Relentless PYC, the All-Time Winning Roping Horse Futurity Mare, Dies in Accident
- Melanie Smith
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Relentless PYC, the highest-earning futurity mare in rope horse history and the second highest-earning rope horse mare of all time, died November 4 following a freak accident during a practice run at home.
“If you’ve been in this business, you know how few great ones there really are,” said Miles Baker. “We all knew what we had, and she was special. You can feel talent, but you can’t feel heart — and her heart was immeasurable.”
The 2020 mare, known as “Nala,” was by First Prize Diver and out of Chars Gun by Playgun, and was owned by the Relentless Remuda, Solo Select Horses, and Bob Tonkin.
Full Circle: The Beginning of Nala’s Story
Her story started long before the wins, when Ty Smith bought her dam, Chars Gun, in foal at the Triangle Sale for long-time customer Renee Cudd of Cudd Quarter Horses. He didn’t know it then, but the big, pretty Playgun mare was carrying something truly special.
“Her mother was a big, strong, good-boned mare — everything you love in a daughter of Playgun,” said Ty Smith. “We needed something for Renee that would add some structure and bone without compromising the athleticism horses need to win today.”
Chars Gun foaled out a beautiful bay filly at Solo Select, where Nala was raised through her yearling year. She was fit and taken to Renee’s annual production sale in June of 2021, where Larry Rice bought her back. He took her home and had her started in early 2022.
“I went over to Larry Rice’s place when they were putting the very first rides on the two-year-olds,” said Miles Baker. “There were a lot of nice ones standing there, but something about her caught my eye. She wasn’t the kind that blew you away at first glance. She was quiet, soft-eyed, and just had this presence about her.
“She had the best eye of anything in that barn, really of anything I’ve ever been around. I told Trevor right then, ‘I don’t know what it is about this mare, but she just feels special to me.’
“Looking back, I think God had a little plan in that moment, because that mare ended up being one of the biggest stepping stones in my career. You can feel talent, but you can’t feel heart, and her heart was immeasurable. She had so much try, so much purity in the way she went about things. She wanted to do good every single day. She just had that something you can’t teach.”
From Two-Year-Old Prospect to Record-Breaking Mare
She proved him right every step of the way.
Miles rode her through her two- and three-year-old years, and the mare quickly rose to the top of his string.
“By the end of her three-year-old year, I called Ty and told him, ‘I think I’ve got something special here.’ He came over the next day to watch her go. I ran about five steers, and when I finished, he kind of chuckled and said, ‘Partner, you aren’t lying — you’ve got something special right there.’
“That’s when he told me the backstory about how he’d bought her mom, Chars Gun, in foal with Nala in her belly. He said, ‘That’s the kind of mare we need to keep close to us.’ Not long after that, we partnered with Solo and Bob Tonkin.
“I remember telling everyone, ‘I think I can win a lot on this mare.’ And for the first time in my life, I felt that pressure of people believing in what I saw. But she proved me right. She never let me down.”
When Ty came to see her, he knew she was different.
“That mare was the whole package,” Smith said. “She was conformationally ideal — good-backed, deep-hipped, clean in her throatlatch, beautiful-headed, and with plenty of bone and structure. The way she ran to a steer — she just moved with finesse. It was easy for her. She had exceptional timing.
“Bob Tonkin had been asking to get in on a mare, and this was the one. There are good mares, there are mares built to be producers — and then there are the rare few that are both. This mare was one of those.”
That’s when the partnership formed between the Relentless Remuda, Solo Select, and Bob Tonkin.
Through her four-year-old season, Nala helped make Miles the highest-winning futurity trainer of 2025. According to QData, Relentless PYC earned $206,574 in her competitive career — making her the most successful futurity mare on record and the richest four-year-old of 2024.
Bob Tonkin was there through it all.
“He’s the best kind of partner,” Miles said. “He understands the ups and the downs, and that makes the wins mean even more.”
Ty echoed that sentiment, noting how rare and important that kind of partnership is in the horse business.
“Bob’s been there in every season- the highs, the lows, and everything between,” Smith said. “He’s not just in it for the victories; he believes in the horses and the people behind them. When you have a partner like that, you don’t just share success, you build it together. And Nala was a reflection of that. She was the kind that brings people together and reminds you why you do this in the first place.”
Relentless PYC’s impact on the industry won’t end in the arena. Her first foals by Pride And Joyy and Cyber Monday are expected in 2026, carrying forward the look, balance, and heart that made her one of the greats.
Her story will live on through them, and through the people who believed in her from the very start.
