Mean stallions in TB history

[TheFlyingFilly]

Yesterday I came across this link

http://www.equestrianlife.com/englis...=blogs&id=2967

and it mentions an interesting thread on the old TBC about mean stallions. My mare's maternal grandsire is Watch Your Step and I found the link so interesting because it certainly explains some things about her (bless her heart!).

Has this thread been re-started since the board crashed? If not, let's start again...with pics!

It may give me an excuse to dig up and scan my old photo of the stud manager at Ashford giving Storm Bird a very tentative pat

[TheFlyingFilly]

I'll start--in honor of the other thread, here's a pic of Dynaformer's stall bars, as well as the big boy himself--note the stud chain over his nose:

[Blue Jeans]

One of the most famous mean stallions in TB history has to be .... Ole Bob Bowers. Why? Because he sired John Henry, one of the best racers in America ... also known for his meanness. Well, OBB should at least get honorable mention in this thread.

The only picture that I'm aware of is still available at his pedigree site:

http://www.pedigreequery.com/ole+bob+bowers

OBB's progeny is interesting ... check out some of those names. There's a "Nasty" listed, so those 'mean genes' just may be inherited, huh?

http://www.pedigreequery.com/progeny/ole+bob+bowers

Following link provides some interesting facts about OBB's family members:
http://www.reines-de-course.com/Arti.../Clonaslee.htm

> Perhaps the best known of these is Prince Blessed, a son of *Princequillo who won the Hollywood Gold Cup and would go down in history as the sire of Ole Bob Bowers, sire of the immortal gelding John Henry. Prince Blessed was out of Blessed Again's *Bull Dog daughter Dog Blessed, who took 14 starts to break her maiden. The colt was purchased by Travis M. Kerr, who also raced 1957 Horse of the Year Round Table, for $77,000, the top price paid for a yearling at public auction in 1958.

It was in Kerr's name that Prince Blessed's most famous son, Ole Bob Bowers (named after a family friend) was bred. Slow to develop and plagued with a variety of minor ailments, Ole Bob Bowers did not race until he was four years old, but during his 30-race career equalled a nine furlong world record of 1:46 2/5 on a souped-up Bay Meadows strip in the Tanforan Handicap and acquitted himself well in such important stakes as the San Marino and San Luis Rey Stakes. At stud, he never again got anything half so good as John Henry, but then he did not need to.<

[TheFlyingFilly]

I find it interesting that Ole Bob's photo isn't your standard conformation shot. Why? Was it meant to be that way? Or was he too disagreeable for one?

I noticed his dam is Blue Jeans!

[mariasmon]

Oh, geez. These threads never end well.

[Native Diver]

Dynaformer must have bones and hooves like iron to have bent those steel bars like that. A kick that hard could do alot of damage to the average horse. Ouch.

[Blue Jeans]

I find it interesting that Ole Bob's photo isn't your standard conformation shot. Why? Was it meant to be that way? Or was he too disagreeable for one?

I noticed his dam is Blue Jeans!

That's my boy! I was a big fan of John Henry when I finally joined this forum; got talked into joining by another 'relative' of mine. <wink> Wanted a username that had some connection with JH, so I chose his paternal granddam. I've always hoped she was the one who was responsible for his toughness ... and some of that meanness that he was so well-known for through the years.

[TheFlyingFilly]

Dynaformer must have bones and hooves like iron to have bent those steel bars like that. A kick that hard could do alot of damage to the average horse. Ouch.

I agree! I was stunned when I saw those bars--if my mare did that, it wouldn't end well (I know this from experience, unfortunately! That was an ordeal to recover from).

mariasmon--why not?

[tracy]

I remember seeing Dynaformer on a tour of 3c's we were a small group. His groom was in his stall grooming him and they had him chained to the corner of his stall by the window so he couldn't turn around and get the guy. Everytime the guy touched him with the brush he laid his ears back and attacked the rubber tube that was there for him to chew on and man could you see the tooth marks in that thing. The groom told us that all the stallions but him got to be ridden because no one couldn't or was willing to try and put a bit in his mouth as one of his former grooms lost a finger to him. Now thats a nasty temper. Might want to add Corslew to the list, he was the one that attacked my friend Ellen at her farm there in California. Our last filly born her sire Kennedy Factor was a little nasty and tended throw some hot tempered horses and one of our trainers now has another stallion that is quite a piece of work his name is No Storms, you can't walk by any of his horses without them trying to get at you, no matter their age.

[mariasmon]

mariasmon--why not?

Because inevitably someone will tell a story that someone else thinks is inappropriate. OR, someone will report that a stallion is mean because he was doing something that is normal stallion behavior.

My mom has never stopped telling people that when we visited Secretariat when I was a kid that he kept biting the chain on his shank It doesn't matter that I've told her 167 times that at least 99% of stallions do that.

[TheFlyingFilly]

Because inevitably someone will tell a story that someone else thinks is inappropriate. OR, someone will report that a stallion is mean because he was doing something that is normal stallion behavior.

My mom has never stopped telling people that when we visited Secretariat when I was a kid that he kept biting the chain on his shank It doesn't matter that I've told her 167 times that at least 99% of stallions do that.

Ha! Well, I'm interested in this from a historical (and just plain curious!) standpoint so hopefully it goes well and we get a lot of great input (and stories!)

[TheFlyingFilly]

I remember seeing Dynaformer on a tour of 3c's we were a small group. His groom was in his stall grooming him and they had him chained to the corner of his stall by the window so he couldn't turn around and get the guy. Everytime the guy touched him with the brush he laid his ears back and attacked the rubber tube that was there for him to chew on and man could you see the tooth marks in that thing. The groom told us that all the stallions but him got to be ridden because no one couldn't or was willing to try and put a bit in his mouth as one of his former grooms lost a finger to him. Now thats a nasty temper. Might want to add Corslew to the list, he was the one that attacked my friend Ellen at her farm there in California. Our last filly born her sire Kennedy Factor was a little nasty and tended throw some hot tempered horses and one of our trainers now has another stallion that is quite a piece of work his name is No Storms, you can't walk by any of his horses without them trying to get at you, no matter their age.

I remember the 3C folks told us the same--Dynaformer bit a guy's finger off.

Now I'm hoping to see him be groomed next time we stop there!!

[Lakeway]

We were told another reason that Dynaformer wasn't ridden is that every now and then he'd try to bite the riders leg... Once would be once too many for me.

[mariasmon]

We were told another reason that Dynaformer wasn't ridden is that every now and then he'd try to bite the riders leg... Once would be once too many for me.

I think there was more to it than that. But who'd want to be the one to try to get the bit in his mouth?

[Pronzini]

I've heard Alleged was one of the worst.

[Ty88]

Halo wore a muzzle. And of course Hastings, Man o' War's grandsire.

[Retrospectiv]

I've heard Alleged was one of the worst.

There's a really wonderful blog post by a person who used to work at the farm with him here:


http://runroughshod.blogspot.com/201...r-alleged.html

[Cigar]

Lammtarra is said to be a nutso. Topsider was also a meanie when he stood at Claiborne.
Lyllos was at Country Life Farm when he was put down do to his meaness (and his poor sire record didn't help).

[serenassong]

Halo wore a muzzle. And of course Hastings, Man o' War's grandsire.

I heard stories about Hastings that he would savage the horses racing, it pissed him off if another was in front of him - it happened so often that they had to retire him. I seem to recall Spinning World wearing a muzzle as well(could be wrong, though). Ribot is legendary with his antics. Isn't it funny how such bad actors get such great, sound runners for the most part?

[TBird]

Isn't it funny how such bad actors get such great, sound runners for the most part?

If they didn't, you wouldn't know who they were. The bad actors who turn out to be not-so-great stallions disappear into oblivion pretty quickly because no one will put up with the behavior just to get mediocre offspring.