2017 – Another elite stallion has joined the ranks of National Reined Cow Horse Association Million Dollar Sires, as offspring of CD Lights (CD Olena x Delight Of My Life x Grays Starlight), have officially surpassed the seven-figure earnings milestone in March, 2017. CD Lights is the 17th American Quarter Horse stallion to earn Million Dollar Sire status in the NRCHA.

Known to many in the performance horse industry by his nickname, “Boss,” CD Lights is a 1999 stallion bred by Danny Connelly Motes. He is owned by Motes and leading National Cutting Horse Association professional Winston Hansma, Weatherford, Texas. Trained and shown by Hansma, CD Lights earned $234,000 in five seasons of NCHA competition. He became a finalist at 14 major NCHA limited age events, including the 2002 NCHA Futurity Open and the 2003 NCHA Derby Open. Another career accolade for CD Lights was marking a 229 to win the 2006 NCHA World Finals Championship, after which the stallion was retired from showing.

CD Lights passed on his superior physical ability and disposition to his offspring, beginning with his full foal crop which arrived in 2005. As 3-year-olds, those youngsters began proving themselves with substantial earnings in the 2008 futurities. CD Lights babies made their earliest impression in NCHA competition, but quickly crossed over to assert themselves as champions in the demanding triathlon of reined cow horse. Hansma has continued his role in CD Lights’ career by training and showing his offspring to major titles in the cutting horse and cow horse arenas, winning the 2013 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Limited Open Championship on Bossy Brother (CD Lights x Diamonds Sparklette x Genuine Doc), a gelding he owns with Motes.

In 2017, the leading NRCHA money earner by CD Lights is CD Dee Vee Dee, a 2005 gelding out of the Shining Spark daughter Shiners Missy Jay, with over $200,000 in lifetime NRCHA earnings. CD Dee Vee Dee was bred by NRCHA Hall of Fame member Carol Rose, and is owned by NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Jay McLaughlin and his wife, Wendy. Jay and his son, Cutter McLaughlin, have shown CD Dee Vee Dee to the majority of his lifetime earnings.