One event into the season, and the battle for the Gold Buckle Futurities Leading Breeder title is already taking shape.
Five breeding programs cleared the $20,000 mark at the Spring Showdown, but two have separated themselves early. San Juan Ranch leaves Ardmore with the lead at $122,307, narrowly ahead of Solo Select Horses at $116,189. Behind them, A&C Racing and Roping sits third at $57,230, followed by Schaack Family Performance Horses and Beechfork Ranch.
With one stop remaining at the World Finals, the race is far from over. A single horse capable of winning across multiple events can swing the standings in a hurry, and that’s exactly what several of these programs have already proven they can produce.
San Juan Ranch
Five different horses accounted for the ranch’s total, beginning with Fly Mister, whose $45,290 made him the third-highest earning horse of the entire Spring Showdown. Colton McCarley and the standout gelding swept the Futurity Heeling, winning the Average with an 896.64 on four while collecting the Stallion Incentive, Breeder’s Incentive, Intermediate Championship and Intermediate Stallion Incentive along the way.
Not far behind was SJR Stylish Believer, whose $41,315 ranked fourth among all horses at the event. Justin Johnson piloted him to a 911.08 on four in the Maturity Heeling, finishing third in the Open Average before adding wins in the Intermediate Division, Intermediate Stallion Incentive and Breeder’s Incentive.
Those two horses alone would have put San Juan in the conversation.
The difference was everything that came behind them.
Queen Of Sparkles added another $19,370 in the Maturity Breakaway with Marissa Boisjoli, while SJR Calipso Mist proved to be one of the more versatile horses in the field. The mare earned in both the Futurity Breakaway and Futurity Tie-Down, finishing second in the Breakaway Breeder’s Incentive with Dylynn Dewbre before returning with Christian Dewbre to place fourth in the Tie-Down Average and second in both the Intermediate Division and Intermediate Stallion Incentive. Even SJR Diamond Eve found the winner’s circle, taking Round 3 of the Maturity Heeling.
That kind of depth is difficult to match.
Solo Select Horses
Solo Select Horses came closer than anyone.
The program produced not only the highest earning horse of the Spring Showdown, but also the second-highest.
Kryptoniite finished the week at $58,187 after proving just how valuable versatility can be in a year-end championship. Trevor Brazile won two rounds and the Average in the Futurity Heading, earning both the Stallion and Breeder’s Incentives, after starting the week just as strong and placing across the board in the Futurity Tie-Down. By the time the week was over, Kryptoniite had established himself as one of the top contenders for the Super Horse title, while also adding valuable dollars to Brazile’s chase for the High Money Rider championship.
Then came Thiccthirty.
If Kryptoniite was versatile, Thiccthirty was relentless.
Split between Cody and Cheyanne McCartney, the gelding dominated two events. Cheyanne swept the Futurity Breakaway with a 922.95 on four after winning two rounds, while Cody answered in the Futurity Tie-Down by winning the first two rounds before capturing the Average with an 895.30 on four. Both performances also collected the Stallion and Breeder’s Incentives, giving Solo nearly $116,000 from just two horses.
That’s a dangerous position to be in heading toward Abilene.
A&C Racing and Roping
A&C Racing and Roping sits third at $57,230, with its strongest earnings coming in the heading.
Smokin Feature led the way with $21,205 in the Futurity Heading under A&C’s Rhen Richard. The pair finished second in the Average with an 899.39 on four, while also taking second in both the Stallion Incentive and Breeder’s Incentive.
Marias Version added another $20,330 in the Maturity Heading with Kaden Richard. They finished sixth in the Average with an 893.96 on four, third in the Stallion Incentive, third in the Intermediate Division and second in the Intermediate Stallion Incentive.
A&C also got $11,000 from Kynis Brookstone and Rhen Richard in the Maturity Heading, where the pair finished fourth in the Average with an 898.13 on four and won the Breeder’s Incentive.
Sammis Version rounded out the total with $4,695 in the Maturity Heading with Wyatt Imus, finishing fifth in the Intermediate Division with an 885.38 on four and fourth in the Intermediate Stallion Incentive.
For A&C, the Spring Showdown total was less about one breakout horse and more about consistency inside one event lane. Three of them cleared five figures, all of which being ridden within the Richard’s family program. That is how a program stays within reach heading into the World Finals.
Schaack Family Performance Horses
Fourth-place Schaack Family Performance Horses leaned on a single standout in TPS Classic Whiskey, who earned $31,490 in the Maturity Heading with Andy Holcomb.
Beechfork Ranch
Beechfork Ranch rounds out the top five at $23,658 after receiving strong performances from Kitty Corona and We Fly High.
Kitty Corona claimed the Breeder’s Incentive in the Maturity Breakaway with Beau Peterson, while We Fly High did the same in the Maturity Tie-Down with Clay Cerny, giving the ranch two horses that found ways to maximize every opportunity.
The Spring Showdown always answers some questions while creating new ones.
This year, it established an early leaderboard, showing which breeding programs have multiple horses capable of carrying the load over a full season.
Now comes the World Finals.
Every Breeder’s Incentive, every Average title and every qualifying horse still has the ability to reshape these standings. Six thousand dollars separates first from second, and one exceptional week in Abilene can erase that margin in a hurry.
The leaderboard has taken shape.
The championship hasn’t.
