horse chasing a cow
NCHA Futurity Open Champion Stevie Rey Von & Ed Dufurrena • Photo by Hart Photos

NCHA Futurity Winner Stevie Rey Von at Center of Legal Dispute

National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Open Champion Stevie Rey Von is at the center of a dispute between a North Texas couple that claims to be part of the stallion’s ownership and the horse’s registered owner, who says they never had any claim to the horse.

Donald and Janie Vogel, of St. Jo, Texas, sued Stevie Rey Von’s trainer and registered owner, Ed Dufurrena, in civil court in Cooke County, Texas, claiming they were defrauded in a partnership on the 2015 NCHA Futurity Open Champion and two other horses.

They asked the court to put Stevie Rey Von and the other horses – Auspicious Cat and his son, Creyzy Train – into receivership to be auctioned off, with proceeds divided according to the terms of the partnership agreement. They’re also seeking a portion of Stevie Rey Von’s $344,000 in lifetime earnings.

Click here to read Donald and Janie Vogel’s lawsuit.

Dufurrena, who still campaigns now 5-year-old Stevie Rey Von, denied the Vogels’ allegations, saying in court documents the couple never had an ownership stake in the stallion and lost claim to the horses they did have when they didn’t pay their bills. He filed a lawsuit of his own, accusing the Vogels of fraud and breach of contract.

Click here to read the lawsuit Ed Dufurrena filed against Donald and Janie Vogel.

The Vogels say they were overbilled and provided inadequate documentation for bills generated by the partnership, Dos Cats Partners, which was formed in 2011.

They and Dufurrena, of Gainesville, Texas, were to share all expenses and proceeds proportionately, and any party that was 90 days delinquent on their payments would forfeit their ownership of the horses, according to a copy of the four-page, handwritten contract included in court documents. Dufurrena was to manage and show the partnership’s horses, and act as stallion manager.

The Vogels paid $105,000 for a 49 percent interest in Dos Cats Partners, which at that time consisted of four horses and three embryos.

The horses were $330,847 earner Auspicious Cat (High Brow Cat x Lenas O Lady x Peppy San Badger); two sons of Auspicious Cat – full brothers Ozzum Man and Ozzum Cat (out of I Gots The Remedy x Smart Little Jaebar); and Whata Sneaky Cat, a 2009 son of High Brow Cat out of Lena Boon (by Peptoboonsmal), according to the contract.