(By Avalyn Hunter)
When I saw Dynaformer at Three Chimneys in 2006, my first reaction was "wow." It was not because he was pretty; there have always been plenty of handsomer horses. It was his presence, as massive and
powerful as his body. His was a personality that brooked no rivals. And he had none. At Three Chimneys, better racehorses came and went, but after the departure of Seattle Slew in 2002, Dynaformer was the unquestioned king of the farm.
Dynaformer was not a horse that had everything handed to him. While a multiple grade II winner on the track, he started his career in the shadow of two similarly-bred sons of Roberto, both members of his crop, who were both better racers: champion turf male Sunshine Forever and multiple grade I winner Brian's Time. But Dynaformer eclipsed both at stud, working up from a stud fee of $5,000 (his initial published fee) to the $150,000 he commanded from 2007 onward. And he did so on sheer merit. To date, Dynaformer has sired 130 stakes winners (11% of his foals 3 years old and older), with 25 of them scoring at the grade I level. So far in 2012, he has been represented by Ashland Stakes (gr. I) winner Karlovy Vary, grade II winners Casino Host and Point of Entry, and grade III winner Dynamic Host.
Throughout his career, Dynaformer consistently improved on his mates' produce records. Further, he was a welcome source of bone, soundness, and stamina. His average winning distance for his runners of 8.86 furlongs was the longest for any commercially viable stallion in the North American market, and his runners 3 years old and older have averaged 18 starts each, a figure that will probably rise as his youngest runners finish out their careers. Those runners, by the way, represent 85% of his foals 3 years old and older, and 63% of those foals have been winners. Dynaformer is also the broodmare sire of 78 stakes winners, and that number is sure to continue growing for some time.
Although Three Chimneys still has several solid stallions on the roster, the farm's hopes for a truly top-class sire to replace Dynaformer now rest with Big Brown, whose first juveniles will race this year. But it may be long years before American breeding is graced with another sire who combines the ability to combine class with stamina and soundness as Dynaformer has. Rest in peace, big fellow.
