Jon and Abby WinkelriedOne of cutting’s top owners and breeders in recent years, Marvine Ranch, based in Meeker, Colo., recently sold its last 24 cutting horses and several embryos to Fort Worth residents David and Stacie McDavid, also leading owners and breeders for many years.
Horses involved included 4-year-old stallion Blu Ray (Dual Rey x Quintan Blue x Mecom Blue), 6-year-old mare Boons A Dreamin (Peptoboonsmal x Dreams Of Oak x Docs Freckles Oak) and 10 other horses in training with Roger Wagner. Another 11 horses involved have not started training. They include two foals out of top producing mare Miss Martini Play and two foals out of Cherry Chex Dually, a 2004 mare sold in foal as part of the deal. Neither party disclosed the amount of the transaction. The couple’s 343-acre Texas ranch, located in Aledo, Texas, was listed for sale in late spring.
Wagner served as Marvine Ranch’s lead trainer through glory days that included many limited-age victories with standout horses including Quintan Blue and Stylish Martini. He has remained at the ranch to continue working with some of the McDavids’ new horses.
Horses owned and sometimes ridden by Jon and Abby Winkelried, Meeker, Colo., earned $1,791,903 from 2005 through mid-2013. From just 2010 through May of 2013, horses bred by their ranch had already earned $795,363, according to Equi-Stat records.
A Marvine Ranch reduction sale on Oct. 21, 2012 grossed $2.7 million. Sale toppers included 2007 mare Stylish Martini (Docs Stylish Oak x Miss Martini Play x Freckles Playboy), 2001 mare Quintan Blue (Mecom Blue x Quiolena x CD Olena) and the 2010 mare Miss Martini Boon (Peptoboonsmal x Miss Martini Play x Freckles Playboy). Quintan Blue earned $609,140 as a cutter. Stylish Martini had earned $325,568 midway through her final limited-age season. Cherry Chex Dually (Hes A Peptospoonful x Bueno Chex Dually x Dual Pep) picked up $253,550 in career cutting earnings.
David McDavid, a longtime automobile dealer who sold that business several years ago, has invested since in professional sports, real estate, oil and gas and cutting horses.
Jon Winkelried was co-president of Goldman Sachs until his 2009 retirement. He now works as a strategic advisor to the credit opportunities fund at TPG and Thrive Capital in New York. The latter position was announced in April by The New York Times.
Winkelried said he and his wife enjoyed their time as cutting owners, breeders and riders. They have not ruled out returning to the sport eventually on a much smaller scale.
“We really enjoyed it. We loved the horses, we enjoyed showing and we enjoyed the friends that we’ve made, and will continue those relationships,” Winkelried said. “We feel like right now, it [selling their horses] was the right thing for us to do.”
