Jake Gorrell
Playin Ace High (Playin Stylish x Gold Cloud Miss x White Lighting Ike) is a gelding who was bred by and is still owned by Mike and Linda Silveira, Sanger, Calif. Gorrell and the horse won their title with scores of 213 in the herd work, 217.5 in the reined work and a 220 down the fence.
(See the complete NSHA Futurity results here.)
The late Playin Stylish was a stallion bred by Chuck Drummond and was ridden mostly by Kathy Daughn, winning $119,550 in the cutting pen. His first foal crop arrived in 2000 and just as his babies were coming on strong, the promising stallion passed away in 2007. According to Equi-Stat, Playin Stylish has more than 220 foals that have earned close to $3 million. Even though the majority of his offspring earnings ($2.4 million) are in cutting, his highest earning foal is a reined cow horse – Playing Attraction, a reined cow horse and cutter who won $111,572, including finishing Reserve in the Open and first in the Intermediate Open at the 2005 National Reined Cow Horse Association Futurity with Boyd Rice. Playin Stylish’s other top earners are: Playin By Five ($104,142), Playin Playgun ($98,742) and Sues Stylish Babe ($98,250).
On the bottom side of the winner’s pedigree is Gold Cloud Miss, a 1990 mare who is out of Red Cloud Miss by Lucky Blanton daughter Red Cloud Miss. Although Equi-Stat has no earnings for Gold Cloud Miss, she has produced two other money-earners by Nu Cash: Miss Catty Cash ($48,737) and Gold Cloud Cash ($7,445).
The other half of the winning team, Jake Gorrell, is a reined cow horseman who posted his first reined cow horse earnings in 1998 and has since earned right at $700,000. Gorrell earned a degree in business administration from Albertson College in Idaho and then went to work as an assistant trainer for NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Jon Roeser. Three years later, Gorrell went into business for himself. Today, he and his wife, Sonia, who rides and trains barrel horses, own and operate Gorrell Performance Horses in Hanford, Calif. Jake is also a board member of the National Stock Horse Association.
Doug Williamson
Wright On Time (Lenas Wright On x Shiney Tari x Shining Spark) made his first headlines in 2009 when he emerged as the high-selling horse at the 2009 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity sales. Trained as a 2-year-old by Jay McLaughlin, Wright On Time was consigned by Carol Rose on behalf of the colt’s breeder and owner, Richard M. Bell, Van Alstyne, Texas. Wright On Time was purchased for $80,000 by Barbara Hastings, the California woman who still owns the horse. The stallion and Williamson did their NSHA Futurity song to the tune of 215.5 in the herd, 215 in the reined work and 219 down the fence, all adding up to a 649.5 composite that was worth $16,000.
Lenas Wright On is a 1991 Smart Little Lena son who was shown by Bob Avila to $109,995, including winning the 1994 National Reining Horse Association Futurity Championship. According to Equi-Stat, Lenas Wright On has fathered more than 102 foals that have won $1 million, a group led by Coeur D Wright Stuff ($124,715), Hes Wright On ($111,069) and Shes Cowismatic ($61,849).
The dam to Wright On Time is Shiney Tari, a mare who had a great deal of success this week. Wright On Time placed second in Paso Robles, and her 4-year-old Peptoboonsmal son won the Faith Performance Horses Derby at the Southwest Reined Cow Horse Association Futurity in Ardmore, Okla., with Boyd Rice. Shiney Tari was ridden by Robbie Boyce to eighth in the 2003 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity and $33,706 in lifetime reined cow horse earnings. In addition to Wright On Time and Boonie Tunes, Shiney Tark also has That CD Rocks, a CD Lights stallion who has posted $118,791, including dual Intermediate Open Championships with Ed Robertson at the NSHA Futurity and NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity in 2008.
In the Golden Hills Auto/Holy Cow Performance Horses World’s Richest Stock Horse competition, Hes Wright On (Hes Wright On x Shesa Lota Nic x Reminic) and Williamson gained momentum all the way through, marking 214 points in the herd work, 217.5 in the reined work and 225 down the fence, tabulating out to 656.5 points, which was rewarded with the Champion’s purse of $18,000. Reserve was collected by Shawn Hays and Shine Smartly (Shining Spark x Smartly Dressed x Smart Little Lena), an 11-year-old mare owned by Walter Greeman and Tammy Hays. Shine Smartly earned her $12,000 second-place check with scores of 213 in the herd work, 222.5 in the reined work and 218.5 in the cow work, for a 654-point composite.
Hes Wright On, a 7-year-old stallion, is no stranger to the winner’s circle. Originally ridden by Doug Mills, this horse placed sixth in the Limited Open at the 2006 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, and then won that same division at the 2007 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Stakes. Williamson and the horse posted their first earnings in 2008, winning $65,886 that season. Their success included taking Reserve at the NRCHA Derby, tying for second at the NRCHA Derby and finishing third in the Junior Working Cow Horse at the AQHA World Show. Said and done, Hes Wright On had has $129,069 in lifetime earnings, according to Equi-Stat.
After the Herd and Reined Works
Saturday, August 21 was a day of rest for 3-year-old cow horses at the National Stock Horse Association Futurity in Paso Robles, Calif., before the cow work finals on Sunday. After the reined work on Friday, there was a two-way tie for the lead in the Futurity Open between Red It One Time (One Time Pepto x Genuine Redbud x Genuine Doc), shown by Todd Bergen, and Dom Dualuise (Dual Rey x Smart Little XX x Smart Little Lena), shown by Phillip Ralls.Red It One Time, a stallion owned by Eric Storey, marked a 219 in the reined work, the high score of the Futurity Open. Added to his 214 herd score, Red It One Time now has a 433 composite after two events, tying Dom Dualuise, who had topped the herd work with a 218, and scored a 215 in Friday’s reined work. Dom Dualuise, owned by Chris Larson, also leads the Futurity Intermediate Open. Another Ralls mount, Smart Little Reno (Daniel B Boom x Smart Little Margie x Smart Little Lena), still holds second place in the Intermediate, with a 430 composite.
There also is a two-way tie for the lead in the Futurity Limited Open, with Nic The Wrangler, shown by Casey Branquinho, and Smart Shine N Peppy, shown by Brad Barkemeyer, sharing the top spot with a combined score of 421. Smart Shine N Peppy and Barkemeyer earned the high-scoring reined work, a 214, in the Futurity Limited Open.
In the Futurity First-Timer division, the leader is Smart Lookin Cat, shown by a trainer more often seen in the cutting pen. Jason Haefner, Napa Valley, Calif., rode his stallion to a composite score of 420.5 after Friday’s reined work.
The Non-Pro reined work on Wednesday left Carol Roberts and Oaks Dual Rey (TR Dual Rey x Docs Pearly Oak x Doc’s Oak), at the top of the leader board in both the Non-Pro and Intermediate Non-Pro divisions, with a combined score of 429.
The NSHA Futurity winners in all the Open and Non-Pro divisions will be determined after the cow work, which begins at 8:00 a.m. Sunday, August 22. The attention turns to the bridle horses Saturday night, with the World’s Richest Stock Horse Contest kicking off at 6:00 p.m. (PDT). Thirteen of the top cow horses and horsemen in the country match their herd, rein and fence work skills in the outdoor rodeo arena at the Paso Robles Event Center.vAfter a marathon session of herd work Tuesday at the National Stock Horse Association Futurity in Paso Robles, Calif., the top three scores in the Futurity Open and Intermediate Open all belonged to Phillip Ralls. The 29-year-old Paso Robles, Calif., trainer marked a 218 aboard Dom Dualuise (Dual Rey x Smart Little XX x Smart Little Lena), topping the field of 109 entries. Dom Dualuise is owned by Chris Larson, Solvang, Calif. —SD
After the Herd Work
Ralls rode his other two futurity horses, Smart Little Reno (Daniel B Boom x Smart Little Margie x Smart Little Lena), and Nic Back In Black (Nic It In The Bud x Shinersdiamondjackie x Shining Spark) to identical herd work scores of 217. Smart little Reno is owned by Hal and Mylinda Simons, Paso Robles, Calif., and Nic Back In Black is owned by Karin Montoya of Lompoc, Calif.
Ralls, the son of two-time World’s Greatest Horseman Champion Ron Ralls, was the 2009 NSHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion with Soula Jule Girl (Soula Jule Star x Okies Hickory Girl). He also was the 2009 NRCHA Futurity Intermediate Open Reserve Champion on Very Smart Smoke (Very Smart Remedy x Lil Brown Freckle), a gelding owned by his mother, Billie Jo Baxley. Ralls arrived in Paso Robles with approximately $129,000 in cow horse money, according to Equi-Stat.
Rounding out the top five in the NSHA Futurity Open are two horses shown by venerable competitor Doug Williamson, Bakersfield, Calif. Williamson, 68, rode Wright On Time (Lenas Wright On x Shiney Tari x Shining Spark) to a 215.5 in the herd work. Wright On Time was the high-selling horse in the 2009 NRCHA Futurity 2-year-old Select Sale, purchased by his current owner, Barbara Hastings, for $80,000.
Williamson rode Cougars Smart Cat (WR This Cats Smart x Master Cougarette x Master Remedy) to a 215 in the herd work. Cougars Smart Cat is owned by his breeder, Jerry Rava, Paso Robles, Calif.
In the Limited Open division, it’s a tie for first place after the herd work. Jenny Sherbo, riding Priceless Chic for Bradford Quarter Horses, scored a 211, as did Jason Haefner, showing his own horse, Smart Lookin Cat. Haefner, a veteran cutting horse trainer with earnings in excess of $269,000, is a newcomer to reined cow horse competition – this is his first snaffle bit futurity horse.
The Futurity Open reined work begins Thursday at 8:00 a.m. You can see all the results and watch the live webcast by going online to www.nationalstockhorse.com.
Futurity Non-Pro
The Non-Pro riders wrapped up their reined work Wednesday morning, with Ojai, Calif., horsewoman Carol Roberts leading the field in both the Non-Pro and Intermediate Non-Pro divisions, with a total score of 429. Roberts is riding Oaks Dual Rey (TR Dual Rey x Docs Pearly Oak x Doc’s Oak). Roberts’ Equi-Stat record dates back to 1992 – she has more than $95,000 in reining and cow horse earnings.
The current leader in the Amateur division is Cassie Voight, showing Tommys Wright On (Lenas Wright On x Tucks A Lil Better x Doc Tom Tucker), with a combined score of 411 after the herd and reined work. Voight was the 2007 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Youth Limited Champion.
The Non-Pro Futurity winners will be decided Sunday, August 22, after the final phase of competition, the cow work. —SD |
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