NON-PRO HALL OF FAME
Jeff Barnes Rides Homebreds to Hall of Fame The California cutter achieves his bucketlist goal, thanks to the mare San Starlight. BY JENNIFER HORTON
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eff Barnes showed snaffle bit and reined cow horses as a youth. College set horses aside. Nearly 15 years later, he bought himself a cutting horse. “I always liked the herd work,” he said. “I started doing the club cuttings.” Five or six years into it, he bought a ranch in Wilton, California. Gary Gonsalves moved in and achieved success training horses from Barnes’ breeding program, including the 2002 NCHA Futurity Open reserve champion, Spookys Smarty Pants, and two top 10 finishes in three years. When Gonsalves moved to Texas, Brent Erickson starting training for Barnes. Barnes brokers feed commodities and pet food ingredients. He showed on the 62
West Coast, with a few trips to Texas, in aged events and a few weekend shows. A year spent hauling to weekend shows helped build his earnings up to about $200,000, but then he paused showing for about five years. “I decided I was getting older, so I put it on my bucket list to make the Non-Pro Hall of Fame,” he said. “I hit it pretty hard the last three or four years. I was able to get over the $500,000 mark, basically showing 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds, mostly on the West Coast.” All of the horses Barnes has raised come from one mare: San Starlight (Grays Starlight x Doctresa San x Doc Holliday). She has produced 17 money earners with total earnings topping $1.5 million.“She’s pretty well-respected,”
he said. “Everyone knows her and her offspring.” Barnes calls Spookys Cash (by Miss N Cash) his favorite, as the one with the most success, earning $284,313. She won the buckle that Barnes wears, from the 2003 Super Stakes Classic Non-Pro. Barnes finished as reserve champion when Mary Ann Rapp edged him by one point. “I’ve had it on since then and never changed it,” he chuckled. Spookys Cat Deville (by High Brow Cat) is another favorite, earning $195,197 before retiring to the ranch. Last year Barnes showed Spookys Jackpot (High Brow CD x Spookys Got Cash x Miss N Cash), a second-generation from San Starlight. “I had a pretty good fall run on him and won or was reserve champion in every futurity on the West Coast,” he said. “I showed others, but he’s probably the one that pushed me over that bubble. “Gary and Brent both ride and train very similar, so I learned how to ride behind them. Having the right horse that’s trained the way you ride really means a lot.” Barnes also has learned to handle the ups and downs of cutting. “I go show and whatever happens, happens. I think that not riding to the herd with huge expectations, and just showing to whatever presents itself, has been good for me,” he said. “It’s not always about winning; it’s about getting shown the best you can.” Winning the Pacific Coast Futurity a few years ago stands out for Barnes. “That was one I wanted to win. Being from the West Coast, that was an achievement,” he said. “Having the right people has been important for me, because it’s a team sport where everybody has to participate to help you. All my help over the years have been great people and team players. Between the trainers and the herd help, that’s what’s gotten me there, I think. “Morgan Cromer, Eric Wisehart, Russ Elrod and Monty Buntin have all helped me a lot the last few years to get me over the threshold.” Not to mention San Starlight.
TED PETIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Jeff Barnes bred Princess Pandora Cat (Metallic Cat x Spookys Got Cash x Miss N Cash), and the mare continues the bloodlines of San Starlight.
CUTTING HORSE CHATTER • MARCH 2020
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2/7/20 3:49 PM