Fallon Nuttall & PuzzlezThe Idaho Cutting Horse Association Futurity & Aged Event ended Sunday, Sept. 7. A full day of finals kept the competitors busy in Nampa, Idaho, with the Futurity, Derby, and Classic/Challenge classes the last, but not least, to be held.
Eight horse-and-rider teams competed in the Futurity Non-Pro, but it was Fallon Nuttall and Puzzlez who bested the field to take the Championship with a two-go composite score of 436. The 23-year-old, who works for cutting trainer Grant Setnicka, of Grandview, Texas, piloted the 3-year-old mare to mark a 218 in the first go-round, and they returned in the second, scoring a 218 once again to secure their title and earn $3,142.
Puzzlez was started by Nuttall’s cutting horse trainer father, Will. For Nuttall and the mare, however, the Idaho Futurity was their first time to walk into the show pen together.
“She was good,” Nuttall said of Puzzlez. “I was nervous, but I trusted her. I was confident.”
The Reserve title went to John Marvel and Flo N Rose, who marked a composite score of 420 to earn $2,100.
Derby Non-Pro
Weatherford, Texas, cutter Cody Hedlund has seen success at the Idaho Futurity before. He took the 2013 Mercuria Non-Pro and Classic/Challenge Non-Pro championships in Idaho, and this year, he can add Derby Non-Pro Champion to his accolades.
He rode into the show pen aboard Meteles Cat, and laid down a run to mark a score of 222 for the title. He had a while to wait to see if his score held up, however, as he was the first rider out in the seven-horse finals. But in the end, he and Meteles Cat walked away with the Championship and $5,065 in prize money.
“It feels pretty awesome,” Hedlund said. “I just wanted to go out there and have a good, clean run, and have everybody come catch me. It’s a little nerve-wracking. But I did my job and he did his job, and that’s all we can hope for. The rest is going to fall where it’s going to fall.”
The Derby Non-Pro Reserve Championship went to Brandon Dufurrena and Purple Reyn. The duo scored a 221 and walked away with $4,350.
Derby Amateur
After about a five-year cutting hiatus, 24-year-old Morgan Dewar made her way back into the cutting pen. Having been away from cutting competition since high school, she more than made up for her absence at the Idaho Futurity. She walked to the herd aboard Shady Lil Lips, and marked a score of 213 to take the Derby Amateur Championship. Dewar’s trainer, Morgan Cromer, found the mare for her a few months before, and they seem to be a good match for the show pen.
“I was a little nervous about drawing up last,” Dewar said, adding that she and Shady Lil Lips were still new to each other. “We’re still trying to figure it out. But she pulled through for me.”
Dewar and Shady Lil Lips earned $1,712 for their win.
Taking the Derby Amateur Reserve title was Margaret Coppini and Hees Got The Look. They earned $1,300 after marking a score of 208.
Classic/Challenge Amateur
The last set of the show ended with the Classic/Challenge Amateur. The finals saw 11 horse-and-rider duos competing for the title, but Lesley Day and her mount Bueno Chex Madi took the Championship with a score of 219 and earned $1,750.
“I had a good preliminary run this morning,” she said. “I felt much more on my game this morning. She’s just been wonderful mare. She’s really been a good horse.”
The Classic/Challenge Amateur Reserve Championship went to Charles Blackburn and Catamini. The duo marked a score of 217.5 for the title and earned $1,650.
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