Black Pearl, by Smart Little Pepinic (pictured), owned and ridden by John Ward, won the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity and first prize of $100,000, with a combined score of 648 points. Jon Roeser claimed reserve and $85,000 on Shiney Lil Miss with 647.5. The Shining Spark daughter is owned by owned Craig Casner.

Going into the cow work of the triathlon event, six horses were within four points of each other. Having tied for the lead of the herd work with 218, Black Pearl held her rank with a score of 216 in the rein work.

“It was intense,” said Ward, a former Snaffle Bit champion. “When you get the lead you don’t want to lose it. It all came down to the cow work. The cattle had been tough, but we drew a good one. She was kind of giving out because we had both shown her, but she gave me all she had.”

Ward’s wife, Laurie, had ridden homegrown Black Pearl earlier in the week as a finalist in the Non-Pro division.

In 1998, when his father, the late Greg Ward, won his last Snaffle Bit Futurity championship, John earned a sixth place with Sugar Baby Taffy, Black Pearl’s dam. “It’s really cool that all of this mare’s relatives have been a part of our family,” said Ward, who also owns Smart Little Pepinic.

The Snaffle Bit Futurity was held September 21-October 5 at the Reno Livestock Events Center, in Reno, Nevada. Click here for results.