Ever since NFR heeler Dean Tuftin bred a barrel racing granddaughter of Folss Native to his Shining Spark/Smart Little Lena stud 17 years ago—and got the NFR heel horse, AQHA world champion and leading rope-horse producer DT Sugar Chex Whiz—the roping world has realized that borrowing from the barrel industry pays off in spades.
The same athletic moves needed to win on the cloverleaf pattern comprise a superb head horse. And today’s leading rope-horse breeders are proving it by crossing the blood of already-established barrel racing sires like Holland Ease, First Down Dash and Confederate Leader onto cow-bred lines like Peptoboonsmal, Playgun and Grays Starlight. The results include recent 4-year-old six-figure heading futurity superstars Una Furiosa and the late Relentless PYC.
But now, Reliance Ranches’ rope-horse program has jumped onto the biggest bloodline to dominate the barrel industry since 1989 legend Dash Ta Fame: The Goodbye Lane.
The Goodbye Lane wasn’t just the leading barrel sire of 2025 with offspring earning $4.6 million. More to the point, he sired 40 different 4-year-olds that won money last year—which doubles the number of first-year winners by most other stallions. His 4-year-olds alone in 2025 earned $823,585 on the cloverleaf, compared to the next highest total of $559,258. Further, The Goodbye Lane’s 5-year-olds earned a whopping $1.9 million this past year—double that of any other sire of barrel racing 5-year-olds.
What does that mean? Well, these are young, green horses that walk in the arena and compete for the first time as if they’re actually 10 years old. At least, that’s what Rhen Richard said about 4-year-old Watch The Lane last June. Reliance Ranches’ stud colt by The Goodbye Lane out of a Sun Frost granddaughter won the $50,000 Old West Pre-Futurity in heading—which requires a staggering amount of focus and multi-tasking by a young horse.
“He’s so calm that he almost feels like he’s under the influence,” said Richard, who catch-rode Watch The Lane to huge success before putting about a month extra training on him. “Anybody can ride him. Even when you’re trying to get him to do certain things, he’s just not offended by anything you do to him.”
Richard’s family has raised lots of hot-blooded horses via A&C Racing and Roping. He knows that any sire throwing that kind of mind can cross successfully on a huge variety of mares. The other benefit is probably what makes Watch The Lane and his siblings win so much at such a young age.
“When they’re that good-minded, anybody can ride them,” Richard pointed out. “They let you shine because they don’t overtry or get in your way. The Goodbye Lanes I’ve ridden are not over-achievers—they give what you ask and are super trainable. They just let you win. Something we’ve learned in the racing industry is that it’s not about the fancy stuff – it’s about minimizing mistakes. A horse that’ll stand flat-footed in the gates, leave sharp and run a straight line down the tracks is a winner.”
Watch The Lane isn’t even 5 years old yet, but has earned $111,430 heading steers. He clearly inherited the same great mind that his $16.7 million sire passes to so many babies. Examples? Eight-year-old daughters Hello Stella and MJ Segers Fast Lane have already racked up $1.14 million and $1.57 million, respectively. And, of course, Kassie Mowry’s back-to-back WPRA world champion gelding Force The Goodbye (“Jarvis”), at only 7, has already banked $2.1 million in lifetime earnings.
Watch The Lane—with a bottom side boasting old-school roping genes courtesy of Sun Frost and Orphan Drift—could easily become to the roping industry what his sire has become to the barrel industry.
