Horse crouching
Hott Rox and Brent Erickson put in a winning 218-point run to take the Cascades Futurity Open Championship on Monday, Aug. 13, 2018. • Photo by Molly Montag.

Mr. Consistency: Hott Rox & Brent Erickson Take Cascades Futurity

Hott Rox was making his career debut at the Cascades Futurity, but the sorrel gelding put not one, but in two, high-scoring runs on finals night.

First, he and trainer Brent Erickson marked a 216 to be one of two Reserve Co-Champions in the Futurity Intermediate Open. Two classes later, they returned to the ring and improved their score to 218 to win the Futurity Open Championship.

“He felt good. I was just trying to have a clean run: 3-year-olds, August,” Erickson said of the Open championship. “You just hopefully can go out there and be clean, and not get too aggressive. So it felt good. He was really good tonight.

The Wilton, California-based trainer was most impressed by how the son of Hottish took everything in stride, and handled what came to him.

“He went fast. He went slow,” he said. “He handled a lot of situations, so I was pretty happy with him.

The Futurity Open Reserve Championship went to Shalikos Captain Jak (Shalikos Sittingbull x Karalena C Starlight x Charlies Starlight) and Shad Platt, of Orland, California. They marked a 217 for Shaliko Ranch.

Click here for full results from the Cascades Futurity Open Finals. 

horse sliding in dirt
The Futurity Open Reserve Championship went to Shalikos Captain Jak and Shad Platt, who marked a 217. • Photo by Molly Montag.

The two Futurity classes were among four finals held Monday, Aug. 13 at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond, Oregon. It was part of the inaugural edition of the Cascades Futurity, a new limited-aged event in Oregon. Additional finals will be held throughout this week, followed by a weekend show.

Hott Rox is the second money winner for broodmare Spookys Roxy Girl (Smart Little Lena x Spookys Cash x Miss N Cash). Her leading earner is Roxys Four One One ($21,851, by Smooth As A Cat).

Bred by Jeff Barnes, Hott Rox was bought shortly before the Futurity by Dacole Investment Group, of Reno, Nevada. He earned $12,946 for his new owners.

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