man riding a horse
John Rockey & Dureyngo Kid. • Photo by Molly Montag.

Dureyngo Kid & John Rockey Hit Jackpot With 4 Wins At PCCHA Futurity

Dureyngo Kid’s barn name is “Jimmy,” but after the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association (PCCHA) Futurity show, his owners could be forgiven if they changed his name. Maybe something like “Champ” or “Cash” or “ATM?”

The gelding and co-owner John Rockey had already won roughly $83,000 this year, and took home another four championships at the show held Oct. 4-14 at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

They won the Derby Unlimited Amateur, Non-Pro Intermediate, Senior and a new class called the Goldens. Combined with an appearance in the finals of the Non-Pro Cutting Stakes, Rockey and the gelding – who, for the record, will still be known as “Jimmy” around the barn in spite of his most recent success — headed back to their home in Palmdale, California, with around $18,000 in winnings.

Rockey, who began riding aged event horses about five years ago, made his first Non-Pro finals at the PCCHA Futurity show. He’d first started cutting horses back in the 1970s, but then took a break in the ‘90s before returning to the sport in 2011.

“I just wanted to make it through; make it to the [Non-Pro] finals,” he said after winning the Non-Pro Intermediate with a 218.5 and qualifying for the Non-Pro finals. “I’ve made it through the go rounds, made it to the semis, but I’ve never made the finals in the Non-Pro so I’m really happy about that.”

He and Rose Rockey bought the Reys Dual Badger gelding from Kelle Earnhardt just before last year’s National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity. John rode the horse in the famed event in Fort Worth, Texas, making the semifinals of the Amateur and Unlimited Amateur.

They’ve only continued to pick up steam in 2018. Going into the PCCHA Futurity, Rockey and the gelding had bagged a number of championships, reserve championships and top placings – mostly in the Unlimited Amateur or Unlimited Amateur Senior classes — at shows such as the NCHA Super Stakes, NCHA Summer Spectacular, The Cattlemen’s, the Breeders’ Invitational and PCCHA Derby.

“He’s really simple, and just does his job every single time. So, if I do my job, he’ll do his,” said Rockey, who trains with Equi-Stat Elite $3 Million Rider Russ Westfall. “I don’t ever have to worry about him.”

Dureyngo Kid is out of the mare Hissy Cat, a stellar producer by Equi-Stat Elite $79 Million Sire High Brow Cat. His PCCHA winnings pushed the mare’s Equi-Stat produce record to 18 earners of $826,651. He’s her third-leading performer, falling behind 2010 gelding Johnny Reyngo ($192,964, by Dual Rey) and 2009 mare Hisstereya ($132,035, by Dual Rey).

The Derby Unlimited Amateur Reserve Championship went to Michael Kemna and Dbl Smart. Kemna, of Valley View, Texas, and the 2014 mare (Dual Smart Rey x This Cats Smilen x WR This Cats Smart) marked a 217 and earned $6,593.

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