserve Champion. The Colonel Freckles/Doc Solano cross is our first indication of how Colonel Freckles influences the modern reining horse.

Natrasha (Trashadeous X My Royal Enterprise X Be Aech Enterprise) was an NRHA Futurity Open finalist with winnings of $11,554. She is the dam of horses that have Equi-Stat earnings of $454,120. Her foals include Snow Gun ($129,857), her second-leading earner.

Trashadeous (Be Aech Enterprise X Miss White Trash X Mr Gun Smoke) earned several event titles, including the 1990 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Championship and 1991 NRHA Derby Open Championship. He earned $138,599. Trashadeous shows his strength as a sire through his daughters, whose foals that have earned $647,256. 

My Royal Enterprise earned $22,016. She was the 1990 NRHA Super Stakes Non-Pro Reserve Champion. Her foals haven earnings of $244,272. Her leading money winner is Shiney Enterprise ($73,691), who earned the 2012 NRBC 4,5 & 6-Year-Old Reserve Championship. Natrasha has an inbreeding pattern of 2 X 2 to Be Aech Enterprise.

Be Aech Enterprise is the second reining stallion to earn the title of NRHA Million Dollar sire. His foals have Equi-Stat earnings of more than $1.2 million, including Barroom Be Aech ($90,208) the 1990 NRHA Derby Open Reserve Champion.  Be Aech Enterprise is maternal grandsire of Equi-Stat money earners of more than $3.3 million. His leading money winners include 1989 NRHA Open Futurity Champion Brennas Kid ($115,862).

Dam Line

Wimpys Little Chic (Wimpys Little Step X Colleena Chic Olena) is the Equi-Stat all-time leading money winning reining horse with earnings of $539,244. She earned this title by winning events like the 2007 NRHA Futurity Open, the 2008 NRHA Derby Open and the 2008 NRBC 4,5 & 6-Year-Old Open Championship. She went on to become a successful broodmare with foal earnings of $697,580, including two NRHA Futurity Open champions. They are ARC Gunnabeabigstar, the 2014 co-champion, and 2015 winner Shesoutayourleague.

Wimpys Little Step (Nu Chex To Cash X Leolita Step X Big Step) was the 2002 NRHA Futurity Open Champion and the 2002 All American Congress Straight Arrow Reining Futurity Champion. He is now an Equi-Stat $10 million sire. His money winners include 2009 NRHA Derby Open Champion RC Fancy Step ($364,205). The broodmare sire record for Wimpys Little Step stands at  more than $1.7 million. As a maternal grandsire, his leading money winners after ARC Gunnabeabigstar and Shesoutayourleague are Xtra New Pal Voodoo ($122,349) and Steppin On Sparks ($108,354).

 

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Wimpys Little Step

Wimpys Little Step is a son of Nu Chex To Cash, a son of Nu Cash and that brings us back to Colonel Freckles. Nu Cash, the 1987 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion, is sired by Colonel Freckles. The dam of Nu Cash, Nu Rendition, was a mare by Nu Bar (Doc Bar x Teresa Tivio x Poco Tivio). This gives us our second dose of Colonel Freckles on a Doc Bar/Poco Tivio mare.

Collena Chic Olena (Smart Chic Olena X Collena Freckles X Colonel Freckles) earned $7,611 by making a number of reining aged event finals, including the 1998 NRHA Futurity Non-Pro. She is the dam of horses with Equi-Stat earnings of $692,771. Her second-leading money winner is Collenas Finest Tafy ($132,987), the 2006 NRHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion.

Balancing the pedigree

Collena Freckles is our third cross to Colonel Freckles, and she is out of Sayo O Lena (by Doc O’Lena). Doc O’Lena was sired by Doc Bar and out of Poco Lena, a full sister to Poco Tivio. This gives the pedigree of ARC Gunnabeabigstar a linebreeding pattern to the Colonel Freckles/Doc Bar cross, with all three Doc Bar daughters being out of either a daughter of Poco Tivio or his full sister Poco Lena.

The three lines to this cross are balanced in the pedigree, with one from the top of the pedigree and one from the bottom, and the third in the middle of the pedigree. By balancing the three lines through the pedigree, we get three avenues for the genes of the common ancestors to flow to the foal produced.

When we see that Be Aech Enterprise was the double grandsire of Natrasha, we see inbreeding within the pedigree. This does not mean ARC Gunnabeabigstar is inbred to Be Aech Enterprise, but that the inbreeding to Be Aech Enterprise is an outcross in the middle of the pedigree on the linebreeding to the Colonel Freckles/Doc Bar/Poco Bueno cross. That is how we utilize inbreeding to get outcross blood in the pedigree.

Read about the fellow Team USA members here:

In The Blood: The Wizster – WEG Part 5
In The Blood: Ms Dreamy – WEG Part 4
In the Blood: Heavy Duty Chex —WEG Part 3
In The Blood: Custom Made Gun—WEG Part 2

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