NCHA News

Chubby Turner.

The 39^th annual Augusta Futurity is on the books, with a champion who last earned money in the event as a 2001 semi-finalist. On Saturday, Chubby Turner scored 220 points to claim the 4-year-old championship and $10,000 on Wanna Dual, owned by J Five Ranch, Weatherford, Tex. Metallic Drifter, with Matt Gaines, and CR Sister Tuff, under Gabe Reynolds, tied with 217.5 points for reserve.

Turner, who turns 70 in two weeks, earned one of his early major limited age checks in 1982 as reserve champion, on Fannys Oskar,  to Smart Little Lena and Bill Freeman in the 1982 NCHA Futurity. Since then he has won the NCHA World Championship three times – in 2014 and 2103 on One Time Choice, owned by J Five Ranch, and in 2004 on Flickacat, owned by Georgia and Dave Husby – and the NHA Super Stakes twice – in 2002 on JR Red Diablo and in 2000 on JR Colord Prom.

The NCHA lifetime earner of over $2.5 million, Turner is an inductee in both the NCHA Riders Hall of Fame and the NCHA Members Hall of Fame.

Wanna Dual, bred by RCJ Cutting Horses and sired by Dual Rey, is out of Zacks Fifth Avenue, shown by NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame inductees Chad Bushaw and Ray Baldwin to earn $89,050. Zacks Fifth Avenue is the dam of 6 NCHA and NRCHA money earners of $69,581.

Metallic Drifter, a 2017 NCHA Futurity Open semi-finalist under Gaines, is owned by NCHA Hall of Fame Rider James Vangilder, Weatherford, Tex. He was sired by Metallic Cat and bred by Arcese Quarter Horses. His dam, Ruby Bagonia LTE $114,255, has produced 9 NCHA earners of $407,349, including ARC Ruby Playgunia LTE $207,186. His second dam, Playboys Ruby LTE $262,441, is an all-time leading producer of the earners of $1,801,223, with average earnings of $90,061.

Matt Gaines is an NCHA Hall of Fame Rider and a leading earner of over $8 million. His many limited age event wins include the 2016 NCHA Futurity on Second Spot; the 2001 and 2005 NCHA Super Stakes, on Sunettes Dually and One Time Pepto, respectively, and the 2001 NCHA Derby on Nu I Wood. In addition, Gaines won the 2015 NCHA World Championship with Special Nu Baby, and claimed the 2005 and 2002 NCHA Open Horse of the Year Award with Smooth As A Cat and Little Pepto Gal, respectively.

CR Sister Tuff, owned by Shawn and Lisa Minshall, Ontario, CAN., and bred by Center Ranch, was a 2017 NCHA Futurity Limited Open finalist and Open semi-finalist under Reynolds. Sired by Woody Be Tuff and out of Dees Cat Meow, CR Sister Tuff is a full sister to CR First Tuff LTE $181,977.

Gabe Reynolds, the NCHA earner of $533,091, placed second in the 2014 Augusta 5/6 Open Classic on Shorty Smooth; later that year he was reserve champion of the NCHA Futurity Limited Open with Metallic Moon.

Non-Pro Co-Champions

Kaitlyn Larsen.

Ray Baldwin.

Ray Baldwin, Fort Worth, Tex., and Kaitlyn Larsen, Millsap, Tex., tied with 215.5 points to each earn $5,500 and share the Augusta Futurity Non-Pro title. Sasha Thompson placed third with 214.5 for $4,000.

This was the second Augusta Futurity title for Baldwin, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $667,136, who won the 2011 Non-Pro Classic with Catlike Kit. His 2018 mount, Dontt Say A Word, was bred by Baldwin family-owned Waco Bend Ranch. The High Brow Cat daughter, an open finalist with Phil Rapp in the 2017 Brazos Bash, is out of 2011 NCHA Horse of the Year and leading earner Dont Look Twice $824,546, and a half-sister to Dont Stopp Believin LTE $325,438.

Larsen, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $721,645, won the 2007 Augusta Futurity Amateur championship on Honey Bee Time. Her 2018 mount, Lite Switch, by Light N Lena, was bred by Larsen’s father, Billy Martin.

Sasha Thompson, Buffalo, Tex., whose husband Craig won the 2017 Augusta Futurity Open title on Reyzurbetsonthiscat, showed homegrown Thommo, by Thomas E Hughes. Coming into the Augusta Futurity, Thommo had already earned $22,979 under Sasha, as Limited Non-Pro champion Non-Pro finalist of the 2017 Cotton Stakes, as well as under Craig, as reserve champion of the 2017 Southern Futurity and the Waco Texas Futurity.

Sasha, the NCHA earner of $221,978, showed Thommo’s full brother, Sho Nuff Hot, as Non-Pro champion and Limited Open champion of the 2017 Southern Futurity Classic. She also showed Thommo’s and Sho Nuff Hot’s dam, Miss Play Reyco, to win the 2009 Music City Futurity 4-Year-Old Limited Non-Pro and the 2010 Tunica Futurity 5/6 Non-Pro Classic.

For complete 2018 Augusta Futurity results: augustafuturity.com