Crosby Ray Von—a 3-year-old mare by Stevie Rey Von out of the MA Crosby by Valiant Hero—sold for $1.7 million at the Old West Roping Futurity Sale, setting a record for the highest-selling Western performance horse at public auction.
Cracklin J Ranch’s Alan Jones bought the mare from the Relentless Remuda and Solo Select partnership at the Heber City, Utah sale, with a million-dollar bonus up for grabs in 2026 to a sale graduate who wins the 4-year-old futurity next year. Auctioneer Steve Friskup dropped the gavel and choking back emotion at the significance of the moment for the rope horse industry, while the Remuda’s trainer Miles Baker wiped tears from his eyes.
Watch: Crosby Ray Von’s Full Training Process
“Thinking about my roots, where I come from—some cool stuff has happened over the years, but this might’ve been the coolest,” Baker, 33, of Decatur, Texas, said. “We had no idea what was coming—it was pretty crazy. I knew that mare was good, but this just shows where the industry’s at right now. You take a mare like that with the potential she has, and then throw in the potential to win a million on her, and it’s not just about prize money. When you’re talking about a mare like that, you’re talking about years of selling babies out of her. You see it happen in cutting all the time—anything out of those top mares goes for a few hundred thousand minimum.
“I think people in our industry are starting to see that kind of value,” Baker added. “That mare made a name for herself tonight. I don’t know how many people were bidding, but I know up to a million there were still several in. Then a couple of guys took it from there and got her to where she landed. It was wild.”
Crosby Ray Von’s Back Story
Baker and Trevor originally purchased the Fults Ranch-bred mare as a yearling, along with her older sister, recognizing her potential early on in how she moved and carried herself in the round pen. They sold the older filly but kept this one, drawn to her natural ability from the start.
Though Baker had always believed in her and found her rewarding to train, the thought of letting her go was tough. Still, he knew it was part of the business.
“Melanie (Smith), Ty (Smith), and I had all talked—I knew I’d have a hard time letting her go,” Baker said. “But at the end of the day, this is what we do for a living. I had to be okay with her possibly leaving in someone else’s trailer. Turns out I was lucky—a guy from Texas I’d never even met bought her and wanted her to stay with us. I asked Ty about it, and he said the guy had contacted him before the sale to ask if she could stay with Trevor and me. I just feel incredibly fortunate to get to sell her and still keep her too.”
Stevie Rey Von is an NCHA Futurity Champion who earned over $421,000 in his career, whose progeny have already earned $17,995,493 in the arena, with over $14 million of that in the cutting alone. MA Crosby, owned by Cameron Cattle Co, won one race in her career for $13,216. Her sire, Valiant Hero, stands at the Lazy E and has produced over $31 million in money earners—most of them on the track.
Solo Select promoted the mare, alongside four others they featured in the sale.
“Watching this sale was beyond my wildest dreams,” Solo Select owner Melanie Smith said. “As a 10-year-old girl, I wanted to just find a way to be around horses. To look around this sale ring and get this opportunity to sell the highest-selling Western performance horse at public auction? I’m speechless and just so thankful—for what the Richards and the Probst did to bring this event together and for the horse industry as a whole.”
Old West Sale’s Significance
“I think everything we’ve been predicting is finally happening,” Baker said. “Rope horses are catching up. Cutting and barrels have been selling high-dollar horses for years. But I’ve always said, team roping is the one event where you can rope once a month and still go to Vegas for a shot at three-, four-hundred-thousand. There are 80-year-old guys still team roping daily. It’s a solid industry. The ARHFA and everyone involved—Rhen (Richard), Chad (Richard), Redgie (Probst)—they’ve just created opportunity. And big thanks to Jerrad Wittwer and his family too—they let us use their slot for this mare. Without them, none of this happens.”
The Team Roping Journal will provide full sale results after they’re processed, but the event kicked off strong with Lot 1—a 3-year-old Winners Version gelding—selling for $300,000.
“It shows how many people are all-in,” Baker said. “There’s never been a better time to be in team roping. Rhen and I were talking after—he gave me a hug and said, ‘It’s been coming for a long time.’ The industry’s just getting started. Steve Friskup got on the mic before the auction and said team roping’s become a viable living. These guys out rodeoing, they’re making money, getting TV time, bringing value to sponsors. Go back five years, you’d have to tell a kid with a dream of roping, ‘Get a real job—you can’t make a living doing this.’ Now? It’s a profession. There’s real opportunity—riding, roping, jackpotting, sponsorships—it’s all there. This isn’t just about selling my horse. This is about how awesome it is to be part of this industry right now.”
