Wareable and Morgan Cromer • photo by Midge AmesWareable carried trainer Morgan Cromer to a 224.5 and a win worth $11,245 Thursday at the South Point Equestrian Center in Las Vegas during the Classic/Challenge Open finals at the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association Derby.
Cromer, of Templeton, Calif., had always liked the well-bred, athletic Wareable (Smooth As A Cat x Readytoware x Peptoboonsmal), and recommended her last spring to longtime customers Terry and Brit Ratto, of Morgan Hill, Calif. The 6-year-old mare fit Terry as a “step-up” horse for both the Non-Pro and Amateur divisions, so Cromer often shied away from doubling up at shows. Cromer did show the mare a few times at smaller shows, with tantalizingly strong efforts.
With Ratto only competing with the mare in one PCCHA Derby Amateur class, where he made the finals, Cromer sensed her chance to compete with Wareable at the high-profile event. The Rattos enthusiastically agreed.
“I knew she had potential. She just does what you ask her,” Cromer said. “I’ve had some big runs on her and I always thought if I had a clean shot with her in the Open, we’d have a chance. She beat some good horses and I was sure proud of her.”
Cattalou (High Brow Cat x Louella Again x Dual Pep) and Beau Galyean, of Fort Worth, Texas, last year’s PCCHA Derby Open Champions, were the Classic/Challenge Open Reserve Champions.
