Typically in a cutting run, the rider and horse will pick three different cattle out of the herd and hold each for a short amount of time. EquiStat Elite $3 Million Rider Tarin Rice rode Catolena Cashin In while holding a cow for nearly 55 seconds at the Brazos Bash, and it paid off big.
Holding a cow for so long wasn’t the plan for the 2017 stallion’s final aged-event run.
“We sat there and watched the cows and we had a pretty good group that we wanted to cut and on my first cut the cat we wanted to cut acted really bad so we just cut shape, it was a grey baldy and it was just okay,” Rice said. “It had some good parts but had some bad parts and the cow was just okay.”
He knew that the cattle in the first set of the 5/6-year-old finals were great, but the second set had started off looking a bit more on the rough side. Things took a turn for the best once Rice headed back towards the herd to cut his second cow though.
“The second cut we went and dug out one of our favorite cows and luckily it was quite possibly the best cow ever cut, I worked it for like 50 seconds and the horse was amazing, the cow started good and finished stronger and it was just great,” Rice said.
When a rider holds a cow away from the herd for that long they run the risk of the cow “giving up” and not putting in the amount of effort needed for a good score. Or, the cow could become angry and push through the horse to get back to the herd.
“Axl” was in sync with the cow through every turn and dominated the pen to earn a 228 and keep the whole crowd on the edge of their seats. They left the last show of his aged-event career with a trophy saddle and $28,000.
Retirement Bash
This is the end of Catolena Cashin In’s (Reyzin the Cash x Dual Catolena x High Brow Cat) aged-event career. Since there aren’t many lucrative cutting events for older horses, he’s headed for the breeding shed.
“I didn’t qualify for The Run For A Million this year which would be one that you break something like that back out for. So yeah, at the moment, that’ll be his last one,” Rice said.
In his career, according to EquiStat, Axl earned over $430,000. He was the 2021 West Texas Futurity 4YO Open Champion, 2021 NCHA Super Stakes Open Derby Champion, 2021 The Ike Open Derby Champion, 2021 Arbuckle Open Derby Reserve Champion and now the 2022 & 2023 Brazos Bash Open 5/6-Year -Old Champion. As he crossed the $400,000 mark in 2023 he became eligible for the National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Fame. He also attended The Run For A Million’s inaugural cutting challenge in August of 2023.
Catolena Cashin In bred mares in 2022 and 2023 which leaves Rice looking forward to riding more just like him.
“Joel and Jayne [Colgrove] are the best owners ever,” Rice said. “You know, we had Gotcha [CR Gotcha Covered] and we did really well on him and now we’re getting to ride his babies. And Axl’s oldest foal crops are just weanlings right now. So we’ll see how they look. Hopefully we get to get to ride quite a few from both of them.”
