Ruby Buckle Futurity: Schafer Shines and HP Hotrod Earns Another Championship

The Ruby Buckle has three regional races: Central, West, and East. Their first event of 2025 was April 26-May 4, in Guthrie, Okla., at the Lazy E Arena. Paying out over $1,255,000 in total, the 2D Futurity had $280,000 added. The 1D paid 20 places and the 2D paid 10. The last hole paid in the 1D was a 17.226. The four and five-year-old horses running in their first year of competition put on a very impressive show.

Round 1

Winning Round 1 was Ashley Schafer aboard The Coffee Guy, lovingly known as "Coffee Bean." By $10.5 million dollar sire, The Goodbye Lane, and out of Guys Tots N Fries by Frenchmans Guy, he was bred by a longtime client of Schafer's, Robin Kuhnhein. Schafer had already ridden colts by the dam when she purchased the mare in foal. Sadly, when Coffee Bean was four months old, his mother was struck by lightning. Fortunately for him, the Schafer's own a donkey named Bonita, who took take care of him as her own.

Coffee Bean grew up in the spotlight, as one of the featured training horses on Between the Reins, the online platform created by Schafer, Jolene Montgomery, and Joy Wargo. Started by Schafer's husband, Seth, Coffee Bean has come along on a great journey with the Schafer family. With a 16.864, the duo banked $10,000 for the round win. Schafer "broke the internet" this week with some of her unique bit setups and Coffee Bean's bit educated the public on the use of bit connectors, a common piece of tack in English riding.

Schafer also placed in the 1D on Wayde (The Goodbye Lane x Famed French Kiss x Dash Ta Fame) and FTF Last Can OfFling (Freckles Ta Fame x KR Last Fling x A Streak Of Fling).

Round 2

Schafer was back for a second round win, this time aboard HP Hotrod (Dash Ta Fame x Rods Last Ladybug x Sharp Rodney). Running an incredible 16.573, they claimed the win by three-tenths of a second. Frustrated by her riding of the stallion in Round 1, which resulted in them finishing 22nd in the round at 17.251-seconds, Schafer was determined to remedy that in Round 2. The flawless run had everyone's attention and the Lazy E bursting with excitement.

"Boomer," another popular horse on Between the Reins, has been featured in our futurity coverage this year as an early standout. We are only halfway through the futurity season and he has already banked over $244,000 in lifetime earnings.

The picture of consistency, Schafer placed eighth in the round again with Wayde, running a 17.025. Coffee Bean pulled another check in Round 2, placing ninth in the 2D with a 17.381.

Average

By just two-thousandths of a second, that outstanding Round 2 win was enough to earn Schafer and Boomer the $20,000 win in the average. Reserve Champions Love Lane (The Goodbye Lane x JKT Drifting Tu Love x Sadies Frosty Drift) and Taylor Miniat earned $14,000, as well as third in both rounds, for another $14,000.

Schafer finished seventh in the average on Wayde, eighth aboard The Coffee Guy, and 12th on FTF Last Can OfFling. By our unofficial calculations, Schafer earned $56,850 in futurity earnings only. Her open earnings added another $18,200 for an unofficial total of $75,050.