August 1, 2012–The National Cutting Horses Association’s Summer Spectacular, presented by Great American Insurance concluded on July 28 after a three week run at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, in Fort Worth, Texas.
More than 1,300 entrants competed for over $2.2 million in prize money and close to $100,000 worth of prizes.
The NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular includes a Derby for 4-year-old horses and a Classic-Challenge for 5- and 6-year-olds. Also included were the annual National Youth Cutting Horse Association Scholarship Cutting and new this year, the Grace Ranch/ NYCHA Youth World Finals.
The Summer Spectacular is the final jewel of the Triple Crown of Cutting, which began with the 2011 NCHA Futurity in December.
Hottish has been on fire at the past two major NCHA events in Fort Worth, winning the XTO Energy Super Stakes Non Pro and now winning the Derby Open at the Great American Insurance/ NCHA Summer Spectacular with trainer Lloyd Cox, Fort Morgan, Colo., with a blazing score of 228. Hottish is a stallion sired by Spots Hot and owned by Dustin and Deena Adams, Dublin, Texas.
“If he starts doing any more, I’m going to need to get someone else to ride him,” said Cox. “The harder he stops the better he gets.”
Spoonfulla Cat and Jonathan Rogers Rockdale, Texas, were the reserve champions with a score of 223. Rogers had two horses in the finals, both owned by Robert and Carrie Tiemann, Pflugerville, Texas.
Derby Non Pro
It was a great night for Bet On a Cat and owner Chad Bushaw, Weatherford, Texas, who won the Derby Non- Professional class with a score of 222 as the last horse in the first bunch of finalists. The son of High Brow cat also placed fifth with trainer Tommy Dvorak, Weatherford, Texas, in the Open division.
“He keeps getting stronger and smarter, but he’s been the same great horse each trip, whether its Tommy or I showing him,” said Bushaw. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a great horse like this. He’s really special.”
Steve Anderson, Victoria, Texas, was the reserve champion with a score of 218.5 riding Smooth N Cattacular, by Smooth as a Cat.
Derby Amateur
Longtime cutter Jim Short, Fulshear, Texas, earned his first limited aged event victory at Fort Worth when he marked a 217 on Dual Ticket, to win both the Rios of Mercedes Amateur Derby and the Amateur Senior Derby division.
Short has been competing in cutting for over 20 years, and has collected 16 finalist buckles from the NCHA produced events in Fort Worth. This trip marked his first two championship buckles and first championship saddle earned in the Will Rogers Coliseum.
2010 NCHA Limited Aged Event Rookie of the Year, Clint Hixson, Monroe, La., and Peeka Spice Cat were the Reserve Champions of the Derby Amateur division with a score of 216.5.
Derby Open Gelding
Darren Simpkins, Weatherford, Texas, and The Mighty Minnow, owned by Ian and Billie Buckeridge, Australia, marked a 221 as the second rider of an eighteen horse finals to win the Derby Open Gelding. Simpkins was catch riding The Mighty Minnow for trainer Clint Allen, Weatherford, Texas
“Clint does and incredible job with all his horses. He gets all the work of training them, and I get to just come show. They are a lot of fun to ride,” said Simpkins.
I Bea Cat and Tarin Rice, Jacksboro, Texas, were the reserve champions with a score of 218 for owner Jim Crawford, Lexington, Neb. Like The Mighty Minnow, I Bea Cat was also trained by Clint Allen, but became a resident of Rice’s barn after the XTO Energy/NCHA Super Stakes, when Allen saw how well Rice got along with the horse.
Derby John Deere Open
The Derby Open Gelding was a warm up finals for Tarin Rice and I Bea Cat, who marked a 227 to win the John Deere Derby Open finals. I Bea Cat is a son of High Brow Cat and owned by Jim Crawford. Rice and the gelding won over $28,000 at the event with three finals appearances, one reserve championship, and one championship.
“He hasn’t been shown much before we came here, but with each run he has gotten stronger and smarter,” said Rice.
Salvador Cabral, Jacksboro, Texas, scored a 222 on High Up Cat for owner Antonio Barrios, Venezuela, for the reserve championship. High Up Cat has proven to be a versatile cutting horse, making five major event finals in the Non-Pro and Amateur divisions with Barrios and competing with Cabral.
Derby Non Pro Gelding
Shane Plummer, Fort Worth, Texas, and SDP Nobama earned their first title in Fort Worth with a score of 218. SDP Nobama is sired by Plummer’s stallion TR Dual Rey. Plummer owns and operates SDP Buffalo Ranch in Fort Worth, Texas where TR Dual Rey and several other performance horse stallions.
Reserve champion Debbie Hall, Paso Robles, Calif., also earned her first title in Fort Worth with her finals performance on Gracierey, by Reys Dual Badger.
Derby Non Pro Ltd
It was by chance that Don Bell, Weatherford, Texas, even got to show Thundercat at the Great American Insurance/ NCHA Summer Spectacular. Thundercat was entered, but unable to show in the Open division with trainer, Matt Miller, Poolville, Texas, but Bell was able to buy a Non-Pro slot and won the Limited division with a score of 221.
“I hadn’t even worked a cow on him before I showed in the first round, It wasn’t my intention to show this horse, but I’m sure glad I got the opportunity,” said Bell.
18-year-old, Collbran Blue Larsen, Gruver, Texas, and Kay Jay Wilson were the reserve champions with a score of 217. Larsen was also the 2011 Classic Challenge Non-Pro Limited champion and 2012 Senior Youth reserve world champion riding DS Mrs Wilsonsfreckle.
Classic Open
It took James Payne, Overbrook, Okla., and Sarenadual marking a 222 in the wild card round to earn a spot in the finals, but he came back the next night with a 223 to win the Classic/Challenge Open. Payne’s goal for the event was to get the mare to $100,000 in lifetime earnings for owner Kathleen Moore, Madill, Okla.
“I started off just happy because it looked like I was going to get her to $100,000, but the longer the finals went, the more I thought about how great it would be to win it, and the more nervous I got,” said Payne.
This victory was the Dual Pep daughter’s first major Open win and Payne’s first win in Fort Worth.
2010 NCHA Futurity Champion duo Lloyd Cox, Fort Morgan, Colo. and One Time Royalty earned the reserve championship with a score of 222. One Time Royalty holds the all-time NCHA Futurity record high scoring win with a 230.
Classic Non Pro
Defending champion, Kyle Manion, Aubrey, Texas, and new Fort Worth champion, Elizabeth Queen, Lipan, Texas, tied to win the Classic Non Professional with scores of 220.5.
Manion showed Holly Is Smooth, sired by his stallion Smooth as a Cat. The six year old mare was bred and sold as a two-year-old by Manion and later repurchased. Holly Is Smooth has career earnings of over $144,000.
“I think she really enjoys the competition. The more I ask her the harder she tries, and the tougher the cows, the better she is,” said Manion.
Queen was showing a son of Abrakadabracre, Razor, who she purchased from her mother, Becky Elliot, Estill, S.C. The Summer Spectacular was just Queen’s second time to show the horse. Queen has earned four reserve championships in Will Rogers, but this was her first championship here.
Queen qualified two horses for the finals, and along with her husband, Skip, she owns Sister CD, NCHA’s number one active all-time leading money earner.
Classic/Challenge Amateur
19-year-old, Taylor Carbo, Plaquemine, La., is making it a habit to win at the NCHA Summer Spectacular. This year marks his third victory at the event, after back to back NYCHA Scholarship Cutting Senior Youth Championships in 2010 and 2011.
Carbo marked a 222 early in the Rios of Mercedes Classic/Challenge Amateur Finals aboard Moms Stilish Cat, a stallion he recently purchased from Jerry Durant, Weatherford, Texas “He’s got a lot of eye appeal and he really stops hard,” said Carbo.
After a five year hiatus from cutting, Mandy Chisum, Atascadero, Calif., has made the most of her return to the sport this year. Chisum and recently purchased horse, A Cat Be Nimble, marked a 219 to take the reserve championship.
Classic John Deere Open
First was a great place to be for Nick O’Dell, Fort Scott, Kan., who won the Classic John Deere Open as the first horse of the finals with a score of 219 on ARC Moonstruckplease. ARC Moonstruckplease is owned by George Ward, Lees Summit, Mo.
“I’ve gone to more aged events this year than I have in a long time,” said O’Dell. “You are never any better than the horses you are on and I’ve been fortunate to have some really good horses to compete on here.”
Robbie Boyce, Purcell, Okla., and Stylish Scotti were the reserve champions with a score of 218 for owner, Cowan Select Horses. Boyce has won over $800,000 in NRHA and NRCHA.
Classic Ltd Non Pro
Todd Quirk, Denham Springs, La., and Cats In Ya Dreams championed the Limited Non-Professional with a score of 224 as the last horse of the finals. Quirk worked his last cow for over 35 seconds on the son of High Brow Cat.
Luis Dearmas, a Venezuelan native who resides in Boca Raton, Fla., marked a 220 on Sly Playgirl for the reserve championship. The duo was the Breeders Invitational Classic Non-Pro Limited champion and the reserve champion of the 2012 NCHA Super Stakes Classic Non-Pro Limited.
“Todd took the risk on his third cow and I was happy for him to win. He is a true champion here,” said Dearmas.
Grace Ranch/ NYCHA Youth World Finals
Newly added to the NCHA Summer Spectacular was the addition of the Grace Ranch/ NYCHA Youth World Finals. Before this event, a youth World Finals has not been held in three years and all 30 of the world finalists were excited to have the opportunity to compete in such a prestigious event.
In the Senior Youth Divison, Rieta Dufurrena, Gainesville, Texas, captured the World Championship with the stallion, Auspicious Cat. Collbran Blue Larsen, Gruver, Texas, was the Reserve World Champion on his mare, DS Mrs Wilsonsfreckle.
The Junior Youth Division was such a close race that it ended with Co- World Champions, Kenli Marvin, Barnsdall, Okla., riding MK Vivian, and Jake Baca, Vega, Texas, riding Jewlin Jo Chita. Marvin was also the World Finals Junior Youth Show Champion, earning 14 points during the show.
NYCHA Scholarship Cutting
The NYCHA Youth Week at the Summer Spectacular was dominated by Amanda Morris, Burleson, Texas Morris won both the go-round and the finals of the NYCHA Scholarship Cutting Senior Division with scores of 224 on Just Playin Smart, a stallion owned by Ralph Gray, Fort Worth, Texas
“When I heard I was going to get to show him, I started going to his stall and spending time with him, trying to bond with him,” said Morris. “It really paid off. We get along great.”
Morris was also the Grace Ranch/ NYCHA World Finals Senior Youth Show Champion on Queanaisabella, earning 11 points during the World Finals. Cade Hansma, Weatherford, Texas, and Bob Dualin were the Reserve Champions of the senior division of the Scholarship Cutting.
In the Junior Youth division of the Scholarship Cutting, Kutter Johnson marked a 223 to win the event. Kutter, a 12-year-old from Whitt, Texas, also came out of the Grace Ranch/ NYCHA World Finals with the Junior Youth Rookie of the Year title. Lauren Oehlhof, Grandview, Texas, marked a 220 on RCC Skeet N Scooter to win the reserve championship of the Junior division.
For additional show results or information about the NCHA, please call 817-244-6188 or log on to www.nchacutting.com.
