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High Brow Jackson & Monty Buntin Continue Surge with NCHA Super Stakes John Deere Open Win

imageHigh Brow Jackson and Clements, Calif., trainer Monty Buntin, 21, continued their early run of success in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday night by winning the Super Stakes John Deere Open finals with a 222 to earn $8,125.

During last fall, the horse and the rider both competed in Will Rogers Coliseum for the first time. The 4-year-old stallion (High Brow Cat x Money Talks Smart x Smart Mate) and Buntin finished as that event’s Futurity John Deere Open Reserve Champions, then also earned a tie for fifth place during the 2012 NCHA Futurity Open finals.

The duo has already earned a little more than $90,000 together since December. They have also qualified for the Super Stakes Open semifinals on Friday, April 19, where they’ll take a shot at reaching Saturday’s more lucrative finals.

Clements, Calif., owner Scott Gaddy turned down a sale bid exceeding $300,000 for High Brow Jackson as a late 2-year-old. Gaddy decided in late fall of the horse’s 3-year-old season to leave Buntin in the saddle to compete on cutting’s biggest stage – the NCHA Futurity. Buntin worked well with the horse in Californa, but until recently, lacked big-show experience.

Buntin’s wife, Tessa, said he hasn’t seemed nervous at all about high expectations for the horse. “He does a very good job just keeping everything under control,” she said.

Wicked Wanda Rey (Dual Rey x A Little Wicked x Smart Little Lena) and Nate Lansford finished as Reserve Champions with a 219 to earn $7,054. The mare is owned by Rose Valley Ranch, Weatherford, Texas.

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