Jose Vazquez & Moonshine Juice • Photo by WaltenberryJune 17, 2015 – Jose Vazquez, a National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) member since 1997, has been dedicated to reining in all of its aspects from the start. He won his first major paycheck in 1999 at the Gordyville Breeders Cup as the Limited and Non-Pro Reserve Champion on the 1993 gelding Mr Boot Scootin Jac (Mr Barbie Cody Jac x Miss Stepping Pine x Great Pine).
From there, Vazquez grew a reining empire. Acquiring Smart Like Juice (Smart Little Lena x Jessies Oak x Doc’s Oak) from Vaughn and Justin Zimmerman in 1998 started a legacy. The 1994 stallion has earned more than $56,096 in NRHA Lifetime Earnings with his biggest paycheck won at the 1997 NRHA Futurity with Ken Eppers in the saddle. The duo placed in the Top 10 in the Open division, bringing home $22,458.
Though his accomplishments in the show pen were impressive, Vazquez set up Smart Like Juice to excel in the breeding shed. The decision to stand the stallion proved a smart one. In 2008, Smart Like Juice became an NRHA Million Dollar Sire. Then in 2012, he surpassed the two million dollar mark in offspring earnings. And now in 2015, Smart Like Juice is quickly closing in on the three million dollar sire mark with $2,923,400 in offspring earnings.
Another smart business decision made by Vazquez was to incorporate Smart Like Juice’s name and create Smart Like Juice, Inc., in 2004. Since then, Smart Like Juice, Inc., has claimed yet another major accomplishment in the reining industry: the title of NRHA Million Dollar Owner in 2013.
Based in Markham, Illinois, Vazquez has continued his winning ways, earning paycheck after paycheck on mainly Smart Like Juice offspring. The show season of 2003 proved to be an impressive one for Vazquez as he achieved the Non-Pro Reserve Champion title on Sugar Like Juice (Smart Like Juice x Smart Sugar Pop x Smart Chic Olena) at the Cinch NRHA Non-Pro Futurity along with placing in the Top 10 on Northstar Light (Grays Starlight x Peppy Hickory San x Doc’s Hickory) and being a finalist on Juicy Lil Joke (Smart Like Juice x Jokers Mustang Sally x Joker Solano). The total paycheck for Vazquez after the 2003 Cinch NRHA Non-Pro Futurity was $35,975.
Vazquez has often found success at another major reining event, the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC). In 2009, Vazquez and Wound By Juice (Smart Like Juice x Wind Her Up Shiner x Shining Spark) claimed the Level 4 Non-Pro division championship title, and Vazquez was also a finalist with SLJ I Like It Ruf (Smart Like Juice x Ruf Catalyst x Lil Ruf Peppy) and SLJ Dun Juice (Smart Like Juice x Some Kind Of Dun It x Hollywood Dun It). When all was said and done, Vazquez took home $45,961. Then in 2011, Vazquez and Moonshine Juice (Smart Like Juice x Wind Her Up Shiner x Shining Spark) placed in the top five at the NRBC, adding another $28,573 to his NRHA Lifetime Earnings.
Fast-forward to 2015, and Jose Vazquez is officially the second non-pro rider to gain Million Dollar Rider status. Not only is this title quite an accomplishment by itself, but it also rounds out a triangle of impressive NRHA Million Dollar titles. Congratulations to Jose Vazquez, NRHA Million Dollar Rider!
Incorporated in 1966, the National Reining Horse Association is the standard setting body for the sport of Reining. NRHA, with their International Headquarters in Oklahoma City, is responsible for promoting the sport of Reining and working to ensure the highest standards of competition. To learn more about the NRHA, its programs and family of corporate partners, visit nrha.com.
