The Doggfather has arrived.
After making several finals and showing flashes of winning potential, DMAC Doggfather scored a breakthrough victory in the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association (PCCHA) Core Balance Derby Open.
Ridden by Equi-Stat Elite $5 Million Rider Clint Allen, the son of National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Open Horse of the Year Kit Kat Sugar marked a 226 to win his first major title late Tuesday night (June 11) at the South Point Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The best part for Allen was sharing the news with owners, David and Stacie McDavid, of Fort Worth, Texas.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to give ‘em a win. I wish they could’ve been there to see it,” said Allen, who estimates he’s worked for the avid cutters for about six years. “I was so excited [that] night when they called, and they’re probably my biggest fans.
“It’s good to hear the excitement in their voice and how proud they are and how excited they are about the horse and the win and everything. It means a heck of a lot to me.”
The McDavids plunked down $48,000 to buy DMAC Doggfather, then named Gracielas Payday, at the Western Bloodstock Preferred Breeders Sale Session III held during the 2016 NCHA Futurity.
They didn’t only buy him because he showed signs of a potential athlete; Allen said a big reason the colt ended up in the McDavids’ barn is because he’s a half brother to one of the couple’s favorite horses, DMAC Snoop Dog. The 2002 CD Olena gelding named after the rapper Snoop Dogg won more than $122,000 cutting with his owners aboard, and also in Open competition.
After buying their favored gelding’s younger brother from Hansma, they changed his name to DMAC Doggfather in honor of one of Snoop Dogg’s early albums, The Doggfather.
“From day one, he’s always been a special horse to us,” Allen said of DMAC Doggfather. “I mean, a huge-stopping horse. [He was] just a little bit immature-minded, but he’s starting to grow up more now.”
DMAC Doggather had shown Allen potential in his previous starts: He and Allen made last year’s NCHA Futurity Open finals, as well as this year’s Derby Open finals at the NCHA Super Stakes and The Cattlemen’s. David McDavid rode him to the Amateur and Unlimited Amateur finals of this year’s NCHA Super Stakes.
“I always had high expectations and thought [DMAC Doggfather] was something I could win on,” Allen said. “[I] just never really got him showed in the finals like I needed to until [Tuesday] night.”
The $18,000 first-place check in Vegas pushed DMAC Doggfather’s lifetime record to more than $106,000. He is one of nine money winners out of Graciela Dual, a daughter of Dual Pep and out of Miss Sabrina Lena (by Doc O’Lena). The mare’s Equi-Statproduce record now stands at more than $735,000.
In addition to DMAC Doggfather, Graciela Dual’s earners are CD Graceful Dual ($185, 964, by CD Olena), Dual Lights ($167,908, by CD Lights), DMAC Snoop Dog ($122,212, by CD Olena), Light of Grace ($96,042, by CD Lights), Daylight Dual ($36,074, by CD Lights), Dualin Boss ($12,757, by CD Lights), Cowboy Lights ($6,947, by CD Lights) and Shes Outta Grace ($1,758, by Third Cutting).
The PCCHA Derby Open Co-Reserve Championship went to Bayou Creedance Cat and Dual Cat Pepto, who each marked a 222.5.
Ridden by Equi-Stat Elite $3 Million Rider Morgan Cromer, Bayou Creedance Cat (High Brow Cat x Creedance Clearwater x Peptoboonsmal) earned $14,000 for owner Clarke Butte Ranch, of Butte, Oregon.
Dual Cat Pepto (Dual Rey x Swiss Cat Pepto x Sweet Lil Pepto) also earned $14,000 for his owners, Michael and Debra Flashman, of Rancho Murieta, California. He was ridden by Monty Buntin, who has lifetime earnings of more than $960,000.
Click here for the PCCHA Derby Open full order of finish and payouts.
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