Like many things in 2020, the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Markel Futurity Sales looked a little different this year. In the past, the sales have been held in the sale pavilion in Barn 3 and spread out over several days. This year, four sales were held back-to-back on Dec. 3 in the Barn 6 arena.
“I personally liked having it all the same day,” said Cooper Smith, who purchased a top seller and consigned two top sellers. “I think they had it set up good. They didn’t really have a lot showing today, and I think the guys had a fair opportunity to be able to look at the horses. Yeah, it’s a long day, but you kind of got it one and done and out of the way. It was good for everybody.”
A great absence was felt during the sales this year, as Doug Carpenter, a member of the sale committee, passed away from Covid-19 in November shortly before the Futurity began. Markel Insurance’s Frank Costantini spoke a few words in Carpenter’s memory, followed by a moment of silence. According to Gary Carpenter, Commissioner of the NRHA, though Carpenter was a member of the committee and had been the chair in the past, “he was so much more than that,” and he will be greatly missed.
Futurity Prospect Sale
The Futurity Prospect Sale kicked off by selling donated breedings to 12 stallions to benefit the National Reining Horse Youth Association (NRHyA), and the fundraiser collected $16,100. The top-selling breeding was Spooks Gotta Whiz, which sold for $3,700.
Thirty-one horses were consigned to the Futurity Prospect Sale, and it was hip no. 1018, Colonel Chic Gun, who sold for $65,000 as the highest seller.
Consigned by G Reining Horses/Giada Camparsi, Colonel Chic Gun (Colonels Shining Gun x Million Dollar Chic x Smart Chic Olena), a 2018 sorrel colt, was purchased by Smith for a client of his. Smith said they liked the stallion because he checked all of their boxes.
“He’s colored up, he’s a stud, he’s been started the right way and he’s by a good horse and out of a good mare,” Smith said. “If you write down what you want to buy, he’s what you want to buy.”
Colonel Chic Gun spent 330 days in training with Giada Camparsi prior to the sale. He is enrolled in the NRHA Nomination Program, the NRHA Euro Nomination Program and the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC).
Colonel Chic Gun’s sire, Colonels Shining Gun, is an earner of $112,239. His dam, Million Dollar Chic, is an NRHA money-earner whose oldest foal is 3 years old. She is a full sister to Mr Millionnic Chic, an earner of $24,838 in Australia, and to Mexico Reining Horse Association Derby Non Pro Champion Chics Millionnic. Million Dollar Chic’s grand-dam is Mollie Montana, who produced Mister Montana Nic, an earner of $183,354 and 63 American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) points.
“Giada has done a great job with that horse,” Smith said of Colonel Chic Gun. “He’s going to go on and get showed probably in the Non Pro and maybe even the Open next year.”
Charleston LK, hip 1006, was the second-highest seller after bringing a bid of $62,000 from Rick Clark. The 2018 palomino colt was consigned by St-Onge Reining Horses/Danny Hostetler and had been in training with St-Onge Reining Horses for 330 days by sale time. The colt is enrolled in the NRHA Nomination Program, the NRHA Euro Nomination Program and the NRBC.
Charleston LK is by Gunnatrashya, the 2009 NRHA Futurity Open Level (L)4 Champion and 2010 NRHA Derby Open L4 Champion. Gunnatrashya is a 2 Million Sire and has produced two NRHA Futurity Open champions.
Charleston LK’s dam, Jacs Shining Fancy (by Shining Spark), is a Rocky Mountain Reining Horse Association Summer Slide Futurity Co-Reserve Champion and has produced nine money-earners, including Wimpys Shining Jac, an earner of $12,000, and Classic Crome, who has accumulated 355 AQHA points.
The hammer fell at $55,000 for third-highest seller Spookgotitsmokn, a 2018 dun colt consigned by Randle Tune and Sergio Elia. Teresa Wynn purchased hip 1028, who had been in training with Mirjam Stillo for 330 days by sale time.
Spookgotitsmokn is by Spooks Gotta Whiz, the 2010 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Champion, 2012 NRHA Derby Open L4 Champion and 2012 NRBC Open L4 Champion. He is the first foal out of his dam, Hollywood Dun Gunnit (by Colonels Smoking Gun), who is a full sister to Hollywood Gun Dunnit, an earner of $34,000, and half-sister to Big Sky Whizard, an NRHA Open World Champion and earner of $65,000. His grand-dam is Isle Bea Dun It, an NRHA Novice Horse Open World Champion.
The 2-year-old colt is enrolled in the NRHA Nomination Program and the NRBC.
Select Yearling Sale
There were 121 colts and fillies consigned to the Select Yearling Sale, and the top seller, Starjac Enterprise, came toward the end as hip no. 2119. Consigned by Toyon Ranch LLC, the 2019 red dun colt was purchased for $88,000 in a partnership between Rick Clark, Tim Anderson and Oded Fein.
“What I like about this horse is his dam, Starjac Miss, is the dam of Platinum Vintage and also a couple other horses,” Anderson said. “I really love the mare cross, and so I decided to take a chance on the cross with the Voodoo [Shiners Voodoo Dr] because I have one by A Sparkling Vintage already.”
By Shiners Voodoo Dr, who won $87,098 and was an Open finalist at the 2010 NRHA Futurity, Starjac Enterprise is out of Starjac Miss (by Hollywood Jac 86), whose foals have earned $448,000. She is the dam of Platinum Vintage, who won $248,000 and was the 2015 NRHA Derby Open L4 Champion. She also produced Vintage Glamour, an earner of $60,454.
Starjac Enterprise is enrolled in the NRHA Nomination Program, the NRHA Euro Nomination Program and the NRBC.
“Oded, Rick and I are all good friends, and we decided that we wanted to buy one of the better horses we saw going through the Yearling Sale,” Anderson added of the partnership he formed with Clark and Fein. “I’d been watching this horse since last spring, and so I told Oded and Rick they needed to check this horse out. We went ahead and did it and they agreed, so we’re happy as a partnership. The horse will be going to Andrea Fappani.”
Anderson was also the buyer of the second-highest seller, Vintage Ebony, a 2019 sorrel colt. Hip no. 2095, Vintage Ebony brought $75,000 for consigner Sterling Ranch.
The colt is out of Ebony Spook (by Smart Spook), an earner of $160,000 who is the daughter of Ebony Whiz. Ebony Whiz produced 10 money-earners, including NRHA World Champion The Shiney Whiz. Vintage Ebony is by A Sparkling Vintage, earner of $53,000. He is enrolled in the NRHA Nomination Program, the NRHA Euro Nomination Program and the NRBC.
With a bid of $71,000, Rick Clark bought the third-highest seller, hip no. 2109. Spook Electric, a half-brother to Vintage Ebony, was also consigned by Sterling Ranch and is enrolled in the NRHA Nomination Program, the NRHA Euro Nomination Program and the NRBC. The 2019 sorrel colt is by Jacs Electric Spark, an earner of $85,000.
Select Breeders Sale
Twenty-one horses walked through the ring during the Select Breeders Sale, and it was hip no. 3016, Im Gunna Shine, who sold for a sale-topping $95,000. Consigned by Cooper Smith, Im Gunna Shine was purchased by Onofre Gomez, of California, who has always dreamed of owning a direct son of Colonels Smoking Gun.
“We liked just everything from his bloodlines, his color and his conformation, to the way he is dispositioned,” Gomez said. “He’ll probably be a pleasure horse for a while for my daughters and I, and we might start breeding him here in the next coming years.”
The 2010 double-bred palomino stallion is an NRHA earner of $36,073, collecting paychecks almost every year since 2013. By Colonels Smoking Gun and out of the Shining Spark mare Shiner Light, he is a full brother to two other money-earners: Palomino Horse Breeders Association World Champion Youth Reining Horse Guns A Shining, and $11,971 earner Shina Gun.
Im Gunna Shine is 5-panel N/N. He is the sire of four AQHA-registered foals from two crops, including Gunna Twist N Shine, a finalist in all levels of the Southwest Reining Horse Association Futurity Non Pro.
Following right behind Im Gunna Shine as hip no. 3017 was a foal in utero selling for $45,000 to Richard Vernon. Consigned by Toyon Ranch, the 2021 foal is by Colonels Smoking Gun and out of Icing Required (by Smart Chic Olena), who was the No. 1 leading reining producer in 2019. Icing Required’s foals have earned $504,000, including the foal in utero’s full sibling No Smoking Required, who was the 2019 Run For A Million Co-Champion and is the No. 1 all-time highest-earning reining stallion.
A 2020 palomino filly also consigned by Toyon Ranch brought the third-highest bid of $40,000, selling to Story Book Stables. By Colonels Smoking Gun, the filly is out of Dun Its Deja Vu (by Hollywood Dun It), making her a full sister to NRBC Open L3 Champion Gunner Dun It Again, an earner of $113,000.
Dun Its Deja Vu has produced 14 money-earners, totaling $244,000. Her 2020 filly is enrolled in the NRHA Nomination Program and the NRBC, and the seller offered to add the NRHA Euro Nomination Program at the buyer’s request.
Marketplace Sale
The Marketplace Sale rounded out a full day of sales at the NRHA Futurity. Hip 4021, Shiners Topgun, sold for the highest amount during the sale, bringing a bid of $69,000 from Rhodes River Ranch for consignor Smith.
Rhodes River Ranch sold the 2019 sorrel colt (by Colonels Shining Gun) to Smith as a foal, and trainer Sean McBurney was excited to have him back in their program. He particularly likes the colt’s dam, The Prima Ballerina (by Topsail Whiz).
“She was a super nice mare to ride,” McBurney said. “I only rode her like three times, but she felt really nice.”
The Prima Ballerina earned more than $34,000 and was Reserve Champion in the Wild Card Reining Challenge Non Pro Stakes in 2017. McBurney’s goal with her colt is to try to expand Rhodes River Ranch’s business.
“He just seemed like a nice colt,” McBurney said. “He’s a very smooth-muscled colt. His conformation, I think, is really good. I think he’s a spectacular individual.”
Hip 4051, Buzz Liteyear (Wimpys Little Step x Moonstone Mega x Marthas Mega Jac), brought the second-highest bid when the hammer fell at $50,000. Cade McCutcheon bought the 2019 buckskin colt, who was also consigned by Smith.
Buzz Liteyear is a brother to NRBC Derby Open finalist Wimpys Mega Step, an earner of $68,000. His dam is an earner of $53,000. The colt is enrolled in the NRHA Nomination Program and the NRBC.
Two horses brought the third-highest bid of $31,000. The first, hip 4029, was SS Diggin For Chex (Pale Face Dunnit x Chexynic x Boomernic), a 2019 sorrel colt consigned by Heritage Farms, an agent for Korey Wright.
Jimmy and Nancy Nichols purchased the colt, whose great grand-dam is Santalina Command. She earned $10,000 and produced four money-earners, including AQHA Reserve High Point Junior Reining Champion Peppy N Company. SS Diggin For Chex is enrolled in the NRHA Nomination Program and the NRBC.
The second colt to bring a $31,000 bid was hip 4039, SS The Wimp Doctor, another 2019 sorrel colt consigned by Heritage Farms as an agent for Tyler O’Neal. SS The Wimp Doctor (Shiners Voodoo Dr x Hermosa Wimpy x Wimpys Little Step) is a brother to Xtra Handsome Shiner, a finalist in the NRHA Futurity Open L3. He is enrolled in both the NRHA Nomination Program and the NRBC.