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Flawless and Cade Shepard won the 4-Year-Old Non-Pro at the 2021 NCHA Summer Spectacular. • Photo by S. Sylvester Photography

Flawless Win For Cade Shepard at NCHA Summer Spectacular

A mare named Flawless lived up to her name for Cade Shepard at the famed Will Rogers Coliseum with a win in the 4-Year-Old Non-Pro in Fort Worth, Texas.

The duo marked a score of 221, which paid $19,339 for owner Austin Shepard, Cade’s father an an EquiStat Elite $8 Million Rider.

“I got lucky that the cows we wanted were still left by the time Flawless went in for her draw in the middle of the second set,” Shepard said. “

The duo kicked off the performance with Shepard called a great cow—one he hadn’t noticed in his previous finals ride on a different horse. It stood up on top of the herd and settled well giving them a strong start.

“It was like it was meant to be. The cow was just sitting there on top,” he said. “My second cow was a red streak hanging by the back gate and it worked well. A dark brindle finished my run. It was more cow than I thought it was going to be, but Flawless handled it well,” he said.

Shepard started Flawless, who is a daughter of the family’s top-producing mare, MH San Tules Dually (by San Tule Freckles). The 4-year-old by One Time Pepto is a maternal half-sister to the winners of nearly $900,000, including top cutters Bamacat ($352,194, by High Brow Cat); Christy Hughes ($180,299, by Thomas E Hughes) and Bama Dawg ($119,068, by High Brow Cat). Shepard’s father, Austin qualified for the Open Futurity finals on the mare, finishing 13th.

“Her mom is our best broodmare we have in the herd. That and the fact that I was the only one who rode her 2-year-old year made this a great win,” he said. “I have to thank my herd helpers and my family for all their help.”