Article about HS Rodeo Drive written by Doc Hunsley 20 years ago

Help Support Steer Planet:

R180

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2021
Messages
24
Sharing something I found interesting.  Perhaps this will be educational to some and simply nostalgic to others.  I’m sharing a photo of an article about HS Rodeo Drive from the September 2001 issue of Shorthorn country.  The article was announcing that Rodeo Drive was put down after suffering a broken shoulder while breeding cows naturally at 14 years old.  Pretty incredible longevity for a show bull.  I thought Doc Hunsley was honest in his assessment.  He was big, but certainly prepotent.  There is a lot of intrigue and back story to Rodeo Drive, some true some exaggerated gossip, but he made a mark in an era that was really transitional and in hindsight very  strange. 

Without him,Ayatollah’s reign would have been extended and that wouldn’t have been good. Rodeo Drive had a tight grip on the breed until two bulls, born 6 years after him in the spring of 1993, would take over and drastically change the breed again - CF Trump and AHL Double Stuff. 

An odd thing about Rodeo Drive is he had sons that were absolute giants marketed as sure fire growth bulls (like Chaps) and others marketed as calving ease (Mel Bar Rodeo Drive).  Another interesting thing was his daughters were awesome cows (albeit big) with amazing udders.

Something stood out in the article, while the counts of progeny  are big for shorthorns, I think it’s indicative of how or why progress is slow.  Compared to other breeds the numbers are very small.  Imagine the progress that could be made if a dozen bulls were siring 1,000 plus calves a year with accurate data collection from birth to harvest.  The numbers in the tests being conducted today seem inconsequential.

I’d love to hear any Rodeo Drive stories that y’all may have, or thoughts on where the breed was at that time and the changes that ensued.

Warmly,
R180

Ps I hope there are real people who still follow this site.  Although I never really engaged, and still prefer anonymity, I’ve followed for 10 years or so and enjoyed the knowledge that was shared
 

Attachments

  • 6AABBC47-F844-4511-8AD3-3433CD9EF875.jpeg
    6AABBC47-F844-4511-8AD3-3433CD9EF875.jpeg
    1.3 MB · Views: 261

oakview

Well-known member
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,346
Lots of "interesting" history on Rodeo Drive, along with several others from his point of origin.  I only had a couple daughters of him, but they did a decent job.  I had a grandson, GR Boris  9317 sired by MGRR Boris out of Bonnie Ruberta, that was one tremendous female sire.  Moderate framed, good udders, fertile, and nice to look at.  I later used a descendent of old Rodeo Drive from the "calving ease" line that definitely was not calving ease. 
 

Dale

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
450
Dad, Burke, who had been around great Shorthorn cattle for over 50 years, and I were watching the show at the NAILE.  When Rodeo hit the ring, Dad said he'd use him!  Since Rodeo Drive was syndicated we never did, but his influence is certainly in our herd.  Having Rodeo several times in a pedigree is a plus.  Does intensifying Rodeo in a herd tend to improve udders?   
 

mark tenenbaum

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Messages
5,765
Location
Virginia Sometimes Iowa and Kansas
I had a daughter SBF Cumberland  87A who was a full sib to Shadybrook Traildriver -She was a Rodeo Greg and looked it-but produced one daughter that was the dam to my Cumberland Doner Stella (second hi seller of breed 1999-$19000 at 6 months Old) She was by Studley-maybe one of the few better ones from him -Still have 38 embryos on her I got to see Rodeo in person-maybe 1999 or so I went to Cates after Indiana state fair and Bryan showed him to me Very good natured-he had small horns (scurs)-He was a big red bull lotta daylight under him- exremely smooth made and much bigger footed than I thought hed be and in much better shape too Maybe the son I saw that looked most like him was Moores Rodeo son-Tarheel Drive O0
 

mark tenenbaum

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Messages
5,765
Location
Virginia Sometimes Iowa and Kansas
Hey R 180 I was around back in the day but lost my magazines so this is  not Rodeo but in the ERA-1-IS THERE ANYWAY-you could show Cates Original CD AD-"This is CD this is CDS Butt-ANY QUESTIONS?" I think it was towards breeding time 1992-CD was the first clubby looking Shorthorn I ever saw (Louisville) and I WAS DUMBSTRUCK (Im still dumb BTW) that ad was as cool as the previous K and A Shakedown ad showing him from behind-BORROWED TO GOOD EFECT JMO 2-DO YOU HAVE ANY PICS OF MTS SPECIAL EFFECT ? I think he was Nat Champ in 94 at Louisville and I was really impressed with him-and the later females like special Angie Etc -THEN Pretender came soon after two Beautiful bulls jmo I stopped by Robert Aldens a week or so ago  for the first time in years picking up semen and bought a couple straws on Special Effect-to use on one too small MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE  O0
 

idalee

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
188
Does anybody really know what the maternal side of his pedigree is?  His GG Grand-dam is HS Kendra Ann 209th and listed at 50% shorthorn and black with white marks.    So she could be some combination of Angus,  Black White Face,  or Holstein.  The fact that Rodeo Drive was reputed to sire great udders might suggest that Holstein is a better fit than the others.  The great size of his offspring, as well as his own long legs,  lends credence to that interpretation, as well. 
 

Medium Rare

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
459
Location
Missouri
idalee said:
Does anybody really know what the maternal side of his pedigree is?  His GG Grand-dam is HS Kendra Ann 209th and listed at 50% shorthorn and black with white marks.    So she could be some combination of Angus,  Black White Face,  or Holstein.  The fact that Rodeo Drive was reputed to sire great udders might suggest that Holstein is a better fit than the others.  The great size of his offspring, as well as his own long legs,  lends credence to that interpretation, as well.

I do not believe you have listed the breed that should be attributed to that piece of his pedigree.

I'd really like to know why the database is missing large pieces of pedigrees that used to be there. Some very popular bulls now have blank pedigrees.
 

R180

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2021
Messages
24
mark tenenbaum said:
Hey R 180 I was around back in the day but lost my magazines so this is  not Rodeo but in the ERA-1-IS THERE ANYWAY-you could show Cates Original CD AD-"This is CD this is CDS Butt-ANY QUESTIONS?" I think it was towards breeding time 1992-CD was the first clubby looking Shorthorn I ever saw (Louisville) and I WAS DUMBSTRUCK (Im still dumb BTW) that ad was as cool as the previous K and A Shakedown ad showing him from behind-BORROWED TO GOOD EFECT JMO 2-DO YOU HAVE ANY PICS OF MTS SPECIAL EFFECT ? I think he was Nat Champ in 94 at Louisville and I was really impressed with him-and the later females like special Angie Etc -THEN Pretender came soon after two Beautiful bulls jmo I stopped by Robert Aldens a week or so ago  for the first time in years picking up semen and bought a couple straws on Special Effect-to use on one too small MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE  O0

Here you go.  I think CD marked the beginning of the end of the frame era in Shorthorns.  He is listed as a 7.5 frame.  In the same issue, March 92, Rockdale Powerdream (by AKF Power Play) was national champion and C Cisco (by HS Instant Enticer) was reserve national champion bull.  Both were listed as having 9+ frame scores.  This was back when they still touted frame score in their write ups for national champions.  Cedar Curve Farrah (also by AKF Power Play) was national champion female and Ka’Ba Rose T90 was reserve and they’re listed as 7.9 and 8.8 frame scores respectively.
 

Attachments

  • F19FA395-7AC3-48FE-9377-158499C00568.jpeg
    F19FA395-7AC3-48FE-9377-158499C00568.jpeg
    1,012.5 KB · Views: 188
  • 1D44A340-E5B6-4338-A0C0-120A619D3B27.jpeg
    1D44A340-E5B6-4338-A0C0-120A619D3B27.jpeg
    1 MB · Views: 194

Dale

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 13, 2007
Messages
450
A well known breeder told me that a single drop of Chi blood results in no "bottle teats."  Does anyone else recall that Rodeo's electronic pedigree (previous version) showed Chi, possibly in the dam of HS KENDRA ANN 209TH,  Shorthorn %:  AR50?   
 

R180

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2021
Messages
24
Dale said:
A well known breeder told me that a single drop of Chi blood results in no "bottle teats."  Does anyone else recall that Rodeo's electronic pedigree (previous version) showed Chi, possibly in the dam of HS KENDRA ANN 209TH,  Shorthorn %:  AR50? 
I don’t recall seeing it in the pedigree, but my guess would be that he was some % Chianina. His half brother LCS Sunset Strip out of HS Ultra Brite and sired by HS Instant Enticer was listed as as some % Chi in one of their ads.  He was also listed as “lighter red than most” or something like that.  I saw him in person - awesome looking animal, tall and very heavily muscled,  but he was very light red. 
 

mark tenenbaum

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Messages
5,765
Location
Virginia Sometimes Iowa and Kansas
Thanks really appreciate it this was where things begin to change -I saw a real good group of calves at Denver in 1994-95 that lecille Church had from Oklahoma-they were stingers and Diamond leggs deals The D Leggs heifers were really nice and would be today-not really clubby very pretty and correct but were still thicker than the Rodeo etc The Stingers were freaks on a leash-but had some grow too O0
 

mark tenenbaum

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Messages
5,765
Location
Virginia Sometimes Iowa and Kansas
R180 said:
Dale said:
A well known breeder told me that a single drop of Chi blood results in no "bottle teats."  Does anyone else recall that Rodeo's electronic pedigree (previous version) showed Chi, possibly in the dam of HS KENDRA ANN 209TH,  Shorthorn %:  AR50? 
I don’t recall seeing it in the pedigree, but my guess would be that he was some % Chianina. His half brother LCS Sunset Strip out of HS Ultra Brite and sired by HS Instant Enticer was listed as as some % Chi in one of their ads.  He was also listed as “lighter red than most” or something like that.  I saw him in person - awesome looking animal, tall and very heavily muscled,  but he was very light red.  I knew Mike Dugdale somewhat-and we were allways jiving back and forth-He brought Rodeo and Enticer on thier "dams " in to Shorthorn Central and knew where all the bodies were buried-DEFINITELY CHI  AND HAD THE LOOK Size and general makeup and the tight udder He also passed the orange look on to his progeny-my Cumberland was close to orange in hot summers-AND ENTICER WAS DEF PART MAINE WITH THE SHEATH THE HIGH GUT AND BWS ETC-I really doubt any Holstien on Rodeo  from the udder standpoint the color and the shape of his head -plus Dugdale told me the deal O0
 

Medium Rare

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
459
Location
Missouri
Dale said:
A well known breeder told me that a single drop of Chi blood results in no "bottle teats."  Does anyone else recall that Rodeo's electronic pedigree (previous version) showed Chi, possibly in the dam of HS KENDRA ANN 209TH,  Shorthorn %:  AR50? 

I'm almost sure it was there in the past, but I do not have a screenshot.

There are a lot of bulls with blank spots in their pedigrees right now, so who knows what's going on.
 

Medium Rare

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
459
Location
Missouri
R180 said:
Here you go.  I think CD marked the beginning of the end of the frame era in Shorthorns.  He is listed as a 7.5 frame.  In the same issue, March 92, Rockdale Powerdream (by AKF Power Play) was national champion and C Cisco (by HS Instant Enticer) was reserve national champion bull.  Both were listed as having 9+ frame scores.  This was back when they still touted frame score in their write ups for national champions.  Cedar Curve Farrah (also by AKF Power Play) was national champion female and Ka’Ba Rose T90 was reserve and they’re listed as 7.9 and 8.8 frame scores respectively.

Warrior's win seems to have marked part of the turning point.

It's always interesting to see how some of these genetics mesh over time even while being concentrated. I have a couple flush mate heifers with at least 9 shots of T90 in them and they're showing no signs of those frame scores.
 

R180

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2021
Messages
24
Medium Rare said:
R180 said:
Here you go.  I think CD marked the beginning of the end of the frame era in Shorthorns.  He is listed as a 7.5 frame.  In the same issue, March 92, Rockdale Powerdream (by AKF Power Play) was national champion and C Cisco (by HS Instant Enticer) was reserve national champion bull.  Both were listed as having 9+ frame scores.  This was back when they still touted frame score in their write ups for national champions.  Cedar Curve Farrah (also by AKF Power Play) was national champion female and Ka’Ba Rose T90 was reserve and they’re listed as 7.9 and 8.8 frame scores respectively.

Warrior's win seems to have marked part of the turning point.

It's always interesting to see how some of these genetics mesh over time even while being concentrated. I have a couple flush mate heifers with at least 9 shots of T90 in them and they're showing no signs of those frame scores.

The Warrior win did mark a turning point, but from what I recall Dynamics was reserve and he was a monster.  What a weird time in Shorthorn history.

Isn’t it wild that the base for modern Shorthorn show winners was coming together 30 years ago with CD and Rose T90?  Both basically Maine/Irish crosses with Dividend as the common denominator. Trump was the only CD son I recall that made any impact.
 

RyanChandler

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Messages
3,457
Location
Pottsboro, TX
Definitely recall seeing the Kendra cow showing half Chi on her papers prior to digitalbeef.

Bull I still have, Waukaru Forward 4003, has 7 shots of RD.  Don’t have many daughters of his but one has atop 2-3 bull calf in the herd- Jubal Early 2117


By far worst Shorthorn cow I’ve ever seen was a T90 clone in Indiana.  Cow looked to be about 3 feet across the hips w/ a tailhead coming out of the top of her spine as big around as my arm.  A literal mutant.
 
Top