NCHA News

Horses shown by Matt Gaines and Morgan Cromer and owned, respectively, by Jim Vangilder, Weatherford, Tex., and Clarke Butte Ranch, Bend, Ore., topped finals of both the 2020 Cascades 4-Year-Old Open Derby and the 5/6 Open Classic on August 11, at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond, Ore.

Vangilder’s Dual Rey daughter, Smooth As  Mercedes LTE $51,969, scored 221 points under Gaines for the Derby win, while Clarke Butte’s Catty Hawk gelding, Catty Look LTE $19,342, claimed reserve with 219.5 points under Cromer. Hot Whittle Kitty LTE $124,255, sired by Hottish and owned and bred by Paula Gaughan, Las Vegas, Nev., scored 217.5 points with Cookie Banuelos for third place.

Bred by Reata Cutting Horses, Smooth As Mercedes was an NCHA Futurity Open finalist (14th) with Gaines, and also a finalist this year in the Arbuckle Mountain Derby and the Cattlemen’s Derby. She is one of two money earners out of Mercedes Smoothe LTE $148,900, a Smooth As A Cat daughter, also shown by Gaines.

Catty Look, bred by Cowan Ranch, Ardmore, Okla., is a full brother to Iridescent Cat LTE $122,375, out of Smart Lookin High Brow LTE $216,395, who is a sibling, out of leading producer The Smart Look, to earners of over $1.8 million. Catty Look and Cromer won the Pacific Coast Spring Roundup earlier this year, and also claimed the Cascades Open Derby Gelding winner’s payout.

Hot Whittle Kitty, who placed third with Banuelos in the 2019 NCHA Futurity, is out of Smart Whittle Kitty, an unshown half-sister to Whittle Red Boon LTE $201,419, among earners of $652,368 out of Smart Whittle Wena LTE $259,102, multiple limited age champion, and 1990 NCHA Non-Pro World Finals winner, owned and shown by Julie Roddy, Clements, Calif.

Sugrspiznevrthingniz LTE $184,421, owned by Jim Vangilder and shown by Matt Gaines, scored 227 points for the Cascades Open Classic championship. Bayou Creedence Cat LTE $$43,999 and Morgan Cromer claimed reserve for Clarke Butte Ranch with 224 points, while Steel Betty LTE $57,636, shown by Monty Buntin for Ravi Tumber, Winters, Calif., placed third with 223.5 points.

Sired by Kit Kat Sugar and bred by Robert Rust, 5-year-old Sugrspiznevrthingniz claimed three major reserve championships with Matt Gaines in 2019, including the NCHA Super Stakes, and placed third in the 2019 Breeders Invitational, as well. Five-year-old Bayou Creedence Cat, sired by High Brow Cat and bred by Billy Emerson, Addison, Tex., was reserve champion of the 2019 PCCHA Derby with Cromer and placed seventh in the 2020 Pacific Coast Spring Roundup.

Six-year-old Steel Betty, a Metallic Cat daughter bred by Linda Holmes, Fort Worth, Tex., won the 2019 Utah 5/6 Open Futurity under Buntin, and was also shown by owner Ravi Tumber in 2019 to win the PCCHA Futurity 5/6 Amateur Intermediate, as well as to claim reserve in the Utah Futurity 5/6 Amateur and third in the Cascades 5/6 Amateur Classic.

To read more from Sally Harrison visit her blog at sallyharrison.com