tof-smooth-operator-sale

In the Money: NCHA Futurity Finalists

tof-smooth-operator-saleTof Smooth Operator was a $9,000 sale yearling before he made the NCHA Futurity Open finals. • Photo by Jim ArnoldThe focus of horse sales often falls on the highest sellers. Those high-dollar horses are closely watched in the show pen as people wait to see if the money spent in the sale ring was justified or not. But this year’s National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Open finals was proof it didn’t take an unlimited bank account to purchase a talented horse.

Seven of the NCHA Futurity Open finalists this year were sale graduates. Four of those sold for figures in the high five- and six figure range. They were:

  • Rockin Sallycat (Rockin W x One Sallycat x One Time Pepto) – Sold for $200,000 as a 3-year-old at the Walton’s Rocking W Ranch Absolute Dispersal Sale to Bobby Patton’s Rocking P Ranch LLC; split third and fourth in the NCHA Futurity Open finals, earning $71,280
  • Denvers Purdy (Metallic Cat x Purdy Aristocrat x Smart Aristocrat) – Sold for $150,000 as a yearling at Western Bloodstock’s Select Yearling Sale & Gala to Wade Smith; split 11th through 15th in the NCHA Futurity Open finals, earning $34,587
  • Smooth Runnin Dually (Smooth As A Cat x Bueno Chex Dually x Dual Pep) – Sold for $82,000 at Western Bloodstock’s Select Yearling Sale & Gala to Wade Smith; split 11th through 15th in the NCHA Futurity Open finals, earning $34,587
  • Miss Aristolcrat (Boon A Little x Aristolcrat x Smart Aristocrat) – Sold for $96,000 as a 2-year-old at the NCHA Futurity 2-Year-Old Sale, then sold for $85,000 as a 3-year-old at the NCHA Summer Spectacular Sale; finished 23rd in the NCHA Futurity Open finals, earning $21,047

Two NCHA Futurity Open finalists can be considered relative bargains, and each resulted in a positive return on investment.

IntheMoney TheReylMcCoyTate Bennett showed The Reyl McCoy to a sixth-place finish in the NCHA Futurity Open. • Photo by Kelsey Pecsek

The Reyl McCoy (Dual Rey x Cool The Engines x Smart Little Lena) finished sixth in the NCHA Futurity Open, banking $42,203 for owners Tate and Laura Bennett, of Hereford, Texas. The Bennetts paid $10,000 for the stallion as a yearling at the NCHA Summer Select Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by breeder Broom Tree Ranch LLC. That’s a $33,203 return on investment for the Bennetts.

IntheMoney TofSmoothOperatorTof Smooth Operator and Scott Amos tied for 18th in the NCHA Futurity Open. • Photo by Kelsey Pecsek

Tof Smooth Operator (Smooth As A Cat x Rio CD Yadayadayada x CD Olena) was consigned to the Western Bloodstock Preferred Breeders Sale Session 2 by breeder Vick Pannell. Jake Mendenhall signed the ticket at $9,000 for the stallion. Mendenhall later sold the stallion to the Mehaffey and Hill partnership, of Mack, Colorado, in July 2014 for an undisclosed price. With Scott Amos in the saddle, Tof Smooth Operator tied for 18th in the Open finals, earning $27,817.

The other NCHA Futurity Open finalist who sold at public auction is the perfect example of pinhooking done right. Ichis My Choice (Cat Ichi x My Little Abra x Abrakadabracre) first sold at the Western Bloodstock Producers Sale as a yearling. Breeder EE Ranches Inc. consigned the mare, who was purchased by Todd Nelson for $5,200.

Nelson often partners with trainer Richard Jordan, who breaks and trains their stock in preparation for the fall 2-year-old sales. One year after purchasing Ichis My Choice, Nelson consigned the mare to the NCHA Futurity 2-Year-Old Sale, where she was purchased for $300,000 by J Five Horse Ranch Management LLC. That’s a savvy pinhook and profit of $294,800.

ichis-my-choice-salesIchis My Choice sold as a yearling (left) and then again as a 2-year-old (right) before becoming an NCHA Futurity Open finalist. • Photos by Jim ArnoldIchis My Choice tied for ninth in the NCHA Futurity Open, earning $38,895. While she didn’t offer the ultimate return on investment – an NCHA Futurity championship – she did prove to be a talented individual. Given the fact that J Five Ranch owner Constance Jaeggi rode a son of Cat Ichi to the Non-Pro World Championship in 2014, its easy to believe Ichis My Choice could have a solid future ahead of her.

IntheMoney IchisMyChoiceIchis My Choice and Grant Setnicka earned $38,895 for finishing in a tie for ninth in the NCHA Futurity Open. • Photo by Kelsey Pecsek

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