In the midst of the excitement at the National Stock Horse Association (NSHA) Snaffle Bit Futurity, exhibitors and spectators took a break from watching the best futurity and derby horses compete to focus their attention on the talented bridle horses entered in this year’s World’s Richest Stock Horse.
Eleven teams competed for a chance to take home top honors, but it was One Fine Vintage that bested them all with Phillip Ralls in the saddle.
Ralls and the 8-year-old stallion (One Time Pepto x Shiners Siena x Shining Spark) were seventh to go in the rein work and last to go in the fence work, so it came down to the wire to see who would take home this year’s winner’s check, worth $4,473.The duo’s composite score of 445.5 finished at the top of the leaderboard.
Ralls, who has lifetime earnings of nearly $960,000, also rode Call Me Mitch (Metallic Cat x Miss Hickory Hill x Doc’s Hickory) to a 441.5 and a fourth-place finish, which brought home a $2,237 check for owner Estelle Roitblat.
One Fine Vintage, who is owned by the Robertson Ranch, of Plymouth, California, is no stranger to the spotlight. Last November, while Ralls and his wife, Teresa, were spending time with their newborn daughter, Equi-Stat Elite $2 Million Rider Corey Cushing rode the stallion to the American Quarter Horse Association Senior Working Cow Horse World Championship. Prior to that, he had success with both Ron Emmons and Doug Williamson at the reins.
With Ralls back aboard for the 2017 season, One Fine Vintage claimed the Reserve Championship in the Open Bridle at this year’s National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) World Championship Show and more recently finished as the Open Bridle Spectacular Reserve Champion at the NRCHA Derby. All in all, One Fine Vintage has accumulated nearly $100,000 in the reined cow horse pen.
Ken Wold piloted Daniel Perez’ Brother Jackson to a composite score of 442.5, which earned them the World’s Richest Open Reserve Championship and a check for $3,728. Brother Jackson is by Peptoboonsmal and out of the High Brow Cat mare Shes Icing Onthe Cat.
This article was p August 26, 2017 Hannah Harrel