FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — JAN. 24, 2013 — Pacific Range Design, an equine advertising and promotion company owned by Cam and Jim “Too Tall” Essick, has been selected to handle the marketing and publicity surrounding the sale of the $58 million Western performance sire High Brow Cat.

This stallion is the industry’s all-time leading stallion and is perhaps the most successful Western performance horse to ever change hands. Jack Waggoner, Bridgeport, Texas, sold the legendary stallion to Colt Ventures, a Dallas, Texas, investment company owned by Darren and Julie Blanton, also of Dallas.

A press conference regarding this sale is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, at the headquarters of the National Cutting Horse Association in Fort Worth, Texas. The address is 260 Bailey Avenue in Fort Worth.

Details of the transaction will be discussed, including High Brow Cat’s future, status of the vast and valuable inventory of the stallion’s frozen semen, plus discussion about what becomes of the High Brow Cat clone.

High Brow Cat’s foals have won $58 million in the cutting, reining and reined cow horse arenas, plus he is sire to offspring that have excelled across the Quarter Horse world – from ranching to barrel racing, roping to versatility events. High Brow Cat was named NCHA/AQHA Sire of the Year for 10 consecutive years, from 2003 through 2012.

HIGH BROW CAT QUICK FACTS

• High Brow Cat is sire of 1,323 foals that have won $57,662,646 in cutting, reining and reined cow horse show competition, according to performance horse statistical service Equi-Stat.
• Five High Brow Cat foals have earned $500,000 or more, while 166 of his foals have posted winnings of at least $100,000.
• A remarkable 60 percent of High Brow Cat’s offspring have won money in the show pen.
• High Brow Cat’s sire is High Brow Hickory and his dam is Smart Little Kitty, a mare by Smart Little Lena (the Western performance horse industry’s No. 2 leading sire with offspring earnings of $41 million).
• High Brow Cat performed in cutting competition from 1991 through 1995, earning $126,252.
• At the National Cutting Horse Association “Triple Crown” events held in Fort Worth, Texas – the NCHA Futurity, NCHA Super Stakes and NCHA Summer Spectacular – High Brow Cat offspring have won $18.2 million (NCHA Futurity/$8,789,362, NCHA Super Stakes/$5,602,612 and NCHA Summer Spectacular/$3,795,686).
• High Brow Cat has been cloned, with the foal due to arrive this spring.
• Seller Jack Waggoner purchased High Brow Cat in 1988 from the horse’s breeders, Hanes Chatham and Stewart Sewell, as part of a package deal that included the colt’s mother.
• Buyer Darren Blanton is the founder and managing director of Colt Ventures, a privately-held investment firm primarily focused on the following investment activities: private equity, venture capital, proprietary trading, oil and gas, hedge funds and real estate.