In the world of cutting horses, some legends are born not from long careers, but from the impact they leave on generations to come. Such is the story of Smart Lil Ricochet, a stallion whose time in the arena was brief yet brilliant, and whose influence in the breeding shed has proven enduring, with over $4,000,000 in offspring earnings. His limited number of daughters have produced offspring earning over $5.6 million, including two NCHA Open Horses of the Year—Kit Kat Sugar and LHR Smooth Jamie May. This is a tale of early promise cut short, and a legacy that continues to shape the cutting horse industry in profound ways.
Today, nearly two decades after Smart Lil Ricochet’s own time on earth, his legend lives on stronger than ever. The stallion’s life may have been comparatively short – he was only 14 when he passed - but his story is still being written every time one of his descendants walks into the cutting pen. In a remarkable way, his presence has been preserved for the future. A reserve of 1,310 straws of his frozen semen has been carefully kept by breeder and owner, Tommy Manion, Inc., literally freezing a piece of his legacy in time. This means that modern breeders still have access to the genetics of a horse whose influence they admire so much - and is an undeniably effective outcross on many of todays mares including daughters of High Brow Cat and Metallic Cat.
On Sunday, March 30th, the cutting horse community will witness a special tribute to Smart Lil Ricochet’s enduring influence. On that day, those 1,340 straws of his frozen legacy are set to become available to breeders – a rare opportunity to reach back into history and bring forward the qualities that made this stallion a legend. There is no flashy fanfare or sales pitch needed; the facts of his impact speak for themselves. Smart Lil Ricochet’s tale is one of promise and perseverance, of a legacy built through sons and daughters rather than trophies. As breeders and fans reflect on his story and perhaps seize the chance to carry it on, one thing is clear: Smart Lil Ricochet’s echo will resonate in the cutting horse world for many years to come.
Smart Lil Ricochet burst onto the scene as a three-year-old at the 1997 NCHA World Championship Futurity with Jody Galyean. In the first go-round of that prestigious event, the young stallion marked an exceptional score of 223, staking his claim as a standout contender. That electric run, however, ended in heartbreak – a serious injury during that very run brought his performing career to a premature end. Though he was an NCHA Futurity semi-finalist, fate denied him the chance to continue in the show pen. It was a bitter twist for a horse that showed such promise, leaving many to wonder what heights he might have reached as a show horse.
Yet, sometimes destiny has a different plan. Smart Lil Ricochet’s competitive light may have been dimmed early, but another path was about to shine brightly for him. As a son of the legendary Smart Little Lena and out of $931,000 producer Moria Sugar, Smart Lil Ricochet possessed a royal pedigree. With his own show career cut short, he was pointed toward the breeding shed – and there he would carve out a legacy even more influential than a trophy-filled career might have been.
Siring a Lasting Legacy
Smart Lil Ricochet quickly proved that his true gift lay in passing on his talent. He became a sire of substance, stamping his offspring with the same cow-sense, athleticism, and heart that he had flashed in his brief time in the arena. By the time of his untimely passing in 2008, Smart Lil Ricochet’s progeny had earned over $3.7 million in cutting horse competition
– a staggering accomplishment for a stallion in the 2000s. He ranked among the cutting industry’s leading sires, and to this day breeders speak his name with respect for the potent genetic contributions he left behind.
One of the most famous foals sired by Smart Lil Ricochet is the great Im Countin Checks. Foaled in 2002 out of the mare Autumn Boon, Im Countin Checks would go on to validate his sire’s promise in spectacular fashion. He earned more than half a million dollars in National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) events, and as a three-year-old was the highest-placing stallion in the 2005 NCHA Open Futurity finals. In the years that followed, Im Countin Checks became a multiple aged-event champion and reserve champion, lighting up cutting arenas across the country. Today, Im Countin Checks himself has become a noted sire, further extending the Smart Lil Ricochet dynasty.
Smart Lil Ricochet's offspring have populated finals and winner’s circles at all levels of cutting. For instance, his daughter Goody Two Sue earned $133,217 in her career and was co-reserve champion of the NCHA Super Stakes Open Classic, exemplifying the kind of talent Smart Lil Ricochet reliably passed on. Countless other sons and daughters became money-earners and added their names to the list of champions he sired. Each of these successful offspring reflects a piece of their sire’s ability and grit, turning what could have been a footnote in history into a lasting legacy.
An Influence That Endures
Perhaps even more telling of Smart Lil Ricochet’s impact is what his daughters have accomplished as broodmares. Great stallions often become sires of sires – and in this case, also sires of dams. Just Scarlet, one of his daughters, produced LHR Smooth Jamie May, the 2010 NCHA Open Horse of the Year. Another Smart Lil Ricochet mare became the dam of Kit Kat Sugar, who was crowned NCHA Horse of the Year in 2012 and has gone on to be an influential stallion himself. Through these daughters, Smart Lil Ricochet’s influence now extends to a new generation of stars, cementing his reputation as a foundation sire whose impact echoes forward in pedigrees. It’s often said that a stallion’s true legacy is measured not just by his direct offspring, but by the offspring of his offspring – and on that score, Smart Lil Ricochet stands tall among the elite.
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