Dash Ta Fame has dominated the barrel racing industry for the past twenty-plus years. There are four HOTY that carry his blood, including his one outright world champion. His sons sired two others and a daughter produced the third. 

In 1989, the American Quarter Horse Association debuted the Horse of the Year to honor the best equine athletes as voted by the top competitors in their discipline. Since its inception, 23 horses have been honored with the title.

Join us for a series of mini “deep dive” into their pedigrees. 

Ironically for all his dominance on both sides of the pedigree—he is both the leading paternal and maternal grandsire of all barrel horses per published statistics—it was proven barrel mares that produced the HOTY honorees that bare his blood. His daughter too was crossed with a proven barrel horse to yield her horse of the year as well. 

• Bob Burt Tells the FULL Dash Ta Fame Story on The Money Barrel Podcast
• Read more about legendary stallion Dash Ta Fame

The World Champion

Jordon Briggs’ Famous Lil Jet (“Rollo”) is Dash Ta Fame’s lone WPRA World Champion Barrel Horse and a two-time HOTY, having been given honor in 2021 and 2022. The 2014 Busby Quarter Horses-bred gelding won enough on his own to win Briggs the 2021 title. 

Until Rollo, Dash Ta Fame’s offspring had only a partial WPRA World Championship with Dash Ta Diamonds (“Arson”), who contributed $42,000 of Callie duPerier Apffel’s 2014 world championship total. Without Arson’s contribution during the season, Rare Dillion had not won enough to win Apffel’s title outright. 

Rollo, Dash Ta Fame’s all-time leading offspring and his only millionaire, is out of a proven black-type barrel mare Blazin Black Beauty. Double-bred rodeo champion, Blazin Black Beauty is by Busby’s late stallion Blazin Jetolena out of Lady Perks by Dash For Perks.

Blazin Jetolena (“Jet”) was by a locally known all-around performance sire Lenas Sugar Daddy. A son of legendary cutting horse sire Doc O’Lena, Lenas Sugar Daddy was out of Bit Of Sugar, a daughter of 1958 Racing Champion War Chic out of a racing winning Sugar Bars mare. His dam, the appendix mare Blazin Jennie Jet, was a pro rodeo winner herself. She was a daughter of five-time NFR sire Jet Of Honor out of the Thoroughbred mare Blazing Duchess.

Jet was the 2004 EquiStat Leading Futurity Horse and later aided Melanie Southard in the 2006 National Finals Rodeo qualification. As a sire, his offspring have won more than $7 million and counting. 

Rollo was born during Blazin Black Beauty’s futurity year, which was unfortunately cut short due to an injury. Her strong maternal genetics made her worthy of the embryo transfer. Her dam Lady Perks was multiple aged event champion and 2005 Canadian Pro Rodeo Champion Barrel Horse. Along with Blazin Black Beauty, Lady Perks has produced multiple aged event champion and NFR qualifier Famous Ladies Man, by Dash Ta Fame, and his full sister GL Famous First Lady, dam of current year pro rodeo sensation Jets Top Gun, by Blazin Jetolena, aged event standouts A French Lady, by Frenchmans Guy, and Baptized By Fire, by Fire Water Flit, to name just a few. 

Lady Perks was out of the Fol’s Native (TB) mare Fols Debbie, a three-quarter sister to NFR qualifier Fols Classy Snazzy, ridden by Marlene McRae. Fols Debbie produced numerous money winning barrel horses including barrel horse sire Whistle At The Babes. 

The Grands

Two of Dash Ta Fame’s sons have sired HOTY honorees—one of them a world champion. As with their sire, the honorees were out of proven barrel racing mares. 

In 2016, Cfour Tibbie Stinson (“Tibbie”) carried Ivy Conrado Saebens to her first NFR qualification and clinched HOTY honors in the process. Bred by Ivy and her father Kelly Conrado, Tibbie, a 2009 mare, is by Eddie Stinson out of Little Fancy Granny, by Del Puerto Bill.

Eddie Stinson, one of Dash Ta Fame’s Top 10 race horses, is out of the race winner Casino Lights. By multiple stakes winner Sixarun, sire of Linda Vick’s NFR qualifier Running Episode and leading barrel horse and racehorse sire Tres Seis, Casino Lights was out of the stakes winning Easy Jet mare Ease On Down.

On the track, Eddie was a graded stakes winner of $200,016 and had a blistering speed index of 111. It’s worth noting, too, that Eddie’s younger full brother Casino Bambino was multiple barrel futurity finalist with Latricia Duke, earning nearly $50,000. As a sire, Eddie Stinson is one of Dash Ta Fame’s leading siring sons of barrel horses with earners of nearly $7 million.

Tibbie’s dam Little Francy Granny had the lineage of stakes winners and NFR rope horse sires including Croton Gray and even farther back Driftwood on the top side and a few stakes winning sires in her maternal line as well as NFR sire Wiggy Bar. She was a two-time Colorado Junior High School Rodeo Champion and multiple 1D barrel horse. She helped Liz Pinkston finish an NFR qualification and went to the NFR with her as a backup. 

The year following Tibbie’s HOTY title Rafter W Minnie Reba (“Sister”) claimed the title and the 2017 WPRA World Championship for Nellie Williams Miller. Raised by the Williams family, Sister is by the Dash Ta Fame son KS Cash N Fame out of Espuela Roan, by Blue Light Ike.

KS Cash N Fame was a barrel racing money earner himself. His dam was the Easy Jet mare Easy Charett, a race winner of $15,445 on the track. Easy Charett was also the dam of aged event champion Judge Her Easy, by Judge Cash. In addition to Sister, KS Cash N Fame is the sire of Casadys Cash N Fame, ridden by both Michele McLeod and Vickie Carter at the NFR.

Sister’s dam Espuela Roan (“Reba”) hails from a generational line of NFR siring rope horses. Her sire Blue Light Ike has sired several NFR qualifiers as had his sire White Lightning Ike on back to greats Driftwood Ike and Driftwood. His bottom side included legendary rope horses and sires Blue Blanton and Lucky Blanton. 

Azul Chips Mouse, Reba’s dam, is by Donnas Blue Boy out of Chips Roanie. In addition to Reba, the ranch-bred mare has produced numerous rope horses and a Snaffle Bit Futurity finalist.

Reba raised her first NFR horse before she carried Miller through junior high and high school rodeo. Her father Sam Williams had bred the mare to Mr Bar Truckle to raise a rope horse for himself. The result was Rebas Smokey Joe (“Blue Duck”), Miller’s college rodeo horse and first NFR qualifier in 2010. In 2008, Williams bred Reba to KS Cash N Fame and got Sister. 

Lady’s First

French First Watch (“Custer”) was actually the first HOTY to carry the blood of the great Dash Ta Fame. Although Custer didn’t qualify for the NFR as he and his owner, the late Jill Welch finished 16th in the WPRA World Standings, in 2015. 

Custer was a 2004 gelding by leading barrel horse sire Frenchmans Guy out of the Dash Ta Fame, Tiny’s Gay mare Dashing To Fame, a barrel racing money earner herself. 

For more on Custer see: “Magic Horse of the Year Crosses: Sun Frost x Caseys’ Ladylove.