NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular Recap

CHAMPION: THIRD EDGE & WESLEY GALYEAN OWNER: SMF CUTTING HORSES*

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

The temperature outside was less than ideal as the Texas sun blazed down on the Will Rogers Memorial Center during one of the hottest summers in recent history, but despite the heat, cutters brought their own sizzling performances to the NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular, held July 16 through August 5 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Third Edge and Wesley Galyean needed no introduction as they rode to the herd in the Open Derby finals. The pair shared the NCHA Open Super Stakes co-championship earlier this year with Reybels Cause and Beau Galyean. Third Edge has amassed $147,551 throughout his short time in the show pen. At the Summer Spectacular, their 226.5 topped the Open Derby and added $23,435 to the stallion’s lifetime earnings.

“My mentality is, you may never have another horse like this ever again, so if there’s a time you’re going to make the finals, you’re going to try to go for it as much as you can to try to win,” Wes said. “The cows had been really tough all night long, and my main focus was to figure out a way to get cut clean and just present the run.

“It was a little different at the Super Stakes — the cows were a lot better,” Wes continued. “You could really get up there and show extremely aggressive. Here, you had to be really cautious and try to do everything you could to get cut clean, just so you could get the run going, then get into it as much as you could. He’s just been a great horse all along, and I’m super blessed to have him.”

Wes has known Third Edge, owned at the time of this championship by Steven Feiner’s SMF Cutting Horses, was special since he first started him on cows. He rode the stallion’s dam, Lil Rattler (by Dual Rey), to multiple finals appearances, as did Feiner, who won two major Non-Pro titles with the mare. Third Edge’s sire, Metallic Rebel, was ridden by Wes’s brother, Beau, to NCHA Open Horse of the Year honors and retired with more than $411,000 in lifetime earnings.

“His mother was a really special, big, strong mare, and she kind of had a squatty look about her in front of a cow,” Wes said. “I think that’s where he gets his squatty look from, but then he can move better than she could move. I think that comes from ‘Rebel;’ the Rebels can move left and right really well. He got the best of both worlds.”

Wes appreciated the journey with Third Edge and looks forward to soaking in the win with the horse. He thanked the team behind him, particularly Sammy Gillis, who lopes the stallion.

After marking a 226, Wood She B Magic (Woody Be Tuff x Magic Metallic x Metallic Cat) and Austin Shepard took the reserve title. They collected $20,416 for owner Billy Wolf. *After winning the Open Derby, Third Edge was purchased by Teton Ridge. ★

CHAMPION: COUNTIN HOT CHECKS & JAIME SNIDER OWNER: JAMIE HILL

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

When Jaime Snider rode Countin Hot Checks into the arena during the Open Classic/Challenge finals as the 26th and final draw, the score to beat was a 223. Throughout his run, Snider tried to keep everything smooth and controlled, cutting the cows he had planned on. As his run built, so did the applause and cheering in the arena, and when a 227 flashed across the scoreboard, the crowd went wild.

“I’m a little overwhelmed, to be honest,” Snider said of his win, which garnered the team $20,534. “It’s the first one I’ve won in this arena. I’ve been close numerous times, like last year, when I had as good a run as I’ve ever had and got run over, so it’s just kind of an unreal feeling.”

The NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular title added to the many accolades the duo has racked up over the years, including the 2020 West Texas Futurity 4-Year-Old Intermediate Open championship and the 2021 Bonanza Cutting 5/6-Year-Old Open win. Snider likened the stallion to another great horse he rode, Sly Playgirl, who he piloted to the 2013 NCHA Super Stakes Open Classic reserve championship. Snider added both Sly Playgirl and Countin Hot Checks are some of the best horses he’s ever ridden.

“This horse [Countin Hot Checks] put me over the $1 million mark when he was three years old, and also did this tonight, so it’s pretty special,” Snider said. “He’s super talented and cowy, but his mentality is unreal. We’ve bred 100-something mares to him this year, and I’ve showed him some days I’ve collected him. He’s just very good-natured.”

Snider expressed his gratitude to Countin Hot Checks’ owner, Jamie Hill, who also bred the stallion (Hottish x Cat Countin Checks x Im Countin Checks). Snider was emphatic that owners don’t get any better than Hill.

“Every time I show, whether it’s this horse or that horse, she calls me or texts me, ‘Good luck,’ or, ‘Good job,’” Snider said of Hill. “It’s just nice because when you go down there, you don’t have to worry about anything.”

Snider also thanked his wife, Ashley, saying he couldn’t do his job without her. He then thanked his parents and his help — Matt Miller, Clay Johnson, Boyd Rice and Lloyd Cox.

Taking reserve in the Open Classic/ Challenge were Sanctus (High Brow Cat x Sofie Rey x Dual Rey) and Adan Banuelos, who scored a 223. The pair collected $17,697 for owner Scott Durham. ★

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

At the 2022 NCHA Super Stakes held earlier this year, Rey Von Hicapoo and Cass Tatum hit it big when they scored a 225 to win the Intermediate Open Super Stakes. The pair returned to the 2022 NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular hoping for similar results in the Intermediate Open Derby finals, and their 221 secured the championship, along with $9,101.

Things didn’t go as smoothly for the pair throughout the go-rounds as Tatum would have liked. While they scored well in the first round — a 218.5 — a 212.5 in the second round knocked them out of the Open and nearly took them out of the Intermediate division, too.

“The last day-and-a-half had been pretty bad for me,” Tatum said. “I got run over on the third cow, right when the buzzer rang. They gave me a point back, but it was ugly.”

Tatum was determined to get his runs back on track after a tough couple of days. His goal was to cut his cows clean in the finals with Rey Von Hicapoo. He admitted he was a little fired up as he walked to the herd after his streak of bad luck the day before, but he leaned on the advice he’d learned from his mentors over the years.

“It’s a mental game for sure,” Tatum said. “I worked for Lloyd Cox, and being around him and Clay Johnson, they always pushed me to forget the runs before and just go in there with a clean slate. It’s guys like that who have helped me the most, just making me not think about it.”

Rey Von Hicapoo (Stevie Rey Von x SDP Hydriven Hicapoo x Hydrive Cat), who is owned by Libby Elliott, did her part, too. The talented mare can look good on any type of cow, Tatum said, especially with her ability to get down low.

Tatum thanked his help in the pen, including Johnson, Nate Gribble, Casey Green and Matt Miller. He also thanked his wife, Chelsea, for the work she does behind the scenes.

Taking the reserve championship were Stylin Nu Kitty (Docs Stylish Oak x Special Nu Kitty x High Brow Cat) and Kory Pounds, who marked a 220.5 and received an $8,368 check for owner Melissa Lyons. ★

CHAMPION: ZORI & ROCK HEDLUND OWNER: ECHETA LIVESTOCK LLC

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

In the Basque language, “zori” means luck. It was a fitting name for the mare Rock Hedlund rode into the Intermediate Open Classic/Challenge finals, who had the odds stacked against her from the moment she was born, after her recipient mare died during birth. Zori’s good fortune continued at the show, and she and Hedlund rode away with the championship after scoring a 221.

“She was supposed to die when she was born, but she lived, and then we had to find a nurse mare for her,” Hedlund said. “The nurse mare didn’t have a lot of milk, so she had to be bucket fed. The vet didn’t know if she was going to make it.”

Zori’s tenacity and Hedlund’s hard work helped get the mare through, and Hedlund was grateful to be standing with her in the winner’s circle at the NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular. Making her extra special to Hedlund and his family is the fact that she’s one of the first babies by Hedlund’s son, Cody’s, stallion Meteles Cat. She is also out of Ms Kitty Boon (by Boontothemoon), who Hedlund hauled for a World title.

“She stops a lot like [Meteles Cat], and she has a lot of her mother in her, too,” Hedlund said. “Her mother is like the flagship for Echeta Livestock, who owns Zori and the ranch where I train out of in California.”

Hedlund has worked for John and Cathy Echeverria for more than 30 years. In fact, John’s father was Hedlund’s first customer when he started training more than 40 years ago. It’s been a long and good relationship with the family, he said.

The NCHA Open Riders Hall of Fame inductee was grateful to have the opportunity to show in the Intermediate division at the Summer Spectacular. The class has helped the cutting grow, and he hoped to see it continue at major events.

“Even though I’m a Hall of Fame rider, it means a lot because it’s given me the opportunity to come back here and show more than once,” said Hedlund, who banked $8,336 for the win. “It gives an opportunity for some of us older trainers, who might not have the top-end horses these young guys are getting, to come back and still compete.”

WR This Kitty Smart (WR This Cats Smart x Hyadualin Darlin x Dual Pep) carried Travis Stewart to reserve in the Intermediate Open Classic/Challenge after scoring a 217. The pair banked $7,885 for owner Elizabeth Para. ★

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

When Cinco De Metallica and Marcus Spencer entered the Limited Open Derby finals, there was only a 216 on the leaderboard — a score that could be beaten if Spencer played his cards right. Spencer knew if he and the mare could get through a clean run, they’d be in a good position as they waited out the rest of the class. Things went better than expected when the duo marked a 222, nabbing the championship and $7,608.

“I really wasn’t worried about the competition or winning or anything; I was just going to give it my all,” Spencer said. “I wasn’t holding back at all. She’s really cowy and wants to stop hard. She stops a little too hard sometimes, and she’s not really strong enough to get out of it, but today, it felt like she wanted it.”

Spencer works for Cullen Chartier, who has had Cinco De Metallica (Metallic Cat x Cinca De Maya x Dual Rey) in training for a while. Spencer had ridden the mare a little over the last year, but he didn’t start riding her in earnest until about two weeks before the show. It didn’t take him any time to sync up with the mare, he added — they just get along.

The mare was also shown at the NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Spectacular by her owner, Gregory Williamson, in the Non-Pro. Spencer was grateful to Williamson for giving him the opportunity to show the mare.

“He’s a good guy, and he really believes in the horse,” Spencer said. “That’s a big plus for me because he believes in me also.”

Spencer has been working for Chartier for almost four years. He started out riding with Ted Sokol as a Youth, and during that time, he learned a lot about showing horses. After he moved to Texas and started training young horses, Spencer fell in love with riding two-year-olds.

“I love to show, but the two-year-olds are my passion,” Spencer said. “All I do is two-year-olds. I’ll also take one threeyear-old per year to train myself, but the two-year-olds are what I love to do, and I don’t mind doing it all day, every day.”

Cupids Midnite Train (Dont Stopp Believin x One Catty Cupid x One Time Pepto) and Chet Simoneaux’s 219 landed the Limited Open Derby reserve championship and a paycheck worth $6,850 for owner Joel Colgrove. ★

CHAMPION: TUFF NU CATILLAC & CHET SIMONEAUX OWNER: BLAKELY SIMONEAUX

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

With more than $100,000 on her record, Tuff Nu Catillac already had a reputation for being a good, solid mare when she carried Chet Simoneaux into the pen for the Limited Open Classic/Challenge finals. The mare had been shown several times in other divisions throughout the show, so Simoneaux was mostly focused on himself and making sure he did his job. That diligence paid off with the Limited Open Classic/Challenge championship and a check worth $6,286 after the pair marked a 220.

“Matt Miller trained her — he’s done a great job — and then I got some pointers from some of my help the day before I showed her,” Simoneaux said. “The biggest thing for me was just trying to stay dialed in throughout the whole run and not give up on it, and make clean cuts right in the middle of the pen. That’s kind of what I was focused on — really just staying plugged in the whole run.”

Miller has continued to help Simoneaux with the mare since he started riding her, and the young horseman kept some of Miller’s advice in the back of his mind as he prepared the mare for the NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular.

“That mare is 6 years old, and she’s been getting shown a bunch, so she’s just a good horse,” Simoneaux said.

Tuff Nu Catillac (Woody Be Tuff x Desires Nu Catillac x High Brow Cat) is a homebred mare belonging to Simoneaux’s wife, Blakley, who competed on her in the Non-Pro. The mare has also been shown by Blakley’s sister, Madalyn Cowart.

“She’s just so flashy,” Simoneaux said. “She’s so pretty, and she’s got a great move across a cow. She’s super cowy and tries really hard every time.”

Simoneaux also took home reserve in the Limited Open Derby, riding Cupids Midnite Train, owned by Joel Colgrove, to a 219. He thanked his wife, his help and everybody that has helped him get to this point in his career for their support.

With a 217, Big Bad Punch (Metallic Cat x Love Tracker x DJ Tracker) and Thomas Bray scored the Limited Open Classic/Challenge reserve championship. The duo collected $5,841 for owners Julie and Vince McBurney. ★

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

Kathleen Moore and her nephew, Ty, have had a friendly rivalry in the cutting ever since they both started showing. At the NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular, the pair found themselves going head-to-head in the Non-Pro Derby finals, with Ty qualifying two horses back, both owned by Moore. By the time Moore walked into the pen as draw 14, Ty’s score of 222 was the one to beat.

Moore said she didn’t have a game plan as she navigated Purdys Rebel (Metallic Rebel x Purdy Bet x Bet On Me 498) into the herd. Her biggest goal was to let go of her nerves, something she’s struggled with over the years. The practice paid off, and Moore rode the mare to a 225, winning the Non-Pro Derby.

“Usually Ty beats me, so everybody’s gigging him because I finally beat him,” Moore said, with a laugh. “It doesn’t happen very often because he’s pretty good. He just shows and doesn’t have a worry in the world, and I’m sitting back here worrying about everything that can go wrong. But he doesn’t. He knows he’s good.”

Moore, who collected $15,425 for the win, was thrilled with her score, attributing it to her mare’s talent. She was also excited to have her first NonPro title in Will Rogers Coliseum since she first started cutting in her 30s. She thanked Purdys Rebel’s trainer, James Payne, for all he’s done with the mare.

“She’s always a little fractious and worried about things, so James wanted me to start showing her just to see if it would get her to grow up a little bit,” Moore said. “Since then, she’s matured a lot. She’s very cowy and strong – all the things you want in them.”

She and Payne sometimes trade off on the mare at the smaller events, she added, depending on how the mare does, and she planned to continue doing so. Moore thanked Lloyd Cox, who also trains horses for her, and the rest of her help in the pen, Clay Johnson and Matt Miller.

“It takes a big crew to make this happen,” said Moore. “All my help, they’re all very special to me.”

Kelsey Johnson and Rosalitta (Metallic Cat x GS Counting On Kitty x Im Countin Checks) took reserve with a 224, collecting $13,315.★

CHAMPION: ALI GOOD & ANGEL N DISGUISE 016 OWNER: JIM GOOD

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

As Ali Good walked into Will Rogers Coliseum for the last time on Angel N Disguise 016, her goal was to have a clean run and hopefully end the mare’s career on a good note. The pair was the secondto-last team in the finals, and there was a 221.5 already on the leaderboard. Good didn’t let the pressure get to her, though — she piloted the mare to a 223.5, winning the Non-Pro Classic/Challenge title and $14,429.

“It makes me happy to do it on her, especially with it being her last show,” Good said. “We’ve made a lot of finals, but we always had bad luck in the finals. I wasn’t planning on winning; obviously, you go down there trying to win, but I was trying just to get through a clean run and end her on a good note. I’m glad I was able to get a run put together.”

Good called getting through the finals a matter of survival. She cut the cows her help — Austin Shepard, Cullen Chartier, Jesse Lennox and Adan Banuelos — picked for her, and “Dora” came through, helping everything work out.

Good’s dad, Jim, purchased Dora about two years ago, shortly before the 2020 NCHA Summer Spectacular. The mare (Kit Kat Sugar x Dual Smart Kitty x Dual Smart Rey) has racked up earnings of $138,179 throughout her career. She’s also posed some challenges to Good throughout the years.

“She’s been a handful,” Good said with a laugh. “She’s the sweetest thing, but she’s wild as they come. She tries so hard — her try is more than any horse I’ve ever had. She’s fast and cowy. She can’t get enough of it.”

Good planned to eventually breed Dora, though the mare will never carry her own foal. The mare is scheduled to retire to pasture shortly after the 2022 NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular. Good thanked the team behind her for supporting them and helping them accomplish this goal.

“I couldn’t do it without my parents, and if it weren’t for my granddad, Bill Riddle, I wouldn’t be here,” Good said. “I couldn’t do it without Adan either — he’s always there to help me. It takes so many people to accomplish anything.”

Ty Moore and Miss Blu Boon (Once In A Blu Boon x Mates Memory x Smart Mate), owned by his aunt, Kathleen Moore, marked a 221.5 for reserve, which came with a $12,709 paycheck. ★

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

For Rieta Dufurrena, the Intermediate Non-Pro Derby championship on Kisss was more than just a win. It also signified how far the mare has come since she underwent colic surgery at the beginning of her three-year-old year. Since then, Kisss has struggled to catch up to others her age, but Dufurrena always knew she had the ability. Their win at the NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular proved that sometimes, faith in a dream can pay off.

“For her to pull it off to even get into the finals was amazing,” said Dufurrena, who marked a 218 and banked $4,924. “We knew deep down she had the potential. She feels really cool when she locks down on a cow; she feels like a bird dog, in a sense. When she locks in, you feel invincible on her. She has a wild side, but if we keep it contained, once she locks down, she’s good.”

The mare (Metallic Cat x Miss Ella Rey x Dual Rey), a full sister to more than $418,000 earner Stevie Rey Von, certainly had the breeding to be remarkable in the show pen. Dufurrena said like her brother, Kisss is good-natured and loves attention, but otherwise, she’s very different from the stallion.

“She has talent, but I wouldn’t compare her to ‘Stevie,’” Dufurrena said. “She’s clearly got this title under her belt now, so maybe someday she’ll step up to that level. Being a sister, you kind of have high expectations.

“Physical-wise, they’re both very big, pretty horses, but they move entirely differently,” Dufurrena continued. “He had a big stop and a silky turnaround, where she has to stay straighter. She’ll go stop big like he could, but she’s not as physical as him.”

Dufurrena said the mare was on track to make a good broodmare prospect later in her life, and she hoped to continue showing her, along with her dad, Ed, who competes with the mare in the Open. Much of Dufurrena’s time is taken up by her marketing company, 940 Branding, so her riding and showing time has become limited. Because of that, Dufurrena was thankful she was able to make it into the Intermediate Non-Pro Derby finals, despite feeling unprepared.

“Honestly, it was a Hail Mary,” Dufurrena said with a laugh. “I barely got her in the finals. Everything lined up just right for me and her.”

One point behind, Cassie Cerny and Road E’s 217 gave them the reserve championship. Cerny and the mare (Thomas E Hughes x Ruby Tuesdays Color x Color Me Smart), who is owned by Boone’s Farm, collected $4,705. ★

CHAMPION: LAUREN BUITRON & I BFLY OWNER: LAUREN BUITRON

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

Before I Bfly was even conceived, Lauren Buitron already had her name picked out. The mare is the first baby out of Buitron’s mare Ironn Butterfly (by Just Playin Smart), who she rode to her first major four-year-old finals and also won her first Non-Pro aged event on. Buitron knew Ironn Butterfly’s baby would be special, and though they had several setbacks, the mare proved her right during the NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular, when she carried Buitron to a 222 in the Intermediate NonPro Classic/Challenge finals, winning the title and $4,163.

“She’s been one of my favorites from the very beginning,” Buitron said of I Bfly, who is by Metallic Cat. “It’s been kind of a long road because when she was four years old, all the COVID stuff happened, and after that, I was pregnant. It took a little while to get back in the swing of things.

“This is her last Fort Worth, Texas, show because she’s six years old, which sucks, because I feel like we haven’t really gotten a chance yet,” she continued. “For her to have shown everybody what she can do here finally, and have my first win on her, that’s really cool.”

Buitron said I Bfly, “Iggy,” displays a lot of quirks like her mom, though she also has some unique traits of her own. For instance, Iggy is more laid back than her dam, and she also tends to like people more, whereas Ironn Butterfly is more particular about how she doles out affection.

“They’re alike in that the harder it is, the better they are,” Buitron said.

She plans to continue showing Iggy through the rest of the year, then haul the mare next year to try and add money to her record. Iggy will likely stay with Buitron forever.

Buitron thanked the trainers who had a hand in training Iggy, along with all her help at the Summer Spectacular — Gabe Reynolds, Cade Shepard, Austin Shepard, Sean Flynn, Eddie Flynn and Danielle Lester, who loped Iggy. She also thanked her husband, Andres, for watching their daughter so she could accomplish her dreams.

Two riders each marked a 218.5 for the Intermediate Non-Pro Classic/Challenge co-reserve championship. Both Cade Hansma, on Sneakinarountheboon (Once In A Blu Boon x Smooth Sneakin x Smooth As A Cat), owned by Mark Messenger, and Caylee Shepard, aboard Flawless (One Time Pepto x MH San Tules Dually x San Tule Freckles), owned by Austin Shepard, collected $3,929. ★

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

KC Wright jokes that Pocket Kings is her “unicorn.” The gelding has been shown quite a bit in the Open by her husband, Greg, and Adan Banuelos, making the finals at all three NCHA Triple Crown events, but he’s also been able to dial down and carry her into the show pen as well. At the NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular, the pair came away with the Limited Non-Pro Derby championship, which was decided by pencil finals, after marking a 220.

“He’s been such a treat to own, and he’s very special to me because I get just as much enjoyment out of owning him or showing him,” Wright said. “He has all the makings of a good horse. He’s great to work, day in and day out, really doesn’t give you any trouble, and I feel like all those things come in handy when it comes to being an Open and Non-Pro horse. They need to be very user-friendly, and he is.”

The horse was there when she called on him during their run, Wright added. The pair was fifth in the second set of horses during the Limited Non-Pro Derby round, and Wright was able to cut what she thought were the three best cows in the pen. She focused on relaxing and doing her job, and Pocket Kings did his. The duo banked $5,361 for the win.

Wright has ridden cutting horses since she graduated high school, but she hasn’t gotten to show very much. Having a high caliber horse like Pocket Kings (NRR Cat King Cole x Purdy N Smooth x Purdy Boy Flash) can be nerve-wracking, she said, but the gelding takes care of her.

“Often as a trainer’s wife, you don’t get to hold on to the good ones, or you have to show a less than average horse,” Wright said. “I’m thankful I got to keep him. He’s earned his keep, and he owes me nothing.”

Wright thanked her help in the show pen, her husband, Greg, J.D. Garrett for doing a great job training Pocket Kings as a two-year-old, and Banuelos and his whole crew. She also expressed her gratitude to Jeff and Jennifer Foland, who bred Pocket Kings, for raising such a nice horse.

Marley Wood rode Small Talk (Smooth Talkin Style x Donas Suen Boon x Boon Too Suen), owned by Paula Wood, to a 215.5, taking home the reserve championship. The pair collected $4,467. ★

CHAMPION: JACK BELL & STARS GO BLU OWNER: JACK BELL

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

Since the Limited Non-Pro Classic/Challenge was a single round, Jack Bell, who drew up last, decided to treat it like a weekend class. He planned to ride Stars Go Blu into the herd and give it his best shot. The strategy paid off, and the duo scored a 220, winning the title and $6,207.

“He wanted to be ready to have an opportunity to mark a good score and to get a check, because we knew we had one shot at it,” said J.P. Bell, Jack’s dad. “The best laid plans don’t always work out, but it did work out that particular day.”

“I was just trying to go do my job,” added Jack, who turned 14 years old during the 2022 NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular.

He knew he could rely on Stars Go Blu (Once In A Blu Boon x Starlight Starbrite x Somebody Smart), who has been his partner since the Bells purchased her for the second time in December 2021. They originally bought her at the beginning of her four-year-old year, then sold her to a client. When she came up for sale again at the end of the year, the Bells wanted her back.

“This mare really stops and bends her hock a lot,” J.P. said. “She’s big — she’s over 15 hands — but she doesn’t work like a big horse. She works pretty low. She’s got lots of integrity, and whether you’re working her on a cow, a flag or dry working, she’s really serious about her job.”

Jack has done all the work on the mare since they purchased her again, J.P. added, between tuning her up and practicing. His sister, Jenna, lopes for him and helped prepare the mare for the Summer Spectacular.

Jack thanked his help and his family for supporting him at the event. His dad added that they learn so much each time they come to Fort Worth, Texas.

“It’s a fun deal for Jack, Jenna and I,” J.P. said. “Being from the North [Duluth, Minnesota] and getting to go to Texas, it’s a litmus test for us to see where we’re at and how the horses are doing. We’ve got a lot of good friends down there in the Weatherford, Texas, area that we get to ride with. We get to bring home more knowledge and then put it to task here, and hopefully get some fun results from it.”

Jimmy Purselley rode Flashie to a 219 for the reserve championship. He and the mare (Purdy Boy Flash x Oh Flo x Cats Quixote Jack) collected $4,966. ★

CHAMPION: TOM KAUFMANN & QUACKMAN OWNER: TOM KAUFMANN

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

If you told Tom Kaufmann in 2020 that, one day, he’d be standing with Quackman in the McAlister Assets Amateur Derby winner’s circle at an NCHA Triple Crown event after marking a 222, $9,515 richer, he probably wouldn’t have believed you. During that time, he wasn’t even sure Quackman would be alive in two years, let alone able to be competitive under saddle.

When the horse first went into training as a two-year-old with Eric Ferreira, he choked on an alfalfa cube and got bacteria in his throat, which went into his lungs. Kaufmann took him to the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and left him there for a month. During that time, several veterinarians said he would never be ridden again, even suggesting euthanasia at one point.

“We called our vet, and he said to bring him home, that we could fix it,” Kaufmann recalled. “My wife and I built a little pasture behind the window in our room and gave him a nebulizer and tons of antibiotics. We moved out of California because of all the smoke from the fires last year, and she got him healthy.”

The horse then had to undergo palate surgery to fix the displacement caused by the original cube. Once all of that was behind him, Russ Elrod took him into his program in March 2021 and started trying to make up for lost time. When Elrod headed west to show on the West Coast circuit, the Kaufmanns put the horse in training with R.L. Chartier, so the horse could avoid being around the wildfires again.

Kaufmann’s daughter, Kiley, made the Limited Non-Pro finals at the 2021 NCHA Futurity. Kaufmann said the stallion (Sannman x Duck On A Chain x Blue Duck Okie) has been a pleasure to ride and makes his job easy.

“He developed all that ‘crouchines’s on his own,” Kaufmann said. “Ever since day one, he’s had natural ability. He just knew how to get through himself. He’s a fun horse to work — you work maybe one or two cows, then put him away.”

Kaufmann appreciated all who have had a hand in Quackman’s training. He thanked his help in the pen, along with his wife, Michelle, who prepares “Crash” for shows.

Tha Girl Next Door (WR This Cats Smart x Too Smart Toodie x Smart Mate) and Robert Masterson picked up the reserve title with their 219. The pair banked $8,740. ★

CO-CHAMPION: FERNANDO LOZA & GOTACHANGEUREVILWAYS OWNER: FERNANDO LOZA

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

The first draw out of the gate in the McAlister Assets Amateur Classic/ Challenge finals was Fernando Loza, who scored a 219 on Gotachangeurevilways. Two draws later, Reyly Plendl and Nitreyious matched their score. No other rider was able to top it, and the two settled as co-champions, each banking $9,137.

Loza and Gotachangeurevilways (Kit Kat Sugar x Wicked Wanda Rey x Dual Rey) nearly found themselves in the limelight at last year’s NCHA Summer Spectacular when they rode to the McAlister Assets Amateur Derby reserve championship. Loza was ecstatic to finally end up in the winner’s circle this year with the horse he describes as “one in a million.”

“This little horse is simply amazing;

she’s something else,” Loza said. “She gets better and better every single year. My trainer, Jose Cruz, and I talked about it, and we knew if I had clean cuts and stayed accurate, she would do the rest. That’s exactly what happened.

“She has the capacity to go slow and fast by herself,” he continued. “She can do it naturally — if the cow is going slower, she goes slow. If the cow asks her, she goes fast. It is incredible.”

Loza purchased the mare from the Rose Valley Ranch Reduction Sale in 2020 when the mare was three years old. The pair went to the NCHA Futurity later that year and made the finals in the Amateur and in the Limited Non-Pro.

The Florida-based horseman planned to continue adding to their records together by showing Gotachangeurevilways through her whole career. He was looking forward to her first baby, due next year, and hoped it and any others would turn out just like her. The mare’s lifetime earnings now stand at more than $100,000, according to the NCHA.

CO-CHAMPION: REYLY PLENDL & NITREYIOUS OWNER: REGAN & REYLY PLENDL PARTNERSHIP

Loza expressed his appreciation to Cruz, who he said does an incredible job with the mare, and the rest of his help in the pen — Casey Green, Clay Johnson and Lloyd Cox.

The McAlister Assets Amateur Classic/Challenge co-championship was Plendl’s first big win in Will Rogers Coliseum. She was particularly excited to score it on Nitreyious (Metallic Cat x Cherrey x Dual Rey), who her family purchased as an embryo from Rodney Wrinkle.

“He was the first horse I started as a two-year-old with a little help from my dad, and he was our first horse to make the Open and Non-Pro finals at the NCHA Futurity,” said Plendl, who was the Non-Pro Futurity reserve champion on the gelding.

“He always outshined all the other two-year-olds and was doing some cool stuff, like going on his knees and quivering. I have yet to find another twoyear-old doing those things.”

Before the McAlister Assets Amateur finals, Plendl and Nitreyious had some tough luck in the Non-Pro first round, getting run over by a cow right before the buzzer. Plendl was feeling defeated and frustrated, so her plan in the McAlister Assets Amateur was to just get through a run successfully. In the semifinals, they marked a 220, winning the round.

“I had a lot more confidence going into the finals,” Plendl said. “I knew I had a nice enough horse that if I got through a clean run, they would be able to mark me.”

She thanked her family for letting her show horses, her help in the show pen, including Kelle Earnheart, who tuned up Nitreyious, and the Plendls’ trainer, Nick O’Dell, who has ridden the gelding quite a bit. She also expressed a special thank you to her sister, Regan, who gets Nitreyious ready when she shows.

“She keeps me going down to the barn and keeps me accountable,” Plendl said. ★

CHAMPION: JULIE MCBURNEY & DEE OH DOUBLE G OWNER: JULIE & VINCE MCBURNEY

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

Julie McBurney has been showing cutting horses for 30 years, but she had never won a class in Will Rogers Coliseum — until this year. She and Dee Oh Double G, owned by her and her husband, Vince, made the finals in both the McAlister Assets Amateur Derby and Rios of Mercedes Intermediate Amateur Derby. They came away with the championship in the latter after scoring a 218.

McBurney also tied for seventh in the McAlister Assets Amateur Derby. Between the two finals, she went back home to California with a total of $13,186.

“It was definitely a memory I’ll have for a long time,” McBurney said. “It’s been one of the things on the bucket list since I’ve been doing this for so long.

“We didn’t really have a game plan; this was a last-minute decision for us coming to the show,” she added. “We had kind of planned to, but my husband was in a bad accident last year. He hadn’t been riding a whole lot, but he said, ‘We’re going to the Spectacular.’ We came out here, and it was really fun.”

Vince made the McAlister Assets Amateur Derby semifinals on Rondeyvous, but he had to scratch after the mare got hurt. Thomas Bray was slated to show Dee Oh Double G in the Limited Open but didn’t proceed past the first round. Still, they had a great show, McBurney said.

The McBurneys have owned Dee Oh Double G, “Red,” (Reyzin The Cash x Rubyvous x Smart Little Rondee) since late in the gelding’s two-year-old year. They bought him from Gary Gonsalves, who initially trained the horse. Last December, they put him in training with Thomas Bray in Columbus, Texas, not too far from the McBurneys’ Texas property.

“He moves really pretty, and when you have a good move on a cow, you can’t make up for that with training,” McBurney said. “You kind of have to show him where he needs to be, because he’s already a good mover. He’s really cowy, level-headed, and he wants to go to work.”

When they’re not in Texas, the McBurneys practice on their own at their property in Agua Dulce, California. Traveling back and forth takes some work, but they appreciate the opportunity to work with Bray, and also thanked Gonsalves for doing a great job training Red.

The Rios of Mercedes Intermediate Amateur Derby co-reserve championship went to Barney Mac Smith on Pontiac Believer (Don’t Stopp Believin x Catillac Smooth x Smooth As A Cat), and Zach Bingham, riding Shes Pretty Metallic (Metallic Cat x Pareydise x Dual Rey), who each marked a 217 and collected $6,453. ★

CHAMPION: JEFF GRASMAN & AUSPICIOUS ACE OWNER: JEFF GRASMAN

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

The first time Jeff Grasman showed in Will Rogers Coliseum was at the 2022 NCHA Super Stakes earlier this year. He went back to Fort Worth, Texas, as a last-minute entry in the NCHA Great American Insurance Group Summer Cutting Spectacular, mounted on his first ever limited age horse, Auspicious Ace. There, he picked up not one, but two championships at the event, marking a 219 to win the Limited Amateur Classic/ Challenge and a 225 for the Rios of Mercedes Intermediate Amateur Classic/Challenge title.

“It was not what I was expecting,” said Grasman, who amassed $8,198. “It caught me off guard. I was hoping to just come out and cut three cows; getting a respectable ride is all I was looking for because I’ve only been at this for about three years. That [225] is the biggest score I’ve ever gotten; I’ve never scored anything even close to that.”

Since Grasman’s whole family, including wife, Jamie; son, Joey; and daughter, Ryann; also compete, Grasman was originally trying to get all of them squared away before entering himself in the show. Ryann and Auspicious Ace missed the McAlister Assets Amateur Classic/Challenge semifinals by half a point, so Grasman took over the ride in the Rios of Mercedes Intermediate and Limited. Coming in at the eleventh hour inspired him to give it his all in the show pen.

“I said, ‘Find some cows that are either going to win or lose,’” Grasman said. “Randy [Chartier] told me what determines if you win or lose it is how far you come out with your cow, so I pushed out as far as I could.”

Grasman had extra competition in the Limited class, as Jamie also made the finals on A Hot Lil Scooter and ultimately placed 13th.

Grasman has been riding cutting horses for about three years, but he’s been around horses for much longer. Jamie had wanted to own horses her whole life, so about 20 years ago, they bought their first one. The Grasmans started out with trail horses, then eventually moved to showing ranch horses. It was through the latter that they found cutting.

The family attended weekend cuttings for the first few years but eventually decided they wanted to step up into the limited age classes, too. They purchased Auspicious Ace (Auspicious Cat x Toodie Doc Rey x Dual Rey) about six months ago through Chartier.

“We live in Michigan, and we did take him home for a little bit, but we brought him back to Texas a month-and-a-half ago for some additional touch-ups,” Grasman said. “He’s goofy. He’s the one that rolls and gets into something he shouldn’t. He smiles when you raise your finger.

“He’s just got a lot of heart and does his job,” Grasman added. “He’s saved me a bunch of times where I messed up — he covers it up and just does what he’s supposed to do.”

Grasman thanked the whole Chartier crew for getting him through the show. Now that he has two big titles under his belt, he’s not yet sure where to go next. One thing is certain, though — the Summer Spectacular will be a show he’ll never forget.

“I was planning on working all week this week, just planning on coming for the first week, doing our thing, and moving on,” Grasman said. “This was fun.”

In the Rios of Mercedes Intermediate Amateur, a 218 gave Sawyer Hennig and Chaty Catty (Catty Hawk x Velvets Best Shot x Playgun), owned by Gregory Williamson, the reserve championship. The pair collected $5,647.

The Limited Amateur reserve championship went to Andy Dent and Bar D Ranch LLC’s Boondexterous, who marked a 215. Dent and the gelding (Once In A Blu Boon x Cats Smart Lady x High Brow Cat) banked $2,044. ★

CHAMPION: MIKE ROBERTS & DESIRES SUM PRADA OWNER: HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH

BY: KRISTIN PITZER

Mike Roberts won the 2021 NCHA Summer Spectacular Limited Amateur Derby championship aboard Chitachita Boonboon. In 2022, he defended his title, riding Desires Sum Prada to a 220, topping the class and taking home $1,916.

“If you can win any aged event cutting, it’s special, but especially when you can do it in Will Rogers [Memorial Center]; it’s really cool,” Roberts said.

Aside from the horse he was mounted on, there was one key difference between last year’s win and this year’s. After his win on Chitachita Boonboon, Roberts sold the mare to an interested buyer who approached him at the show.

“I sold her with, like, immediate regret,” Roberts said. “I was like, ‘What did I do? I have nothing to show.’ So I’m not doing that this year. I’m going to keep her, breed her next year and continue to show her.”

Desires Sum Prada (Im Countin Checks x Dual Catolena x High Brow Cat) is out of the same mare that produced Catolena Cashin In, who won the 2021 NCHA Open Super Stakes. Roberts purchased her during the 2021 NCHA Futurity from Joel Colgrove Sr.

“She’s a really cool horse, and we get along really well,” Roberts said. “It’s a good fit. She’s super athletic, very cowy and very smart. I would say she’s the total package. She definitely covers up a lot of my mistakes and seems to be getting better every show.”

Roberts, who has been cutting for about two years, rides with Cullen Chartier. He was grateful for his guidance, along with the teachings of his former trainer, James Payne.

Though he didn’t get into horses until later in life, Roberts, who runs a podcast called “The Converse Cowboy,” originally jumped into it with both feet. He started out team roping but craved learning more about horsemanship. Because he owned a Playgun gelding, he reached out to legendary horseman Dick Pieper, owner of Playgun, who took Roberts under his wing.

“He was at the Circle Bar Ranch at the time, and I would drive 10 hours, do whatever I needed to do, to get in front of him to learn,” Roberts said. “I would constantly bug him on the phone. He was always willing to help out and talk through problems. He always had an answer, which gave me confidence in what I was doing.”

Andy Dent rode Tin Can (Metallic Cat x Nurse Moss x Dual Pep) to a 214 for the Limited Amateur Derby reserve championship, collecting $1,778 for owner Bar D Ranch LLC. ★