“I told Dottie I hoped she liked her Christmas present because she might not get another one for a while,” said Glen Rose, Tex. rancher and investor Bobby Hill, with a twinkle in his eye.

Hill was referring to Stylish Martini, the 5-year-old cutting horse champion he had just purchased for $700,000 at the Marvine Ranch Reduction Sale, on October 20. While the price was a record for a show horse, given her performance record, strong pedigree and potential as a young broodmare, Stylish Martini stands a good chance to recoup her sale price.

Bred by Marvine Ranch owners Jon and Abby Winkelried, Weatherford, Tex., and trained by Roger Wagner, Stylish Martini has earned over $233,000. As a half-sister to NCHA Horse of the Year Copaspepto and a daughter of legendary broodmare sire Docs Stylish Oak, she is a valuable commodity. The same is also true of 11-year-old Quintan Blue, who brought $600,000 at the sale from Penny Youngblood’s Circle Y Ranch, Millsap, Tex.

Penny Youngblood and business partner Nancy Pearce segued from reining to cutting horses in a big way earlier this year, when they purchased Horse of the Year and NCHA Futurity champion producer Boon San Kitty and her full sister RW Sallycat from Alice Walton. In April, Youngblood and Pearce also acquired the young stallion Im Countin Checks from Tommy Manion.

While Im Countin Checks settles in for the 2013 breeding season at Don Ham Quarter Horses in Whitesboro, Tex., Quintan Blue, the earner of over $600,000 and dam of earners of $400,000, will join Boon San Kitty, RW Sallycat, and 23-year-old One Time Soon, the dam of NCHA Futurity sire One Time Pepto, in Millsap, Tex.  The original Youngblood Ranch, founded by Penny’s late father, J. Lee Youngblood, is located in Aubrey, Tex., but in September, Penny purchased the former Radio Ranch in Millsap with the purpose of relocating .

“That area (Aubrey) has changed so much over the years,” said Youngblood. “I am really looking forward to the move.”

Dottie is the mastermind behind the Hills’ operation, which consists of an elite group of broodmares whose offspring are tailored for the NCHA Futurity yearling sale market. The Hills pasture-raise the foals on their ranch, then send them in late September to be fitted for sale at Don Ham’s. The Hills’ 2012 Futurity Sale crop includes yearlings out of Justaswinging Peanut, dam of Justa Smart Peanut $353,414; Classical CD, earner of $221,413 and dam of Duallys Fever $85,956; Hicapoo, earner of $446,712, Horse of the Year, and dam of two $100,000-plus earners; and Bueno Chex Dually, earner of $153,797 and dam of Cherry Chex Dually $230,488.

Click here to see full results from the Marvine Ranch Sale.