INCENTIVES: Pink Buckle, Ruby Buckle, Riata, Breeders Challenge, Royal Crown, Triple Crown 100, Future Fortunes, Tomorrow’s Legends, Legends of the South, WPRA Pro Elite Stallion Incentive

Speed and athleticism are overflowing on the pedigree of $6.5 million sire Epic Leader, the 2008 gray stallion out of the Yates family’s NFR mare Firewater Fiesta. She earned nearly $1 million on the barrels but was also a top-notch head horse for Kelly’s brother, team roping legend J.D. Yates.

“At the end of the day, she was fast and strong—two things I think are important in a head horse,” Yates said. “The first colt out of her was a horse we called Popsicle by Popular Resort Figure, and I rodeoed on him and jackpotted on him. All the Firewater Fiesta colts have been roped on and every one of them has been physical and fast.”

Even back in 1989, a gray half-brother to Firewater Fiesta named Flits Friend was Yates’ PRCA/AQHA Heel Horse of the Year. As for Epic Leader, two of his big gray barrel-racing sons qualified for the 2025 NFR with staggering lifetime earnings last November of $703,607 for Kassie Mowry’s CP He Will Be Epic and $618,700 for Pete Carr’s Sir Epic, ridden by Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi.

Epic Leader himself earned $170,000 in limited arena competition. He’s enrolled in the bulk of the major incentives including the exclusive Riata, Ruby and Pink Buckles.