horse and rider and cow
Shiners Diamond Cat & Justin Wright at the 2018 NRCHA Derby • Photo by Primo Morales

NRCHA Tres Osos Cow Horse Derby Action Heating Up

Just one event remains before a Tres Osos Cow Horse Classic Derby champion will be crowned at Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Leading the Derby Open with a 442.5, thanks to scores of 220.5 in the herd and 222 in the rein work, is Shiners Diamond Cat (WR This Cats Smart x Shiners Diamond Lady x Shining Spark), ridden by Justin Wright for owners Mike and James Draper. Shiners Diamond Cat and Wright achieved the high score of the rein work to edge out second place Shining CD Light (CD Lights x Jennys Spark x Shining Spark), ridden by Corey Cushing for Ophir Creek Stables LLC, who scored a 221. Cushing is second in the aggregate with Shining CD Light thanks to a 441.5 composite.

For the next two days, 4- and 5-year-old reined cow horses will go “down the fence” in the National Reined Cow Horse Association’s signature event — the cow work. The Tres Osos Cow Horse Derby began on Thursday, Feb. 14, and will conclude Monday, Feb. 18. Champions are determined at the conclusion of the cow work based upon the highest composite scores, at which time $254,187 is estimated to be paid out across all Derby divisions.

Peptos Stylin Time (One Time Pepto x Stylin Jewel x Docs Stylish Oak), shown by Kyle Trahern for Peptos LLC, holds the lead in the Derby Intermediate Open with a total on two of 437. Hes Pistol Packin (Smooth As A Cat x Shiners Lil Pistol x Shining Spark), shown by Clint Allen for owners David and Stacie McDavid, is first in the Derby Limited Open with a 428.

The top spot in the Derby Novice Horse Open with a 432 total on two is Suck It Up Buttercup (Metallic Cat x Shine Smartly x Shining Spark), ridden by Shawn Hays for owners Tammy Hays and Walter Greeman. Smooth Dera Max (Smooth As A Cat x Dera Dually x Dual Pep), ridden by Matt Frederick for Dana and Harry De Haan, leads the Level 1 Limited Open with a 424.5.

Following the completion of the Open division reining, a field of 30 Non-Pro Limited Derby entries competed in the rein work portion of the Tres Osos Derby Cow Horse Classic. Carolyn Edson piloted Dudley Doo Right (Shiners Voodoo Dr x Daphne Doo Right x Chex My Freckles) to an impressive 214 in the rein work, giving them a first place finish in the go-round and a composite score of 416.

Katie Fox rode Metallic Heritage (Metallic Cat x Dual Heritage x Dual Pep) to the lead in the composite with a total on two of 418.5.

Sunday’s action from the John Justin Arena will consist of the Non Pro Limited cow work and the crowning of that division’s champion, followed by Non-Pro and Amateur Derby rein work, the preliminaries for Non-Pro Two-Rein World championship show qualifiers and the start of the Derby Open division cow work.

A host of ancillary events makes the Celebration of Champions celebratory indeed. Adding to the excitement of the week is the 2019 DT Horses and Hashtags World’s Greatest Horseman Reception, which celebrates the 49 contestants entered in what is arguably the most thrilling contest in the Western performance horse industry. The reception takes place on Sunday evening, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Round Up Inn. Also on Sunday, Cowboy Church will be held in the John Justin Arena during the show’s lunch break.

The DT Horses and Hashtags World’s Greatest Horseman preliminary herd work begins Monday, Feb. 18 in the iconic Will Rogers Memorial Center Coliseum with cow horse action that never disappoints.