For 23 owners and riders of Open 3-year-old cutting horses, the day of December 12, 2020, in Fort Worth’s Will Rogers Coliseum, meant the light at the end of a year-long tunnel of hard work and hope. And following three elimination go-rounds, it all came down to a score of 217.5 points for qualification to the NCHA Futurity Finals on Sunday, December 13.
Three scores of 222 points topped the field of 23: Catolena Cashin In, owned by Joel Colgrove, Boligee, Ala., and shown by Tarin Rice; Lizzys Chromed Kitty, owned by Coyote Rock Ranch LLC, Terrebonne, Ore., and shown by Tatum Rice; and Spots Hottist, owned by Rocking P Ranch, Fort Worth, Tex., and shown by Jesse Lennox.
Joel Colgrove and Tarin Rice also qualified with a second horse, Timeless Lil Cat, by One Time Pepto. Rice and Beau Galyean were the only riders to qualify two horses for the Futurity Finals.
Galyean, with the second-highest score, 220.5 points on Hottish In Havanna, sired by Hottish and owned by Wolf/Galyean Partnership, Fort Worth, Tex., also qualified with 220 points on Sueper Hot, by Hottish, owned by Dottie St. Clair Hill, Glen Rose, Tex.
Catolena Cashin In, a colt by first crop sire Reyzin The Cash, scored 224 points under Tarin Rice to top the first of five days of Open go-round competition. Bred by Joel Colgrove, Catolena Cashin In is out of the High Brow Cat daughter Dual Catolena LTE $37,917, dam of two money earners, Catn Bluez, by The Bluez Man $21,320, and the Woody Be Tuff gelding Catolena Express LTE $19,444, who Colgrove showed as a 2018 NCHA Futurity Amateur finalist.
Tarin Rice, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $2,550,319, was co-champion of the 2012 NCHA Futurity riding He Bea Cat, the earner of $401,384 and 2013 Open Horse of the Year, bred and owned by Jim Crawford.
Lizzys Chromed Kitty, a Metallic Cat daughter bred by Cows & Horses Etc, Dallas, Tex., out of My Lizzy Babe LTE $163,653, by Lizzys Gotta Player, is a full sister to Metallics MVP LTE $148,470, a 2018 NCHA Futurity Open finalist with Hayden Upton. My Lizzy Babe, out of Moms Stylish Babe, a leading producer of 11 earners of over $1.3 million, is a full sister to Moms Stylish Player LTE $413,087.
Tatum Rice, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $2,645,277, won the 2018 NCHA Futurity riding the Dual Rey daughter Crey Zee LTE $365,994, owned and bred by Kevin and Sydney Knight.
Spots Hottist, a Hottish colt bred by Lone Oak Performance Horses, is out of the Dual Rey daughter Reyann Hickory LTE $313,457, who carried Linda Holmes to place fourth in the 2005 NCHA Non-Pro Futurity. Reyann Hickory is the dam of earners of eight earners of $116,763.
Jesse Lennox, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $1,918,427, was reserve champion of the 2013 NCHA Futurity Open Limited showing Boon San Baby LTE $244,049 for Walton’s Rocking W Ranch.