Hey Joe serves as a noteworthy example of the high quality horses buyers can anticipate seeing in the NRHA/Markel Futurity sales.
By Kaycie Timm
Hey Joe (Smart Spook x Best Stop)
Sale: 2014 Select Yearling
Consigner: Wagman Ranch, Inc., Kellyville, Oklahoma
Purchaser: 4V Livestock, LLC, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Offspring of longtime breeder Rosanne Sternberg’s NRHA Five Million Dollar Sire Smart Spook always catch attention. At the 2014 Select Yearling Sale, Jason Vanlandingham held the winning bid for one such buckskin colt, Hey Joe.
“I remember talking to Jason about him at the sale,” Sternberg shared. “A couple years later, Jason called me saying they were interested in selling the horse, so I bought him right before the Futurity.”
After a solid performance at the Futurity, Hey Joe went on to place in the top five at the NRBC and third in the L4 Open at the NRHA Derby.
“He’s a beautiful, outstanding horse,” Sternberg said. “Now that 7-year-olds can be show in the derbies, we plan to keep showing him.”
According to Sternberg, Hey Joe is both a testament to his breeding and to the quality of the Sale Graduates.
“So many great horses have come out of the sale,” Sternberg reflected. “The results speak for themselves. For quality reining horses, whether it’s yearlings, 2-year-olds, or broodmares, you can’t go to a better sale.”