INCENTIVES: Riata Championship, Royal Crown, Gold Buckle Futurity, ARHFA Top Gun

The Notorious B I G has continued his streak as a popular junior sire, booking full all three years the 7-year-old black stallion has stood to the public. 

“He’s just the whole package,” said owner Jessica Boston. “People assume he’s a stud because of his looks. Honestly, while he is beautiful, it’s secondary.”

Last June, the stud won the American Rope Horse Futurity Association’s Red Bud Spectacular for $14,205, besting 98 other horses in the 6-&-Under Heeling. Earlier in 2022, “Bigs” claimed the ARHFA 4-Year-Old Open Heeling Reserve World Championship and came back in 2023 to finish third in the Open Heeling of the same event. He also placed in the top five at the AQHA World Show in Junior Heeling. 

Billie Jack Saebens has already piloted Bigs to more than $110,000 in lifetime earnings in only one event.

“Juggling breeding and showing is tricky for a young stud,” Boston said. “We felt like he deserved to compete all last year in his final futurity season. He’s freakishly good-minded and people are seeing that in his babies now, as well. He’s structurally appealing to a market that’s moving toward more bone and size and, of course, he boasts a pedigree with which you just can’t go wrong.”

He is sired by CD Lights, a million-dollar producer in the NCHA and NRCHA. His dam, DT Sugar Chex Whiz, was the 2019 AQHA/PRCA Horse of the Year and was ridden to the National Finals Rodeo by Saebens. “Sugar”—a granddaughter of both Shining Spark and a half-Thoroughbred former NFR barrel horse—is the all-time leading dam of multiple rope-horse earners of more than $242,000. The oldest foals by Bigs himself are just 3 this year.

“Our plan for 2024 is just to get him to as many shows as possible,” Boston explained. “Juggling breeding and showing is tricky for a young stud. We feel like he deserves to compete the whole year his last futurity year. His oldest foals will be 2, as well. They’ll go to Tyson Benson first and then some to Billie Jack. It will be cool to see Billie Jack jockey now three generations of such great bloodlines. We’re excited.”