In 2017 and early 2018, Stoli The Show, aka “Roy,” helped seven-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo steer wrestling qualifier Matt Reeves haul in a half-million dollars. And in July 2018, the 10-year-old grandson of legendary Frenchmans Guy helped Matt earn the coveted 2018 Calgary Stampede steer wrestling title, not to mention $114,500 Canadian dollars.

But his Calgary win was bittersweet. The second round offered a challenge with a muddy arena and a steer that hadn’t been caught. After making a long run, Matt noticed that Roy was lame. Immediately examined by a vet, Roy was hauled back to a veterinarian in Texas who treated him for sprained medial and lateral collateral ligaments.

“My thanks go to Dakota Eldridge for letting me ride ‘Rusty’ at Calgary. But Roy helped me move on,” Matt says. “He is a major part of my career and life.”

Before the Cross Plains, Texas, cowboy started rodeoing off of Roy in February 2017, he had been competing on his good horse, French Wonder, aka “Ote.” The 2002 palomino was second in the AQHA-Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year voting in 2013. Matt’s wife, professional barrel racer Savanah Reeves, was turned on to Ote by fellow barrel racer Jordon Briggs when Jordon mentioned the horse had a lot of potential but not as a barrel horse. Interested in Ote’s bloodlines, Matt and his father-in-law, Sam Koenig, drove to Jordon’s house and jumped steers off Ote for the very first time. In that moment, Matt knew Ote would be something special.

“Ote definitely turned up my career, made things go faster and just allowed me to do better,” Matt says. “We had an unbelievable connection.”

Regardless of who rode Ote, they were almost guaranteed to win a check. Professional steer wrestler Bray Armes knew that no matter where he rode Ote, he would be smiling in the winners circle.

In 2013, Bray lost his best horse, “Ricky Bobby,” so he called Matt and asked if Matt would mount him on Ote at the upcoming rodeos. Matt agreed. In a short amount of time, Bray went from not winning a dime to cashing in every time he and Ote made a run. By the end of the season, Ote carried Bray to the pay window multiple times. A month before the 2013 NFR, Bray offered to purchase Ote from Matt. They made the deal, and within the 10 rounds of the NFR, Ote helped the two cowboys win approximately $180,000.

With the 2014 rodeo season approaching, Matt was in need of another horse. That January, Jordon called to say she was familiar with another prospect that had speed: a 6-year old out of the great producer Sixes Future by Stoli. The mare sports a whole host of legendary speed horses on her topside, like Dash For Cash and Beduino, and revered cow horses on her bottomside, including Doc O’Lena and Peppy San Badger. Other Sixes Futures offspring include barrel-racing futurity and derby standout Stoli My Guy (by Traffic Guy) and Frenchmans Future (by Frenchmans Guy), who later went on to win the 2014 Barrel Futurities of America Juvenile Futurity.

Matt was immediately excited. The big sorrel gelding with a blazed face had never been in the box and never had any steers tracked on him. But after tracking a few, Matt instantly knew this horse was meant for him. He bought Stoli The Show that same day.

“I wanted him because of the mare, but I also knew what I wanted him to feel like … and he did,” Matt says.

Quickly, Matt discovered that Roy was not only birthed from an outstanding mare, but he was sired by a significant stud: French Wonder. Yes, Matt’s beloved Ote had been kept a stud and sired 43 colts before he was gelded, which was his status when Matt purchased him years before.

Roy was bred by Chuck and Kristie Peterson of Lott, Texas. Kristie owned and campaigned French Flash Hawk, the legendary barrel horse who was sired by Roy’s great-grandsire.

As Matt went down the road in 2014, newbie Roy was his back-up horse. And that’s the way it continued for some time. But in September 2016, Matt’s first-string rodeo horse, “Nacho,” cut himself in the pasture, and Matt was forced to euthanize him. With the 2017 rodeo season approaching, Matt realized he had a 9-year-old back-up horse, and it was time to see what he could do.

Roy helped Matt win more than $550,000 through the summer of 2018, when the gelding was injured. Matt and his sorrel horse were back in action by September 2018 and won the rodeo in Abilene, Texas, that month.

“I am very thankful and glad that everyone had faith in me that I could do this. You can teach a horse a lot, but I think they can teach you more.”