NCHA News

Dual Reyish and Austin Shepard. Photo by: S. Sylvester Photography

Dual Reyish LTE $371,608, the 2017 NCHA Futurity champion owned by Billy Wolf and shown by Austin Shepard, scored 230 points on Friday to win the Augusta Futurity 5/6-Year-Old Open Finals. It was the 6-year-old Hottish son’s fourth limited age event win and a career high score, although he came close in 2019, when he won the NCHA Open Eastern Nationals with 229 points under Shepard.

Hows Your Memorey LTE $42,304, shown by Billy Weir for Robert S. Collins, Blackville, S.C., scored 226 points for the 5/6-Year-Old Open reserve championship, while Willie J Rey LTE $85,556, owned by Charlie Seiz and shown by Walt Erwin, placed third with 222 points.

This is the fourth Augusta Futurity 5/6 Open win for Austin Shepard, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of over $8.1 million. In 2015, he won on homebred Bamacat LTE $351,360, the sire of 5-year-old Bama Jelly LTE $149,055, the 2019 Augusta Futurity 4-Year-Old Open champion, who Shepard also showed to score 218.5 points and place fifth in Friday’s finals. Bamacat is also the sire of Barney Ross LTE $67,349, who Austin’s son, Cade, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $859,188, showed to win Fridays Augusta Futurity 5/6 Non-Pro championship. In 2007, Austin showed Woody Be Tuff LTE $351,063 to win the Augusta Futurity 5/6 Open, while in 2010, he showed Playin At The Mall LTE $292,399 for the win. 

On Saturday, Shepard will again be looking to top his record number of Augusta Futurity wins, as he shows  four of the 13 finalists in the Augusta Futurity 4-Year-Old Open Finals. In addition to last year’s title on Bama Jelly, Austin scored consecutive 4-Year-Old wins in 2016, 2015, and 2014, on High Brow Clay 012 LTE $86,846, Paradox Cat LTE $205,726, and CD Kual Gun LTE $92,145, respectively. He also showed High Brow CD LTE $502,202 for the win in 2008.

Reserve champion Hows Your Memorey, a 5-year-old High Brow CD daughter, was shown in 2019 competition by Ryan Rapp to win the PCCHA Non-Pro Cutting Stakes, and to place in four other major events, including as reserve champion of the Non-Pro Plus The Open.

Billy Weir, the NCHA earner of $134,334, placed fourth in the 2018 Augusta Futurity Open Limited riding A Sassy Nurse LTE $19,940, by High Brow CD, who he also showed as an NCHA Futurity Open Limited finalist, as well as an Open semi-finalist.

Third-placed Willie J Rey, by Dual Rey, won the 2019 Augusta Futurity 5/6 Open championship with Walt Erwin, and has been a frequent major event Non-Pro finalist with Denise Seiz, who showed the 6-year-old gelding’s dam, Cat Black I LTE $208,229, including as champion of the 2013 NCHA Super Stakes Amateur Classic.

Walt Erwin, the NCHA earner of $709,108, will also show Southern Side for Mark Senn, in Saturday’s 4-Year-Old Futurity Finals, while Senn will show the Metallic Cat daughter in the 4-Year-Old Non-Pro Finals.

Cade Shepard wins Non-Pro title with Barney Ross

Cade Shepard, Summerdale, Ala., showed 5-year-old Barney Ross LTE $67,349, by Bamacat, to win Fridays Augusta Futurity 5/6 Non-Pro championship. Bret Parsons, Carlock, Ill., scored 218 points for reserve aboard 6-year-old Terris Sugar Daddy LTE $12,225, while Corrie Rousy, Carlsbad, N.M., placed third with 217 points on 6-year-year-old Dual Prime Time LTE $105,068, by Dual Rey.

Eighteen-year-old Cade Shepard, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $859,188 and the 2018 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro champion, won the 2018 Augusta Futurity 5/6-Year-Old Non-Pro title on Christy Hughes LTE $177,834. Among his many other wins, Cade can claim the 2015 NCHA Non-Pro Super Stakes and the 2015 NCHA Non-Pro Derby on Twistful Thinking LTE $280,813. Last year, he also won the Breeders Invitational 4-Year-Old Non-Pro and the NCHA Eastern Nationals Non-Pro on his NCHA Futurity champion Chexy Louella LTE $99,988, by Im Countin Checks.

Cade’s grandfather, Sam Shepard, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of over $2.4 million, had shown Barney Ross as reserve champion of the 2019 Augusta Open Futurity, while Cade placed eighth riding the gelding in the Non-Pro Finals. Sam had also won the 2011 Augusta Futurity 5/6 Open on Dees Mr Charles LTE LTE $192,976.

Bret Parsons, the NCHA earner of $450,133, also scored 217 points on Terris Sugar Daddy to place third in Friday’s 5/6-Year-Old Amateur Finals. Terris Sugar Daddy, by Smart Sugar Badger, was bred by Bret’s father Bob Parsons, Congerville, Ill., who showed Haley Bop Hickory LTE $47,818, as reserve champion of the 2003 Augusta Futurity 5/6 Amateur.

Corrie Rousy and Dual Prime Time came into the Augusta Non-Pro Finals after claiming the 5/6 Amateur championship with 220 points, earlier in the day. Rousey, the NCHA earner of $97,312, and came to the Augusta Futurity after placing sixth in the 2020 Abilene Spectacular 5/6 Unlimited Amateur and with first and second-place money from the Amateur Intermediate Gelding and Amateur Unlimited Gelding, divisions, as well.

The 2020 Augusta Futurity concludes on Saturday, January 25. To read more from Sally Harrison visit her blog at sallyharrison.com