The best team ropers in the world didn’t get to this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo riding dinks. No, they’re on some of the best horses in the world, many with common bloodlines running through them. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll find in the pedigrees of the best team roping horses in the world today. 

Top-Horse Trends

• The average age of the head horses carrying top headers to this year’s NFR is  13.2. 
• The average age of the heel horses is 12.6.
• There are three grade horses in this year’s mix: Clay Smith’s Marty, Brenten Hall’s pinto Captain and Brady Minor’s Cruiser. 
• There are two mares making it in the heading: Cody Snow’s Ima Fresnos Dee and Matt Sherwood’s Murphys Susie Que. 
• Four mares made the Finals on the heel side: Caleb Anderson’s Herks Princess, Joseph Harrison’s Lula Dual, Tyler Worley’s The Roan Chick and Junior Nogueira’s prolific Apaches R Hali. 
• Pine Time Boogie—owned by Jake Cooper—is the only registered Breeding Stock Paint on the list.
• CD Rockstar and CD Starbucks—ridden and owned by Ryan Motes—are the only full brothers on the list. 
• One sire, Zans Diamond Shine, has two offspring on the list. Zans Diamond Shine is the sire of both the famous Zans Colonel Shine, ridden by Jake Long, and Bar D Mr Moon Shine, Kyle Lockett’s good one.
• Dual Spark and CD Olena each have three offspring on the list. Dual Spark’s daughter Lula Dual helped get Joseph Harrison to Vegas, while his son, Dual Chip, carried Travis Graves all season. Harrison also rode CSR Dual Boonlite in 2019 to win money and get him on the list. CD Olena is the sire to full brothers CD Rockstar and CD Starbucks, and Apollo Oak, ridden by Cole Davison. CD Olena is also the maternal grandsire of Joes Blues Bar, ridden by Luke Brown but also raised by the Motes family. 
• Motes’ CD Starbucks is the oldest heel horse on the list at 21, while Ty Blasingame’s Skips Bar Bell is the oldest head horse at 20. 
• This year’s list of head horses has significantly less flat speed on their papers than last year’s did. Blasingame’s Skips Bar Bell, a grandson of Fols Native by Raise A Native, is one of two with a lot of run on his papers. Streakin Sun Dew—ridden and owned by Jake Cooper this year—is an own son of A Streak Of Fling out of a Sun Frost mare, meaning his papers reflect a lot of traditional run, too. 

[Related: The Rumors Behind Popular Bloodlines]

HEADERS

1. Clay Smith’s PK Starlight Chick (Ransom)

and Sun Frost N Pep (Suntan) 

Sorry! Clay Smith’s famous gray horse Marty is one of the few grade horses that made a big impact this year. Alas, his pedigree is unavailable. 

2. Kaleb Driggers’ Bar Z Nickel Olena (Yahtzee)

and Stylakid (Gangster)

and No Chrome Cash

3. Coleman Proctor’s SCR Sporties Playgun (Heisman)

and Lena Spark Dun It (Admiral) 

and Duches Mans Image (Dillinger)

4. Clay Tryan’s Cee How Nifty (Johnson)

5. Ty Blasingame’s Skips Bar Bell (Blackie) 

6. Riley Minor’s RK Tuff Trinket (Bob)  

7. Chad Master’s Madison Oak (Clint) 

8. Cody Snow’s Ima Fresnos Dee (Annie)

9. Brenten Hall’s Baylite Buster (Timebomb)

and Captain, on whom Hall won the #15 at the World Series of Team Roping Finale. 

10. Luke Brown’s Sugar Bar Gold Dust (Fast Time) 

and Joes Blues Bar (Joseph) 

11. Matt Sherwood’s Murphy’s Susie Que (Murphy) 

and SNW Roan Travaler (Easy)

12. Tate Kirchenschlager’s Jewels Smoke Screen (Smoke)

13.  Erich Rogers’ Son Olena Steel (Boogieman)

14. Tyler Wade’s Hancocks Boon Scooter (Bingo) owned by Coy Brittain

 15. Jake Cooper’s Pine Time Boogie (Boogie) Paint

and Streakin Sun Dew (OleSon) 

HEELERS

1. Junior Nogueira’s Peppers Homespun Kid (Greencard)

and Apaches R Hali (Hali)

and Kiehnes Frosty Pepto (Timon) 

2. Ryan Motes’ CD Starbucks

and CD Rockstar

3. Jade Corkill’s JLC Royal American

4. Jake Long’s Zans Colonel Shine (Colonel) 

5. Travis Graves’ Dual Chip (Chip) 

6. Kyle Lockett’s Bar D Mr Moon Shine (Stinky)

7. Joseph Harrison’s Lula Dual

and Main Street Boon (Main Street) 

and CSR Dual Boonlite

8. Brady Minor’s Leos Highbrow

and Cruiser, a grade gelding that came from Dustin Bird, whose papers got lost along the way. 

9. Paul Eaves’ Smart Little Cab (Casino) 

and Sting A Little (Guapo) 

10. Wesley Thorp’s Little Hickory Boon (Ray J)

and Million Dollar Lexus (Lexus) 

11. Chase Tryan’s Col Triangle Gold (Friendly) 

12. Hunter Koch’s Two Sock Chic Cody (Garfield) 

13. Caleb Anderson’s Herks Princess (Sugar Bear) 

14. Cole Davison’s Apollo Oak (Apollo) 

and DT MovesLikeJagger

15. Tyler Worley’s Jell O Sea (Brazos) 

and The Roan Chick (Strawberry) 

and Ardie Badger (Bon Jovi) 

and Cuttin It Short (Batman)