Black Magic Woman, the 2022 daughter of Shining Spark out of Carrera Cat by Metallic Cat, topped the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Yearling Sale Oct. 21, selling to East West Equine for $180,000.
This makes the filly, bred by Cudd Quarter Horses and raised by Shane and Jessica Boston's Southern Ranches, the third record-breaking offering from Solo Select in 2023 alone.
Black Magic Woman joins 2021 stallion Blackkout, who set the Pink Buckle Select Sale record earlier this month at $875,000, and MS Baby Cakes, who, at $540,000, became the highest-selling horse in an online sale ever on Labor Day in Solo Select's list of 2023 record setters.
“The strength of the Western performance industry continues to buck economic trends and forecasting,” Ty Smith, Solo Select CEO, said. “It's got a lot to do with the fact that this business is fueled by people’s passion for great horses and what they bring to our lives. To maximize that, our customers demand we bring the very best to market. It’s been our mission from day one, and this year we’ve gotten to see all of that work truly pay off.”
Black Magic Woman's buyers East West Equine are customers of 2022 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion Lee Deacon, who will start her in spring 2024.
"She's a daughter of Shining Spark, she's super athletic and we loved the way the mare moved and was built," Deacon said. "We looked at her several times before the sale, and we couldn't go home without her. Shining Spark daughters are the best there are, so she is a long-term broodmare for the East West Equine program."
Black Magic Woman's dam Carrera Cat (by Metallic Cat) earned 167 AQHA points with Brad Lund, and her first colt by Hickory Holly Time won the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity in 2020 and earned $56,835. Carrera Cat is owned by Cudd Quarter Horses and is now part of the Select Genes program, making her ICSI aspirations available to the public.
"When we initially started, I was a rope horse guy and Jess is a cow horse girl," Southern Ranches Shane Boston said. "I wanted better horses, so we got hooked up with Ty originally and started buying some better horses. The Carrera Cat filly, I bought her for a rope horse. I always wanted a Shining Spark mare. Fast forward, our stud The Notorious BIG comes along, and we have too many of his babies that we need to get trained. I didn't want to sell this filly, but I put a floor on her, and they blew that out the water. You can't deny numbers, and Solo Select brings numbers. I don't know anyone in the industry who does not call Ty Smith and ask him about this horse or that horse."
Solo Select’s program fit some 134 yearlings in 2023, offering them at both the Western Bloodstock Sale and Solo's own Select Yearling Sale. By the end of December, Solo Select will have sold over 1,000 head of horses in 2023 alone. The quality of those horses was evident in the NRCHA's Snaffle Bit Futurity Finals, with 9 in this year's open and intermediate finals coming through Solo Select at some point in their lifetime.
"This has been a fairytale year for us," Melanie Smith, founder of Solo Select, said. "It's not over yet, but I'm just grateful for our customers who put their trust in us to help their dreams come true in this industry. And without our team—who manages three facilities with 300 stalls—there's no way any of this could happen. Maria Gutierrez managed the fitting on these yearlings with the help of Alexis Gonzalez and their colleagues. They did an outstanding job. We have such a committed group of people here, and it shows in our results."
Solo Select's next sale is Thanksgiving Day, offering a mix of embryos, mares, coming yearlings and more. It kicks off at 8 a.m. CT Nov. 26, 2023, closing at 5 p.m. CT the same day, only at bid.theselectonline.com. Shortly after, Solo Select will take another set of yearlings and 2-year olds to the NCHA Western Bloodstock Futurity Sale from December 4-9, 2023.
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