A reining stallion with European roots is a National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Million Dollar Sire.
Master Snapper was bred by M. Fausto and A. Adani of Italy and is owned by Impresa Agricola Cuoghi. The 2001 stallion by Snapper Cal Bar and out of Colonel Mistress found his own success in the show pen in Europe and the United States before entering the breeding shed.
In 2006, Master Snapper flew to Oklahoma City to compete in the NRHA Derby under NRHA Professional Kelly Zweifel. After scoring a 232, the duo earned the Open, Intermediate and Limited Championships now known as Open Levels 4, 3 and 2. These championships made Master Snapper the first horse born, bred and trained in Europe to win the NRHA Open Derby. He went on to earn $69,050 NRHA Lifetime Earnings (LTE).
With just over 100 offspring with NRHA LTE, there is one stallion that makes up nearly one-fourth of Master Snapper’s million: July Joe Snap (out of San July Jo Magnetic).
After scoring a 232, July Joe Snap and Italian NRHA Professional Manuel Cortesi became the 2023 NRHA European Futurity Champions. Co-owned by Impresa Agricola Cuoghi and Eleuterio Arcese, the stallion earned the title on a special day.
“With a horse like this anyone can achieve great goals. I had seen him in action as a 3-year-old with his breeder, my friend [NRHA Professional] Giacomo [Ronchi], who trained him,” said Cortesi after winning the championship. “Unfortunately, Giacomo passed away prematurely a month before the IRHA [Italian Reining Horse Association] Futurity. I knew he could have won the Futurity with this one. The reins passed on to me, and we claimed the Open Futurity title. The win was even more special as [that day] would have been Giacomo’s birthday, and all I can say is that I felt he was riding with me both times.”
July Joe Snap and Cortesti have went on to earn $236,158 in NRHA LTE together in the show pen including wins at the IRHA/NRHA 4-year-old Open Futurity, NRHA Germany Breeders 4-year-old Futurity Championships and the 100X Open Derby in Paris.
Master Snapper’s Top Earners:
- July Joe Snap (out of San July Jo Magnetic), bred by Giacomo Ronchi, nominated by Roberto Cuoghi, owned by Impresa Agricola Cuoghi and Eleuterio Arcese, $236,158 NRHA LTE
- Snap Dun The Bases (out of Shes Dun The Bases), bred, nominated and owned by Lewisville Development LP, $125,816 NRHA LTE
- Letters To Juliet (out of San July Jo Magnetic), bred by Giacomo Ronchi, nominated by Impresa Agricola Cuoghi, owned by Maria Fiorucci, $63,067 NRHA LTE
- Dunnit Like A Master (out of Justanother Dun It), bred, nominated and owned by Lewisville Development LP, $61,824 NRHA LTE
- Plus One Master (out of Ima Mistress), bred and nominated by Green Valley Ranch, owned by Carrie Berkenbosch, $32,844 NRHA LTE
Read more about Master Snapper’s million-dollar accomplishment in an upcoming issue of the NRHA Reiner Magazine.