The race to a freshman sire title is one that takes years to prepare for and ultimately culminates in two short weeks. Although reining horses are shown before the prestigious National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity, the futurity winner and finalists will take home the biggest purses of the season and ultimately drive their sire to the title of 2024 NRHA Freshman Sire.
A Vintage Smoke sired two contenders that advanced to the Level 4 Open finals. While other NRHA freshman sires Maytheforcebewhizyou and Phantom Face did not have open horses advance to the finals.
A Vintage Smoke sired 132 foals in 2021 according to the American Quarter Horse Association, a record for the freshman sire class of 2024 according to the QHN Stallion Register. As of the start of the NRHA Futurity, his offspring had already accumulated $171,629 in earnings according to EquiStat. Some of that was earned in reined cow horse events, but the majority was won in reining. His highest earner as of Nov. 18 was Smoke Rings N Dadark (A Vintage Smoke x Mifilberry Wine x Mifillena) with $37,562 and his second-highest earner was A Vintage Design (A Vintage Smoke x Designed To Shoot x Tinker With Guns) with $22,893, both of whom are slated to be competing in the NRHA Futurity Open finals on December 7.
Champions OverseasNRHA freshman sire Maytheforcebewhizyou also boasts earners on his record. MC Millenium Falcon (Maytheforcebewhizyou x RS Shadon Olena x Spat Olena) marked a 226.5 to win the Itialian Reining Horse Association Futurity on Nov. 16 with Manuel Cortesi at the reins. Spook N Gold (Maytheforcebewhizyou x Vanilla Gun x Hollywood Gun Dunnit) won an Open Futurity class at the Belgium Futurity and Quarter Horse Show with Kim Obenhaus at the reins. The European sire’s first winner is fitting, as is his only NRHA futurity entry. Luk Skywalker (Maytheforcebewhizyou x RS Athena Jac x McJac Flash) was ridden by Italian Mirko Midili and is owned by Brazilian Thiago Boechat and Janice Laney.
Phantom FacePhantomlicious RD (Phantom Face x Bubblicious Gump BB x Little Gump) and Jeronimo Lobo already have earnings on their record going into the NRHA Futurity. According to EquiStat, as of the begining of the Futurity, Phantomlicious RD is the only earner on his sire’s record.
List of NRHA Futurity Open Finalists by A Vintage Smoke OffspringDamRiderOwnerLevelsSecondhand SmmokeWallawhizagun (by Walla Walla Whiz)Jack DanielsAmy & Trey Quinn3A Vintage DesignDesigned To Shoot (by Tinker With Guns)Marcelo Almeida da SilvaJason Reeder1Smoke rings N DadarkMifilberry Wine (by Mifillena)Taylor DavisHolly Bray1,2,3Berry First SmokeMy Berry Best Gun (by Colonels Smoking Gun)Jason VanlandinghamBilly Lee Wolf4GPB SmokinvintagegunGunners Best Stop (by Colonels Smoking Gun)Jason VanlandinghamVaughn Zimmerman / Robert Santagata4All Rights Reserved. Copyright , Central Coast Communications, Inc.