NRHA Million Dollar Sire: Shiners Voodoo Dr

Winning offspring and a bit of voodoo made Shiners Voodoo Dr an NRHA Million Dollar Sire.

By Kaycie Timm

Although he didn’t retire from the show pen until 2014, “Voodoo” began selectively breeding as a 4-year-old, jumpstarting his career as a sire. (Photo by Digital Horse Services)

Successful in the show pen and even more so in the breeding shed, Shiners Voodoo Dr, by NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Shining Spark and out of Voodoo Chic, has become the 10th NRHA Million Dollar Sire for owner Silver Spurs Equine, LLC. Before transitioning to a full-time breeding career, the 2007 palomino earned more than $85,900 in NRHA LTE—and his offspring are following in their sire’s tracks.

“He’s a total gentleman in the breeding barn and all business in the show pen,” shared Michael Miola of Silver Spurs Equine, LLC. “He’s always right there waiting for you—that’s what I love about this guy.”

When NRHA Professional Thiago Boechat, who now serves as ranch manager for Silver Spurs Equine—Oklahoma, set out to find a 3-year-old prospect to finish and show at the 2010 Futurity, he stumbled upon a palomino colt started under saddle by cow horse trainer Kevin Stallings of Camp Verde, Arizona.

“We had tried several horses, but as soon as I got on ‘Voodoo,’ I knew he was the one,” Boechat recalled. “He was just different. Even though he’d only been ridden in snaffle, it didn’t take him very much to switch. He turned into a great reiner.”

After just a few months of training, Boechat showed the stallion at the 2010 Tulsa Reining Classic, where they claimed the L3–2 open futurity championship, before heading to Oklahoma City for the 2010 NRHA Futurity. There, the pair made the Open Futurity finals in Levels 4–2, finishing ninth in L3 and sixth in L2.

“His heart is what makes him special,” Boechat shared. “He was strong in every maneuver—a +1 everywhere.”

In 2012, Boechat handed over Voodoo’s reins to NRHA Professional Todd Bergen, who took him to a second-place finish in the 2012 NRHA L4 Open Derby. Simultaneously, the second portion of Voodoo’s career launched as Boechat began selectively breeding the stallion.

NRHA Professional Todd Bergen and “Voodoo” finished second in the 2012 NRHA L4 Open Derby. (Photo by Waltenberry)

“We started breeding him as 4-year-old because he’s such a good-minded horse we knew it wouldn’t disturb his performance career,” Boechat explained. “Even though he produced a smaller number of offspring the first three years he was breeding, they’ve proven to be really successful. He always had at least one offspring in the L4 finals of a major event—first the NRHA Futurity, then NRBC, and the NRHA Derby.”

At the end of the 2013 season, Voodoo retired from the show pen to become a full-time sire. When Miola merged Xtra Quarter Horses with his Silver Spurs Equine, he was immediately impressed with Voodoo.

“He’s just a pleasure to be around,” Miola shared. “He’s special because of his mind and athleticism, but his major accomplishment is his breeding. You can see, even with a limited number of foal crops, the success of his produce.”

Shiners Voodoo Dr’s offspring pushed him past the mark as an Million Dollar Sire after a successful 2019 show season. (Photo by Digital Horse Services)

Most recently, Voodoo’s progeny showed their prowess at the 2019 NRHA Futurity, garnering more than $30,000 in total earnings. Two of his get, Xtra Shiners Taboo (out of Xtra Suzies Step) and Magic Mann (out of Wimpys New Pal), competed in the MS Diamonds TX L4 Open finals, while Xtra Handsome Shiner (out of Hermosa Wimpy), Xtra Voodoo Charm (out of Little Smart Wimpy), and Voodoo Brew (out of Reddy To Smokem) pulled checks from the L3–1 Open finals.

“I’m very selective when I pick a stallion to invest in,” Miola revealed. “I’m very proud of him, but [becoming an NRHA Million Dollar Sire] is something I expected from him.”

To date, Voodoo’s top-performing offspring include:

Xtra New Pal Voodoo (out of Wimpys New Pal, by Wimpys Little Step)
Shiners Voodoo (out of BR China Rose, by Hollywood Dun It)
Smart Voodoo Doctor (out of Smart As Sister, by Very Smart Remedy)
Xtra Taris Voodoo (out of All That’s Dun, by Hollywood Dun It)
Call Me Mr Voodoo (out of ARC Sassy Snapper, by Snapper Call Bar)
Xtra Voodoo Gun (out of Miss Silver Gun, by Gunner)
Xtra Voodoo Doc (out of Call Me Miss Hickory, by Docs Hickory)
Blonde Ambishen (out of Relaxin With A Bud, by Nic It In The Bud)
Shiners Voodoo Juice (out of SLJ This Is My Juice, by Smart Like Juice)
Xtra Black Magic (out of Always Steppin Smart, by Wimpys Little Step)

As the 13-year-old stallion continues breeding, his offspring just keep getting better. With each foal crop that matures, Boechat and Miola grow increasingly excited about Voodoo’s future.

“The future is only going to be better,” Boechat predicted. “He’s getting popular, and he’s been breeding a larger number of mares over the last few years, so that’s only going to increase the number of good horses by him competing.”