He wowed right out of the gate at the 2008 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity, and the spotlight has never dimmed. Indeed, Metallic Cat has stormed the Western performance horse industry. His most recent achievement? Becoming the youngest stallion in the history of the industry to pass the $30 million milestone in offspring earnings.
Metallic Cat (out of Chers Shadow x Peptoboonsmal) has followed up his stellar career in the cutting pen, during which he garnered $637,711, with a breeding career unlike any before him — including his legendary sire, High Brow Cat’s. At just 14 years old, seven crops of performance-age foals (2010-2016) have pushed the red roan stallion to Equi-Stat Elite $30 Million Sire status.
This milestone comes less than a year since he surpassed the $25 million mark.
“We are beyond excited about what Metallic Cat has achieved, and in such a short timeframe,” said Bobby Patton, whose Rocking P Ranch purchased the stallion in 2017. “He is an incredible animal, and we are in awe at what he has accomplished. We can’t wait to see what the future holds!”
While High Brow Cat is the all-time leading sire in the industry with a record of $82.6 million, his first seven crops of foals (1993-1999) garnered just shy of $9 million. No. 2 sire Dual Rey’s (1999-2005) reached $17.6 million, and No. 3 sire Smart Little Lena’s (1984-1990) raked in $16.6 million. Smart Little Lena’s record didn’t hit $30 million until 2004, when the stallion was 25 years old. He was followed by High Brow Cat in 2008 at age 20 and Dual Rey in 2015 at 21.
The speed of Metallic Cat’s success as a sire is due in large part to the number of American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA)-registered offspring he sires each year. His clout has attracted an astronomical book of mares, peaking in 2016 at 490, according to the AQHA. Excluding his 2016 crop — which includes many foals still awaiting their debut at the NCHA Futurity — and later, the stallion still boasts an impressive 70% success rate. Of his 1,567 AQHA-registered foals ages 4 and older, 1,101 are recorded in Equi-Stat as money-earners.
A Show Horse
Metallic Cat was shown throughout his career by Equi-Stat Elite $4 Million Rider Beau Galyean, who had recently decided to turn pro in the horse industry. Galyean purchased the colt as a 2-year-old in September 2007 from breeder The Roan Rangers — an acquisition that required him to use his 2007 Chevrolet truck as collateral. Alvin and Becky Fults bought the horse from Galyean a year later.
After Metallic Cat secured the NCHA Futurity Open title with a 222, he went on a tear as a 4-year-old in 2009. He scored a 223 to top the Abilene Spectacular, finished second at Tunica with a 218, was the NCHA Super Stakes Open Reserve Champion with a 226, won the Breeder’s Invitational with a 228 and ended up third in the NCHA Summer Spectacular Derby Open with a 225.
As he made his rounds in the fall, “Denver” consistently finished in the top 10, also winning the Derby Open at the Music City Futurity. At the close of the season, he had walked to the herd 37 times in show pens and never lost a cow. With nothing left to prove in the cutting arena, the stallion was retired.
The Future of Metallic Cat
Metallic Cat’s notable performance career catapulted him into a successful breeding career at an early age. His first foals hit the ground in 2010, and those offspring wasted no time proving their sire’s prepotency. Of the 35 money-earners from that crop listed in Equi-Stat, 12 surpassed the $100,000 mark. They were topped by Meteles Cat, a freshman sire this year.
As time goes on, Metallic Cat’s sons and daughters continue to impress. As of late September, the Equi-Stat Elite $30 Million Sire boasted four offspring with more than $400,000 each in lifetime earnings.
His top earners are:
- Hashtags (out of Dual Rey Tag x Dual Rey) – $495,471
- Metallic Rebel (out of Sweet Abra x Abrakadabracre) – $437,965
- Meteles Cat (out of Teles Lies x Lenas Telesis) – $437,016
- Stevie Rey Von (out of Miss Ella Rey x Dual Rey) – $420,559
- Purple Reyn (out of Miss Ella Rey x Dual Rey) – $361,880
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