SDP Buffalo Ranch stands an elite band of Stallions at their Station, each have earned their right to be there. SDP principal Shane Plummer has a keen eye for great horses and is always on the lookout for the next standout to join the #boysofbuffalo.
We asked Shane to explain the attraction and enlighten us as to what the future might hold for SPOTS HOTTIST.
What were your first impressions of SPOTS HOTTIST?
I first saw this beautiful stallion show at the 2020 NCHA Futurity in Fort Worth, Texas. Trained by Jesse Lennox, he had a freakish way of moving which is pretty rare to see. He oozed class and talent. I don’t recall the go round scores, but the stud was a leader and tons of buzz from everyone going into the Finals. I followed him very closely as I track all stallions, he and Jesse went on to win at the Breeders Invitational and the Idaho Derby that year.
The next show season, I called Jesse to see what his then owner Rockin P had planned with him. Jesse said they loved him, that he himself loved him, “A special horse that I love to ride”, he said. Jesse told me they didn’t have plans to stand him yet, but were flattered by my interest. I then inquired if they’d be interested in pricing him and Jesse told me he’d call me back. When he told me they wanted $4M for him, I thought Jesse was joking and I chuckled with him on that. Well, he wasn’t joking, so the laugh was on me. I said I loved him and if there was any way I could speak with them on standing him in the future, I’d love the opportunity. I guess it was fate that he eventually ended up here.”
There is a large roster of stallions at SDP Buffalo Ranch what is it about SPOTS HOTTIST that made you feel he would compliment the stallion station?
There is a wise cattleman saying, “A good bull is half your herd and a bad one, is all of it.” Translation, a stallion gives you half the genes so you better be giving yourself all the potential you can afford request to your mare’s needs.
Breeding to win is my game. I could write a book about the question you ask here, but suffice to say on this stallion specifically, there is zero reason that he could not be an all-time great sire, if he’s bred to the right mares, with the right owners, who send them to the right trainers.
He is the goods: pedigree, phenotype, athleticism, grit and shine. Sexy sells, he’s that. High Brow Cat is the greatest breeding animal ever, his blood permeates in everything and for good reason. His counter weight the past 20 years is the great Dual Rey, he too has a gene pool that is gigantic. Hottish is in the same realm as those two great sires, but unfortunately his life was cut short and he did not produce a lot of inventory of semen. Spots Hottist is his line and, thankfully, can produce plenty of semen.
Spots Hottist does not have a drop of High Brow Cat in him, so he has a lot of opportunity ahead of him on mares to breed to. I also expect the line-breeding on some of the mares with the Dual Rey line, offers some exciting potential. If that is what the market wants, we want to supply it.
What plans do SDP have for Spots Hottist’s future?
He will be bred to the best we can get to him. He’ll be supported by our training dollars for his foals, giving them the best shot we can give them to be successful. We will market him and promote him proper, so horse owners and trainers get excited. We have a good track record for this, Spots Hottist will get our best.
Are there any performed progeny by Spots Hottist?
He bred his first mare in March 2024, shortly after we purchased him. His first season at stud was this year and it is neat, his first year at stud in Australia will be the same year. I always find that quite exciting.
What progeny are you expecting from your mares?
Buying him two months already into the breeding season, he got a late start in promotion and mares to breed. But, we did get some great pregnancies for 2025 foal crop. Miss Meow has two foals coming, she won $200,000 as a show mare and is a full sister to the great all-time leading sire, Smooth As A Cat.
One of our best mares, SDP Hicapoo Cat (Hydrive Cat x Hicapoo who was NCHA Horse of the Year, winner of $447K and producer of $800K with two daughter producing over $1M each), has a foal coming. The resulting 2025 foal will be a half sibling to one of our great show mares out of SDP Hicapoo Cat, SDP Carpe Diem Baby (by Sannman) who has won over $60,000 this year and is in the top ten running for the $25,000 Novice World Finals.
And then we have flushed one out of another great show mare we have, SDP Flashy Rebel by Metallic Rebel, she’s won $60,000 to date. Between our babies coming next year and that of his customers, it is an exciting first crop.
