ScottAmos

Too Hot Too Trot & Scott Amos Leave Idaho As Futurity Open Champions

ScottAmosScott AmosThe Idaho Futurity wrapped up Sept. 5 in Nampa, Idaho, after eight days of competitive cutting. Top horses hauled in from both the West Coast and further east to vie for a title. Scott Amos dominated the show pen in both the Futurity and Classic/Challenge Open.
Too Hot Too Trot carried Amos to a Futurity Open Championship this past Labor Day, Sept. 2, after marking a 221. This was the horse’s first major limited-age show and the duo barely made the finals after tough luck in the first go-round.

By besting the 20-horse finals field, Too Hot Too Trot earned owner Rheta Strong $12,000 for the Open win, along with $600 for topping the Gelding class. Amos was also seventh in the Futurity aboard Driven Miss Jessica, who marked a 215 for $4,750.

On Aug. 30, Amos started his show off on a good foot by winning the Classic/Challenge Open riding Cat In Hi Definition. The gelding, owned by Kristin Omvig, showed up his 13 competitors, marking a 224 to win by a five-point margin. With the $600 Gelding class check, the duo took home $10,600.

Between Amos’ success, on Sept. 1, Gary Gonsalves earned his own spot in the winner’s circle. Piloting Garrett and Gentry Gonsalves’ 4-year-old Hal Ofa Secret, Gary won the class with a 222, two points higher than his fellow finalists.

Hal Ofa Secret won $11,000 for the victory. Reyhanna, ridden by Tatum Rice and owned by Kevin and Sydney Knight, picked up a $9,000 paycheck for finishing as the Reserve Champion with a 220.

Non-Pro

Fancy Sancho carried owner Emily Jones to a 218.5 in the Futurity Non-Pro for the win. The gelding earned a total of $4,486 after topping both the Futurity and the Futurity Gelding Non-Pro classes.

The Reserve Championship went to young Andrew Viola. The talented rider marked a 217 on his 3-year-old Galleta Cat. That second-place finish was worth a $3,000 payday, but Viola picked up more than one title in Idaho.

Viola also won the Uncola 7 Up Non-Pro aboard Purdy Bet. The duo’s 224 garnered a $2,750 check, bringing the teenager’s show earnings to $5,750 with a Championship and Reserve Championship under his belt.

ScottGaddyScott GaddyThe Derby Non-Pro welcomed Scott Gaddy on his High Brow Jackson to the show pen for the first time. Gaddy’s 4-year-old “Jackson” has previously been ridden in the Open, exclusively by Monty Buntin. According to Equi-Stat records, the stallion tied for fifth in the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Open.

Jackson carried his owner to a 217, topping the seven-horse finals by three points and winning a check for $6,500. After the finals, Gaddy said he really enjoyed showing his stallion, who felt like a freight train. Since Gaddy is still relatively new to cutting, he was also entered in the $200,000 Limited Non-Pro, adding $550 to his earnings.

CodyHedlundCody HedlundCody Hedlund and his mare Teles Bout This Cat had quite a show in Idaho, as well. The duo marked a 223 in the Classic/Challenge Non-Pro finals, winning the class by one and one-half points. That finish banked $6,500 toward Hedlund’s goal of reaching the $200,000 mark in on “Gidget.”

Gidget also topped the Mercuria/NCHA World Series of Cutting Non-Pro during the Idaho Futurity, which earned the mare $11,242.

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