SJR Diamond Mist pedigree

In the Blood: SJR Diamond Mist

Corey Cushing riding SJR Diamond Mist
Corey Cushing & SJR Diamond Mist

When SJR Diamond Mist won the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Snaffle Bit Futurity last year, it was a “like father, like son” moment. The stallion’s sire, CD Diamond, won the same event in 2012. Corey Cushing, an Equi-Stat Elite $2 Million Rider, showed both horses to their championships.

During the finals, SJR Diamond Mist marked a 213 in the herd work, a 223 in the rein work and a 222.5 down the fence for a 658.5 composite score to win. Cushing and the horse earned $125,000 for the title and $3,000 from the preliminaries, plus they added another $25,000 from the CD Diamond Breeder’s Incentive as the highest-scoring CD Diamond offspring.

SJR Diamond Mist (CD Diamond x Cat Mist x High Brow Cat) was homebred by his owners, John and Brenda Stephenson of San Juan Ranch in Weatherford, Texas. The stallion is the third NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion for both Cushing and San Juan Ranch.=

The pedigree profile of SJR Diamond Mist shows the linebreeding to Doc Bar/Poco Bueno/Leo San blood that is very common today. But, he has an interesting outcross to one of one of the greatest mares of all time in his pedigree. 

SIRE LINE
CD Diamond (CD Olena x Shiners Diamond Girl x Shining Spark) was the first NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion Cushing rode. He went on to be a two-time NRCHA Derby Open finalist, finishing third in 2013 and fourth in 2014. He earned $153,320 before the end of his show career.

The young sire record for CD Diamond shows that the 2018 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity was somewhat of a “coming-out” party for his offspring. His foals that pulled checks at the show include: Futurity Non-Pro top 10 finalist SJR Diamonds Cash ($19,045); Futurity Non-Pro finalist SJR Diamond Katrina ($5,657); and Futurity Level 1 Limited Open top 10 finisher SJR Diamond Olena ($2,035). His daughter SJR Diamond Gwin was the 2018 Buckeye Reining Classic Futurity Non-Pro Champion, as well.

CD Olena (Doc O’Lena x CD Chica San Badger x Peppy San Badger) was the 1994 NCHA Futurity Open Champion and 1995 NCHA Derby Open Champion. He was named NCHA Horse of the Year in 1995, too. The performers sired by CD Olena, who earned $170,706, have won more than $17.5 million. His leading cutting money-winner is Sister CD ($852,612), who won multiple aged events, including the 2006 NCHA Super Stakes Open and the 2006 Breeder’s Invitational Derby Open. His leading reined cow horse earner is Hes Shinettes CD ($193,828), the 2015 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity horse show Open Bridle Reserve Champion.

CD Olena gives the pedigree of CD Diamond the blood of Doc O’Lena (Doc Bar x Poco Lena x Poco Bueno) and his dam, CD Chica San Badger, is by Peppy San Badger, who is by Mr San Peppy (by Leo San). This gives SJR Diamond Mist’s pedigree its first dose of the Doc Bar/Poco Bueno/Leo San cross.

Shiners Diamond Girl sliding to a stop
Shiners Diamond Girl

Shiners Diamond Girl (Shining Spark x Zans Diamond Jackie x Zans Diamond Sun) earned $69,018. She was an NRCHA Stakes horse show Open Bridle Champion. The foals out of Shiners Diamond Girl have earned $293,974. Her second-leading money-winner is 2016 NRCHA Stakes Open Champion SJR Diamond Rey ($75,591). Her son SJR Smooth Rio ($47,954) was the 2017 National Stock Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion.

Shining Spark (Genuine Doc x Diamonds Sparkle x Mr Diamond Dude) was the 1994 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby Open Champion and the 1993 American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Junior Reining World Champion. He is Equi-Stat’s No. 1 sire of reined cow horse money-earners with progeny earnings of greater than $4.4 million in the discipline. He is also a top sire of reining horse performers with offspring earnings of just more than $4.4 million. Shining Spark’s leading foals include Shining N Sassy ($260,164) and A Shiner Named Sioux ($163,426).

The stallion is also the leading broodmare sire for reined cow horses, with his daughters’ offspring earnings exceeding $7.2 million in the sport. He is the No. 3 sire of reining dams, according to Equi-Stat, with his maternal grand-offspring earnings reaching more than $11 million. His top maternal grandget include Shiners Chic ($295,397) and CD Dee Vee Dee ($248,002.

Zans Diamond Jackie was the 1992 Rocky Mountain Reining Horse Association Summer Slide Futurity Open and Limited Open Champion. Her foals have earnings of $183,718, according to Equi-Stat. One of her leading performers is Shiners Diamond Jill, the 2007 AQHA Super Horse. Shiners Diamond Jill is the dam of Diamonds With Style ($15,167), who is the dam of 2013 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open winner Time For The Diamond ($150,050).

Zans Diamond Sun (Zan Parr Bar x Diamonds Sparkle x Mr Diamond Dude) was the 1987 AQHA Junior Reining World Champion. He gives Shiners Diamond Girl a breeding pattern of 2 X 3 to Diamonds Sparkle. Diamonds Sparkle was the 1979 AQHA Super Horse. She also won a World Championship in Heading that year. She is the dam of foals that have won more than $205,000, with more than 2,600 AQHA points. She is also the dam of 1985 NRHA Futurity Open Champion Sparkles Rosezana.

DAM LINE
Cat Mist (High Brow Cat x Little Mist Smart x Smart Little Lena) was the 2002 Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association (PCCHA) Derby Open Reserve Champion. She earned $70,199 in her career. She is the dam of offspring with cumulative Equi-Stat records of $795,812, including 2007 PCCHA Futurity Open Champion ARC Catty Dual ($170,938, by Dual Pep). She has three more foals that have earned greater than $100,000 — One Red Mist ($153,308, by One Time Pepto), SJR Diamond Mist and ARC Purr D Boons Mal ($107,033, by Peptoboonsmal).

High Brow Cat headshot
High Brow Cat, Age 25

High Brow Cat (High Brow Hickory x Smart Little Kitty x Smart Little Lena) brings the influence of this very familiar all-time leading sire into the pedigree. Little Mist Smart (Smart Little Lena x Oak Mist x Doc’s Oak) gives the pedigree another dose of Smart Little Lena. This gives Cat Mist a breeding pattern of 3 X 2 to Smart Little Lena.

High Brow Cat crossed on Smart Little Lena mares is his most successful magic cross. This cross has earned more than $9.5 million. The performers from this cross include Thomas E Hughes ($394,709) and Pappion Cat ($379,815).

The pedigree of Cat Mist brings the Doc Bar/Poco Bueno/Leo San cross back into the pedigree pattern. High Brow Hickory was sired by Doc’s Hickory (by Doc Bar) and out of Grulla San, by Leo San Hank (by Leo San). Smart Little Lena was sired by Doc O’Lena, who was by Doc Bar and out of Poco Lena, by Poco Bueno. He was out of Smart Peppy, by Peppy San, by Leo San.

We get a second dose of this cross with Little Mist Smart, while Doc’s Oak (Doc Bar x Susie’s Bay x Poco Tivio) gives the pedigree another Doc Bar/Poco Bueno cross, as Poco Tivio was sired by Poco Bueno. This is the dominant breeding pattern in SRJ Diamond Mist’s pedigree.

The industry has long been calling for an outcross on the Doc Bar/Poco Bueno/Leo San cross. When linebreeding and inbreeding are being used, it is wise to outcross to get some “hybrid vigor” back into the pedigree. Hybrid vigor is the phenomenon that is used for the continued improvement of our horses. The pedigree of SJR Diamond Mist provides us with an example of how we can outcross through a mare like Diamonds Sparkle with her sons Shining Spark and Zans Diamond Sun.