PCCHA Derby Open Dominated by Co-Champions

Darren Simpkins, Carol Ward, Bonnie Martin & Jaime Snider • Photo by Bridget Kirkwood

The Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association (PCCHA) Core Balance Derby and Classic Challenge came to a close June 18 with Crafty With Cows and Reysin Kittens being named co-champions in the feature event after marking scores of 223. Crafty With Cows was ridden by Darren Simpkins, while Jaime Snider rode Reysin Kittens.

Both of the 4-year-olds are homebreds. Reysin Kittens (Dual Rey x Kittens x High Brow Cat) was bred by Bonnie and Frank Martin’s Bitter Root Ranch, of Las Vegas; Crafty With Cows (High Brow CD x Miss Haulin Hickory x SR Instant Choice) was bred by Carol Ward Cutting Horses.

Reysin Kittens has already won $47,296. The stallion was a favorite of Snider’s from the start.

“We’ve been looking forward to watching him get smart and get strong,” Martin said, “so this win was very exciting.”

Crafty With Cows (High Brow CD x Miss Haulin Hickory x SR Instant Choice) was third in the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Open with R.L. Chartier and had NCHA earnings of $172,419 prior to the start of the show. Simpkins – Carol Ward Cutting Horse’s new resident trainer – had just one week to get with the Crafty With Cows before the PCCHA Core Balance Derby.

“He had a little soreness after the [NCHA] Super Stakes so we brought him home,” Ward said. “He’s fine now, and we gave Darren the chance to ride him and it worked.”

Crafty With Cows and Reysin Kittens each earned $16,500 for the win.

Watch Me Nae Nae gave Armando Costa Neto, of Weatherford, Texas, his first win in Las Vegas when he marked a 220 to win the PCCHA Core Balance Derby Non-Pro. The $9,000 winner’s check increases Watch Me Nae Nae’s lifetime earnings to $43,745. Watch Me Nae Nae (Playgun x Look The Look x High Brow Cat) is a full sibling to Costa Neto’s NCHA Non-Pro Triple Crown Champion, Watch Me Whip.

Miller Wade Smith, of Geary, Oklahoma, was the Reserve Champion on Third Lucinda (Third Cutting x Cattylac Jukebox x Cowboy Cattylac). He marked a 219 to win $7,500.

Vegetable farmer Troy Boutonnet rode This Cats My Darlin (WR This Cats Smart x Tawny B Chex x Rum Squall) to a score of 217 to win the Derby Amateur and $2,014. Going into the show, the mare had NCHA earnings of $3,119. Kacey Garfinkel, of Plymouth California, marked a 216 on Starlight Genie (Stylish Rey x Starlight Playgirl x Grays Starlight) to bank $1,845 as the Reserve Champion.

Classic Challenge

Classic Challenge Open Reserve Champion Tarin Rice & Champion Beau Galyean • Photo by Bridget Kirkwood

The PCCHA Core Balance Classic Challenge Open was won by Metallic Rebel and Beau Galyean, who marked a 227 to bank $13,000. Metallic Rebel had NCHA lifetime earnings of $257,978 prior to the start of the show.

Galyean, of Fort Worth, Texas, rode Metallic Rebel to the NCHA Super Stakes Classic Open Championship in April. They also won last year’s PCCHA Core Balance Derby Open.

In addition to the Classic Challenge Open win, the 5-year-old stallion picked up a second-place check in the Mercuria NCHA World Series of Cutting Open in Las Vegas to add $8,219 to his record. Metallic Rebel (Metallic Cat x Sweet Abra x Abrakadabracre) is owned by Thomas Guinn, of Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Tarin Rice, Poolville, Texas was the Classic Challenge Open Reserve Champion on CR Gotcha Covered, owned by Joel Colgrove. The 2012 stallion (Dualin Boon x The Catattac x High Brow Cat) earned $11,500.

Veterinarian Tracey Woodward enjoyed her first Non-Pro win in the Classic Challenge atop Shesa Show Stopper (Peptoboonsmal x Absolutly Stunning x Smart Little Lena). Woodward took home $8,000 for her score of 219.5.

Hay U (Third Cutting x A Little Reylena x Dual Rey) ridden by Kade Smith, of Hailey, Idaho, shared the Reserve Championship with Prowlin High (High Brow Cat x Hangem High Playboy x Freckles Playboy) and Lindy Ashlock, of Abilene, Texas. They both marked a 218 and earned $6,125 each.

Metallicsfirstchoice (Metallic Cat x Lizs Lil Choice x SR Instant Choice) added $2,000 to his NCHA earnings of  $34,451 and gave Christine King, of Scottsdale, Arizona, her first aged-event title in the Classic Challenge Amateur. The pair marked a 221.5 to outdo three reserve co-champions: Smooth Odual (Smooth As A Cat x Fancy Lena Dual x Dual Pep) and Jim Wesson; Swift CD (High Brow CD x Ginny Flynn x Flynns Gayson Ofadoc) and Brenda Higbee; and Wild Little Hughes (Thomas E Hughes x One Good Thing x Wild Thing DNA) and Stephen Terrell. The Reserve Champions each had scores of 218 and earned $1,550.

The day after winning the Mercuria NCHA World Series of Cutting Non-Pro, Michelle Barnes maintained her lucky streak in Vegas by winning the PCCHA Core Balance Classic Challenge Unlimited Amateur on Bet Shesa Diva (Bet Hesa Cat x Plumbin Time x Peptotime), an NCHA money earner of $34,035. The pair marked a 219 to win $4,000. Reserve champion Miller Wade Smith, of Geary, Oklahoma, rode Wendels Grendel (AP) (High Brow CD x Docs Hickory Doll [AP] x Doc’s Hickory), an NCHA money earner of $11,276, to a score of 218 to earn $3,750.

John Brengard, of Paragold, Arkansas, marked a 221 to win the Classic Challenge Unlimited Amateur on SDP Hicapoo Cat (Hydrive Cat x Hicapoo x Docs Hickory). He won $4,500, while Reserve Champion Bonnie Martin, of Las Vegas, got a check for $4,250 for her 219 on Autumn Rey (Dual Rey x Autumn White x Smart Little Lena).