Jon Winkelried, co-president of Goldman Sachs and an expert on bull markets, has spent a lot of time lately learning about heifers. He’s a quick study, too, judging from the results of the Memphis Amateur Cutting Horse Classic, which he won on Sunday, February 4.

A relative newcomer to the sport, Winkelried scored 220 points riding Quintan Blue, who won the Abilene Spectacular Open Classic under trainer Roger Wagner in January. It was his first major win as a rider, but Winkelried’s horses, shown under the name of Marvine Ranch LLC, have already been earning handsome dividends. Copaspepto, purchased as a colt, has won nearly $80,000 this year as winner of the Memphis Open Futurity and the Abilene Spectacular Open Futurity with Tag Rice.

Quintan Blue, by Mecom Blue, who was already an all-time leading money earner, when Winkelreid purchased her last spring, also won the Abilene Spectacular Open Classic in January, boosting her earnings to $456,000.

“They have had some ranch broodmares and enjoy riding, but this is the first competitive sport that they’ve done,” said consultant Barbra Schulte, who advises Winkelried on his cutting horse program and coaches his wife, Abby, and daughter, Jennifer, 19.

In addition to his win in the Classic, Winkelried also qualified for the finals of the Memphis Amateur Futurity on Playful Ricochet, but finished in a tie for eleventh with a score of 197. Sam Shepard qualified Playful Ricochet for the Memphis Open Futurity, but lost a cow in the finals.

Winkelried, who lives in Short Hills, NJ, acquired the historic Marvine Ranch, a horse and cattle operation near Meeker, CO, in 2000. He purchased his first cutting horse broodmare in 2004 and is currently constructing a cutting horse breeding and training facility near Fort Worth, in Aledo, TX.

Todd Quirk, Denham Springs, LA, captured the Memphis Amateur Futurity with 218 points on Lil Liza Mecom Blue, who is also sired by Mecom Blue.