Winning the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) DT Horses Western Derby Non-Pro is a feat in its own right, but Debbie Crafton achieved and even bigger accomplishment.
She won first and second at the prestigious event that concluded June 11 at WestWorld of Scottsdale in Arizona.
Crafton rode Hesa Wee Bet (Bet Hesa Cat x Wee Quejana Gal x Quejanaisalena) to the Championship with a composite 652 and piloted Foundloveathooters to Reserve with a 650. She also navigated a third horse, SJR Sumkindarockstar, to a seventh-place finish with a 634.
The rider from Ordway, Colorado, remained at the top of the standings from the very beginning after taking the first three placings in the herd work. Her 216 with Foundloveathooters finished first in the cutting, and she tied for second on Hesa Wee Bet and SJR Sumkindarockstar with a 213. In the rein work, she and Hesa Wee Bet made up some ground with a 219.5, which won the reining, while Foundloveathooters scored a 217.5 for second. SJR Sumkindarockstar’s 215 tied for eighth.
The cow work made all the difference between the first two geldings, as Crafton and Hesa Wee Bet, who was bred by Molly Mirassou, scored a 219.5 to win that round. Foundloveathooters’ 216.5 again landed in second place, while a 206 placed San Juan Ranch-bred SJR Sumkindarockstar (Smooth As A Cat x Sumkinda Pinkcadilac x Peptoboonsmal) farther down the leaderboard. When it was all said and done, Crafton went home with $19,705 in earnings.
Crafton has been on a roll since the NRCHA Stallion Stakes earlier this year, where Foundloveathooters (Smooth As A Cat x Rey Lena Rey x Dual Rey), who was bred by Connie Down-Cicoria, and Hesa Wee Bet took first and second, respectively. The horsewoman now boasts earnings of more than $409,000.
