NCHA News

The 2020 West Texas Futurity concluded its nine-day run on Sunday, August 16 with Amateur division finals, following the Non-Pro Derby Finals on August 14.

Ty Moore wins Non-Pro 4-Year-Old Derby
 Ty Moore, Madill, Okla., showing Miss Blu Boon LTE $39,123, scored 222 points for his fourth West Texas Futurity championship win, and $9,000. Moore, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $1,190,648, won the 2008 Amateur 5/6 Classic riding Hey Georgy Girl LTE $130,829; the 2009 Non-Pro Limited 4-Year-Old Derby with Heavens Little Angel  LTE $46,097; the 2017 Non-Pro 3-Year-Old Futurity on Sweet Sister Cat LTE $60,932, a daughter of Heavens Little Angel; and last year’s Non-Pro 3-Year-Old Futurity with Tweezin My Brow LTE $82,739.

Miss Blu Boon LTE $48,123, by Once In A Blu Boon, placed third with Moore in the NCHA Non-Pro Derby, and earned her biggest single payout as third-place finalist in the Abilene Spectacular, under Lloyd Cox.

Cassie Cerny, Brazoria, Tex., was the West Texas Non-Pro Derby reserve champion with 219 points aboard Rose E LTE $40,709, by Thomas E Hughes. Cerny is a Senior Youth competitor and NCHA earner of $37,443, almost all of it won on Rose E, who was bred by Clay and Jodie Cerny. Cassie and Rose E won the NCHA Derby Non-Pro Limited, claimed reserve in the NCHA Derby Non-Pro Intermediate, and placed tenth in the Derby Non-Pro finals. They also won the Non-Pro Derby Limited and were Non-Pro and Non-Pro Limited finalists at the Non-Pro Plus in Amarillo.

Cody Hedlund, Lipan, Tex., and Brad Wilson, Lone Grove, Okla., tied for third with 218.5 points. Cody Hedlund, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $1,061,070, won last year’s West Texas Non-Pro Derby riding Wood Ya Teles LTE $51,900. He also won the 2015 West Texas 5/6 Non-Pro Classic on Meteles Cat LTE $433,565. This year, Hedlund was riding Luv The Way U Lie LTE $21,144, by Once In A Blu Boon, who he bred out of Teles Bout This Cat $230,047, a three-quarter sister to Meteles Cat.

In addition to earning $6,500 for third place in the West Texas Derby Non-Pro finals, Brad Wilson, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $637,308, also won the Non-Pro Gelding and the Non-Pro Intermediate divisions. His horse, Sumkinda Kitkat LTE $44,160, by Kit Kat Sugar, has also carried him as a Non-Pro finalist in the NCHA Derby, the Cattlemen’s Derby, the Arbuckle Mountain Derby and the Non-Pro Plus.

Von Sutten wins Amateur championship
Von Sutten, Weatherford, Tex., scored 219.5 points aboard Maggies Kit Kat LTE $6,169, by Kit Kat Sugar, for the Amateur championship, worth $5,700. Sutten, the NCHA earner of $594,213, won last year’s West Texas 5/6 Amateur Classic riding Superey LTE $93,369, by Dual Rey, a full brother to Lil Rattler LTE $338,873 and Button Down Supercat LTE $285,048, among the earners of more than $1.4 million out of Highbrow Supercat LTE $364,690.

John Brengard, Paragould, Ark., earned the Amateur reserve title with 218.5 points on How Sweet Rey Is LTE $12,502, who Daniel Sanchez showed as reserve champion of the 2020 NCHA Derby Open Limited, and to place second in the West Texas Open Limited.  The Dual Smart Rey gelding also carried Brengard, the 2015 NCHA Amateur Rider of the Year and earner of $224,850,in the West Texas Amateur Intermediate finals.

Brengard also showed Metallic Huntress LTE $13,885, by Metallic Cat, in the 2020 West Texas Amateur and the Amateur Intermediate finals. Metallic Huntress is a three-quarter sister to Smooth As A Huntress LTE $90,227, who Brengard showed to win three Amateur limited age championships.

Amy Roberts, Canyon, Tex., the NCHA earner of $153,762, scored 216.5 points to place third on Lotta Skeet LTE $20,618, by Kit Kat Sugar. In addition, Roberts won the Amateur Derby Senior division. Earlier this year, Roberts and her gelding also won the Ike Hamilton Derby Amateur Intermediate and placed in the NCHA Derby Amateur Intermediate.

Colton Cogdell carries 5/6 Amateur with 222
Showing homegrown Almost Metallic LTE $36,707, by Metallic Cat, Colton Cogdell, Tulia, Tex., scored 222 to win the Amateur championship. Cogdell and his gelding, third-placed in the 2019 West Texas Derby Non-Pro Limited, also placed in the finals of the 2020 Amateur Intermediate.

Cogdell’s first success at the West Texas Futurity was in 2016, when he placed fourth in the Amateur Unlimited Derby on Dont Sweat My Swag LTE $29,172, by Metallic Cat, who Cogdell also showed to place fourth in the 2017 5/6 Amateur Unlimited. Both Don’t Sweat My Swag and Almost Metallic are from the maternal line of Lynx Melody, the 1978 NCHA Futurity Champion owned by Colton’s grandfather, Billy Cogdell.

Jose Sigala, Weatherford, Tex., the NCHA earner of $124,695, scored 218 points as reserve champion of the 5/6 Amateur riding Merlott LTE $27,558. Sigala had also shown the Dual Rey son in the 2020 NCHA Classic Challenge Amateur finals, as well as the colt’s three-quarter brother, Bordeauxx, by Bet Hesa Cat as a finalist in the 2019 West Texas Futurity 5/6 Amateur Intermediate.

This year, Isisdro Sigala, Jose’s son, showed Bordeauxx to place third with 218 points in the 5/6 Amateur finals. Isidro Sigala, the NCHA earner of $334,889, also tied for seventh with 212 points on See Ya At Cadillacs LTE $52,424, by Sigala Rey, a full brother to Merlott. See Ya At Cadillacs also carried Isidro to place third in the both the 2018 NCHA Super Stakes Amateur Unlimited and the 2018 NCHA Derby Amateur Unlimited.

In 2011, Isidro Sigala won the West Texas 5/6 Classic Non-Pro and Non-Pro Limited riding Sofie Rey LTE LTE $148,557, by Dual Rey. Sophie Rey is the dam of Sanctus LTE $110,361, bred by Isidro and sired by High Brow Cat, and winner of five major 2020 events, including the West Texas Open Derby, under Rodrigo Tabago for owner Scott Durham.

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