Horse standing by a wall
NSHA Futurity Open Champion Scooter Kat. • Photo by Molly Montag.

Scooter Kat Enters Picture With NSHA Futurity Open Championship

All through his training, Scooter Cat gave trainer Justin Wright all the right signs. But, there was no way for the California trainer to know how good the horse really was until he proved it in the show pen.

The 3-year-old didn’t disappoint. In his first show, the colt nicknamed “Scooter” carried Wright to the National Stock Horse Association (NSHA) Futurity Open Championship at the South Point Casino, Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada. They took the title on Sunday, Aug. 26, with a composite of 662.5 (218.5 herd/223 rein/221 cow).

Horse chasing a cow
Scooter Kat & Justin Wright during their fence run at the NSHA Futurity. • Photo by Molly Montag.

Reserve Champions Lil Time Reymanising and Phillip Ralls were 5.5 points back with a composite score of 657 (217 herd/218.5 rein/221.5 cow).

“I don’t know how to describe him other than incredibly great minded and always wants to please you,” Wright said of the horse owned by Eric Freitas and Jimmy Draper. “There’s nothing that he ever doesn’t want to do 100 percent.

“He’s laid back…He’s about the laziest horse you could be around, but at the same time has enough guts and stamina and he can kick it in gear and be quick if he needs to.”

Scooter Cat entered Wright’s program early in his 2-year-old year. He’s a son of National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Open World Champion Kit Kat Sugar out of Scooters Daisy Dukes, a mare by Dual Smart Rey that earned $93,217 in the cutting pen. He’s the first earner on his dam’s Equi-Stat produce record.

“I think he had maybe 20 rides when I got him,” Wright said. “He’s just always been very easy and a huge stop and tries —  tries unbelievably hard.”

Scooter Kat’s win in Las Vegas earned $27,054 for Freitas and Draper.  Reserve Champion Lil Time Reymanising (One Time Pepto x Reymanising x Dual Rey) earned $16,378 for owner Holy Cow Performance Horses.

Going forward, the plan is to rest Scooter Cat up for a shot at the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Snaffle Bit Futurity in Fort Worth, Texas. Wright does not think he’ll show the horse at any futurities before then, joking he’d like to put the 3-year-old “in bubble wrap” while waiting for the big show.

“I think he deserves a little break and he can hang out for a little while and get ready for Fort Worth,” he said.

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