INCENTIVES: Breeders Invitational, Gold Buckle, NCHA Super Stakes, NRCHA Cow Horse Incentive, Riata Championship

Luckily for team ropers, Sheri Matthews is continuing the legacy she and her late husband Jeffrey started with leading cutting and reined cow horse sire One Time Pepto. The $23 million-plus sire, now deceased, has recently emerged as a leading team-roping sire with earners of a half-million in roping.

One Time Pepto’s offspring include a couple of NRCHA superstars in Hickory Holly Time (LTE $231,025) and One Fine Vintage (LTE $135,187). Another son is Nu One Time Blues, the 2022 Snaffle Bit Futurity finalist that won the 2023 ARHFA 4-Year-Old Heeling World Championship under Joseph Harrison and won four more heeling futurities last season. All three of these “One Time” babies were kept as studs.

“One Time has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime horse,” Sheri said. “He has so exceeded our hopes and dreams, both competing and as a sire. Today, it’s such a blessing to be raising some of his best foals yet and breeding the One Time Pepto daughters, who are emerging as exceptional producers. This would have made my husband especially happy; he’s always been a huge proponent of great mares.”

Clearly, Jeffrey Matthews knew what he was doing when he plunked down $380,000 for then-yearling One Time Pepto in 2002. The stunning red roan was by the legendary NCHA Futurity champ Peptoboonsmal, by $25 million sire Peppy San Badger out of the cloned and All-Time Leading Dam Royal Blue Boon. And the stallion’s dam, One Time Soon, was a $1.3 million producer by Smart Little Lena out of Uno Princess by the cutting world champion Jose Uno.