One of the most successful sires in the history of the cutting horse industry will appear in a future episode of Yellowstone, one of the hottest shows on cable.
Bobby Patton, owner of National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Open Champion Metallic Cat, snagged his horse the rights to be written into the script of “Yellowstone” at a gala held Dec. 11 during the NCHA Futurity. Patton’s $165,000 final bid will benefit the NCHA Charities Foundation.
The right to be written into “Yellowstone’s” script was donated by series creator Taylor Sheridan. In addition to “Yellowstone” on Paramount Network, the Academy Award nominee’s projects include movies such as Hell or High Water and Sicario, as well as “The Last Cowboy,” a reality series that followed several reining trainers in 2019 as they prepared for a million-dollar invitational at The Run For A Million.
Patton, who traveled to Fort Worth to attend the auction in person, thanked Sheridan for the “generous and fun” donation. He and the horse’s team are looking forward to “an exciting adventure.”
“It was an honor to attend the NCHA Foundation event last night and support everything the foundation stands for: education and preservation of the sport, animal welfare along with supporting our future with scholarship funding,” he said in a statement. “The fact that this donation came with the opportunity for Metallic Cat to be included in an upcoming episode of ‘Yellowstone’ was icing on the cake.”
As of press time, Metallic Cat’s sons and daughters had compiled an Equi-Stat record of more than $31.4 million. That does not include money won at the 2019 NCHA Futurity, where he was represented by Open Champion Metallic Rey Mink, Limited Non-Pro Champion Cinca De Metallica and many finalists.
What, exactly, Metallic Cat will do during his future Yellowstone appearance remains to be seen. Even though the red roan son of the NCHA’s all-time leading sire High Brow Cat retired sound and is regularly exercised – a routine that includes riding, swimming and work in a round pen – he will not be put into a competition-type situation during filming of the show, said Patton’s representative, Debbie Roberts.
She said the horse’s connections believe filming will take place some time after the 2020 breeding season, and will not require Metallic Cat to travel to Montana. However, she said that’s about all they know about his future appearance on the show – the final details will be a surprise for them as well.
NCHA Charities Foundation Executive Director Laura Wood said the generosity of Sheridan’s donation and Patton’s purchase will be used to further the Foundation’s goals and objectives. She said that will include an endowment to the City of Fort Worth for the maintenance and care of a larger-than-life bronze of Buster Welch and the famed “Little Peppy,” which was unveiled at a ceremony during the 2019 Futurity. The statue will be placed outside one of the entrances to Will Rogers Memorial Center.
“The impact of such a wonderful gift is thrilling! We are so grateful to both Taylor Sheridan and Bobby Patton for making this possible,” Wood said in a statement. “This gift will go to support the Foundation’s tenants of educating our youth, protecting the horse, preserving our history while educating the masses on the important role of cutting through endeavors like this fabulous statue.”
The Foundation has accomplished large projects in the past through gifts of this magnitude, including funding National Youth Cutting Horse Association activities at the 2019 NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular, upgrading the scholarship process for students and parents, funding Temple Grandin’s visit to the 2018 NCHA Super Stakes to audit cattle, as well as bringing esteemed veterinarian Dr. Wayne McIlwraith to the 2018 NCHA Futurity.
“We are excited about the future impact the Foundation will make in 2020 thanks to this very generous gift,” Wood said.
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