Billy Martin’s Light N Lena, the top siring son of Grays Starlight, died November 2.

The 2000 stallion was bred by Jay and Melissa Gribble, who sold him to Jerry Durant at the Western Bloodstock NCHA Futurity Sales in 2001. Martin bought him from Durant the following year, also at the Western Bloodstock Sales.

Light N Lena was out of Little Missie Lena an earner of $77,000 and producer of $494,000.

The stallion earned $160,442, with Billy Martin in Non-Pro competition, and Phil Rapp and Sean Flynn in the Open. He was an NCHA Super Stakes Classic and Classic Challenge finalist with Rapp, and he took Martin to fourth place in the Non-Pro NCHA Derby in 2004.

“It makes it awful easy for me, when you have one that can do what this horse can do, and is trained as well as he is,” Martin said in 2004. “He’s very explosive, but he has a lot of control on a cow. He waits and he makes big moves, and stops deep in the ground. It’s kind of exciting.”

Light N Lena went on to sire NCHA earners of $1.9 million, led by NCHA Derby champion Buzzted ($294,480).

Light N Lily earned $286,000 and won a string of events inlcuding the NCHA Non-Pro Super Stakes Classic and Non-Pro World Finals with Martin’s daughter, Kaitlyn Larsen.

Laredo Montana banked $221,000 and took Billy Martin to the NCHA Derby Non-Pro championship at the age of 69, making him the oldest rider to win an NCHA Triple Crown event.

In addition to his cutting horses, Light N Lena was also represented by notable reined cow horses, including Oh Cay Meriah, reserve champion of the NRCHA Stallion Stakes and an NRCHA Futurity and Derby finalist with Todd Crawford.