Dynaformer’s heart attack on April 14 and subsequent death by humane euthanasia on April 29 put a full stop to the career of one of the breed’s most important stallions. A really big horse who tended to sire horses of similar stature, Dynaformer was one of our most important factors for mental and physical toughness, for distance racing aptitude, and for overall athletic talent.

Although never known as a sire of speed horses nor as a frequent fount of juvenile stars, Dynaformer did begin his career with a racer who nearly pulled a massive upset in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile of 1993. Blumin Affair, from his sire’s first crop, came from far back in the Juvenile to finish second to winner Brocco (by Kris S.). Among the fine horses behind them were top juvenile Dehere and the following year’s Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Tabasco Cat.

As the third-longest shot on the board, Blumin Affair was not the house horse, and some people wrote off his sterling effort as a fluke, but the result was an omen for the importance of English Derby winner Roberto as a continuing influence for stamina and sturdiness in the breed. Both the winner and second were sired by sons of Roberto, and both moved up the stallion roster to become sires of great importance in Kentucky and around the world.

That was a truly unpredictable result for both stallions because neither went to stud with great hoopla or exaggerated expectations.

In the bitter times of the great bloodstock depression of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dynaformer had gone to stud at Nathan Fox’s Wafare Farm outside Lexington for a fee of $5,000. Bred and raced by Joseph Allen, Dynaformer had been a good horse whose best victory had come in the G2 Jersey Derby at a time when the economics of breeding meant that a lot more was required to break through as a top performer and win a place at a boutique stallion farm.

In contrast, going to Wafare meant that Dynaformer was a horseman’s horse – one that breeders with an eye for a horse and a pocketful of dreams would patronize in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle.

Fox commented today that “Dynaformer was a once in a lifetime kind of horse. I was drawn to him initially because he was so closely related to a stallion that I admired at the time, Darby Creek Road. After going to see him for the first time at Monmouth, Dynaformer reminded me a great deal of old photos that I had seen of Hail to Reason. Therefore, his big, coarse appearance was a plus for me rather than a negative as it was to many others. I was very fortunate to have been associated with such a great stallion, and I am grateful to Robert Clay and everyone at Three Chimneys for caring for him and for doing such a great job in managing his stud career. Dynaformer meant a great deal to me and my family and we will never forget him.”

One of the reasons that Dynaformer meant so much to Fox and other breeders of moderate means at the time is that the sire’s first-crop performers turned out to be something special. Out of an initial crop of 47 foals, 46 raced and five won stakes. Blumin Affair carried his form forward at 3 to finish third in the Kentucky Derby, and that progression is a trait of nearly all the Dynaformers. They have some ability early, but it is a shadow to what they become at 3 and 4.

Dynaformer’s other classic-placed stock includes Brilliant Speed, third in last year’s Belmont Stakes, and Perfect Drift, who was third in the 2002 Kentucky Derby. But the brightest star of all Dynaformer’s foals was grand Barbaro, winner of the 2006 Kentucky Derby and a colt of extraordinary talent.

Barbaro, like most of Dynaformer’s stock, was sired after the stallion relocated to Three Chimneys, where he began covering for the 1995 breeding season. Dynaformer spent the rest of his life there.

Case Clay of Three Chimneys said the farm “had been impressed by the success of Dynaformer’s runners sired while standing at Wafare, and he has become one of the best stallions in the breed. One of the traits about his offspring is that they just kept improving, which brought better mares, which brought more successful performers.”

Both Fox and the Clay family have enjoyed long years of success due to the sturdiness and athleticism of the Dynaformer stock, which tend to appeal a bit more to breeders who race, rather than those primarily looking to sell yearlings.

But the stallion’s success as a sire is unquestionable. From 1,185 foals that are 3 or older, Dynaformer has 1,039 starters (88 percent), 770 winners (74 percent), and 130 stakes winners (12.4 percent). Those are the hard numbers of a highly successful sire. Born on April Fool’s Day in 1985, the rangy dark brown son of Roberto out of the His Majesty mare Andover Way was 27 at the time of his death. Although the death of Barbaro prevented us from seeing what the stallion’s most talented son might have accomplished as a sire, Dynaformer has become an important sire of broodmares, with 78 stakes winners from his daughters.

But the essence of Dynaformer, from his days as a $5,000 stallion to this season, when he stood for $150,000, is that he was the working horseman’s stallion whose offspring became solid-gold performers.

This means that the stallion’s crop of 2012, conceived last year from a book of 61 mares, will be his last. That was a sizable book for an older stallion to manage well, but Dynaformer has been managed conservatively through his stud career and his longevity proves the value of the practice.

Yet even from the potential results of the stallion’s final crop currently being foaled, there will not be so many as owners and breeders might hope for. Clay noted that only “about 25 mares from last year got in foal.”

The big and ruggedly made son of Roberto was tough as a boot, in body and in spirit, but even he declined with the advance of age. From Dynaformer’s foals of 2010, now unraced 2-year-olds, there are 58 from 78 mares covered in 2009.

In the stallion’s next-to-last crop, Dynaformer had 45 live foals of 2011 from 78 mares covered in 2010. Among those yearlings is one out of Three Chimneys mare Santaria whom Clay described as notable for quality.

With Dynaformer’s death, a precious commodity just became more scarce.

A Toast to Horse Racing, With a Classic Twist

Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Cary Grant had more than one thing in common. They were not only entertainers, but they were horse racing enthusiasts, fans and owners. As a 37 year old who has grown up in the horse industry, I often hear folks talk about the “good old days” and how these three men created a great allure to horse racing, making it hip to own a horse.

When I hear this sort of chatter the next time, I will let the folks know there is a chance for “good new days” ahead.

On Saturday at Belmont Park, hours before the third leg of the Triple Crown, the modern-day, business version of the Crosby/Astaire/Grant trio got together for the first time in the same room and shared a drink. I got the feeling it won’t be the last. Three young horse owners, the celebrity chef Bobby Flay (age 46), the Under Armour founder and chief executive Kevin Plank (age 38) and the co-founder of Vitaminwater Mike Repole (age 42), are the new faces of horse racing, and it’s quite refreshing.

Each of the entrepreneurs is fun and engaging, each has earned a coveted Breeders’ Cup victory, each has built internationally recognized brands, but most importantly, they share a genuine passion for horse racing as a sport and will do whatever it takes to let people know that if you don’t own a racehorse, you’re missing an unbelievable opportunity.

“We love to promote,” Plank said, “and the three of us are getting together and saying ‘We want other people to take interest in this game that was once the most popular sport in America and say, ‘Why not again?’”

Individually, their intensity and enthusiasm is infectious, but together, when discussing horse racing, their enthusiasm rises to another level, and their love of horse racing is off the charts.

“It’s an unbelievable game,” Plank said. “There’s nothing like watching the horses coming down the stretch and crossing the finish line. And no matter what the odds, short or long, the winning is contagious and the beauty of the horse is something you can’t express. It is the prettiest thing I have ever dealt with in my life.”

The nice thing about Repole, Flay and Plank is they don’t take themselves too seriously either. As the discussion continues, I’m imagining Crosby, Astaire and Grant doing the same thing years ago, as these three gentlemen playfully weave verbal pokes back and forth to one another in jest as if they have known each other forever. They quickly maneuver between seriously passionate and hilarious zingers, which become fun to watch.

Repole and Plank, who had Stay Thirsty and Monzon, respectively, in the Belmont Stakes, asked Flay which horse would win the Belmont, each giving him a look that their horse better be mentioned. Without missing a beat, Flay smiled and said, “Santiva, definitely,” which immediately earned the payoff laugh from the other two guys.

Flay then switches back to serious and answers my question about what it was like to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with his filly, More Than Real.

“I’ve probably watched the race replay 300 times,” Flay said. “Actually I watched the replay this morning. I had about 12 people over to my house for brunch and we showed it to the guests. Somebody at the table said, ‘You can’t bottle that feeling.’ He’s right, you can’t bottle it. For me, it didn’t feel real, so I always have to watch the replay to make sure it actually happened.”

Repole comes back right on cue, “You had 12 people over for brunch, and we weren’t invited? Kevin, do you believe that?”

Plank responds, “Bobby, are you a cook or something?”

Repole pulls it right back to the passion and what he loves about horse racing. “This is what racing is about,” Repole says as he points to his 80 friends and family gathered at tables behind him. This is a celebration today,” he continues. “Whether my horse comes in 1st or 12th, it doesn’t matter. This is what racing can be about. You can come here and have a great time, spend $200, get something to eat, and possibly walk out of here with a thousand dollars. You go to a great restaurant with $200, and you’re not coming out with possibly more money in your pocket, especially if it’s one of Bobby’s restaurants!”

Flay laughs.

While they are riffing, I can see their minds moving, using what made their businesses successful to promote horse racing.

“For young guys in horse racing, the luck we have is more like a naiveté, which I promote more than anything,” Plank says. “Don’t tell me what can’t happen or what has to happen. Hopefully we can pick up a lot of trophies and have other people say, ‘I’d like to do that, too.’”

Plank, Flay and Repole were all underdogs at one point in their self-made lives. When you talk to them, you get the sense that they embrace the challenge of promoting a sport, which, like any sport (disputes and lockout discussions in the N.F.L. and N.B.A.) has its challenges; and will not let horse racing go away on their watch.

“It’s too important to let it go away,” Flay says. “We’re doing our best in this game, and we want this game to be the best it can be.”

These guys are winners and their attitudes are contagious, which is a good combination for horse racing.

“We wouldn’t have gotten into it if we thought it was going to lose,” Plank adds.

Repole, Plank and Flay don’t know what the future holds, but that certainly doesn’t stop them from dreaming. On Saturday, Flay’s filly ran a solid third in the Grade I Acorn, and he’s off to Royal Ascot to watch his Breeders’ Cup winning filly run. Repole’s horses ran third in the Grade II True North Handicap and second in the Belmont Stakes. And although Plank’s underdog didn’t take the Belmont this year, don’t bet against his long shots (his Breeders’ Cup winner was 46-1).

In the Crosby, Astaire, Grant days, it was hip to own a horse. Thanks to Bobby Flay, Mike Repole and Kevin Plank, it’s getting hip again.

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE?