The first foal crop of a group of accomplished cutting stallions are taking their shot at the show pen this year. While there have been some exciting runs, make no mistake: the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity is where reputations are built.
Several freshman stallions had offspring entered in the event, and six of them — Rollz Royce, CR Gotcha Covered, Dual Reyish, Cool N Hot and The Animal — have offspring who made the second round, which continues through Tuesday, Nov. 21.
The fight for leading freshman cutting sire of 2023 is tight, with heavyweights Rollz Royce and Dual Reyish separated by less than $10,000 in progeny earnings going into the event. In the race for overall leading freshman Western Performance sire — which includes combined progeny earnings from cutting, reining and reined cow horse events — CR Gotcha Covered had an approximately $50,000 advantage thanks in large part to a great showing by his offspring in this year’s National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Snaffle Bit Futurity.
However, with so much money on the line in the NCHA Futurity, there’s a good chance whichever stallion’s progeny strikes it big in the Futurity will ultimately prevail to win the title of leading freshman sire.
Here’s a closer look at the three freshman sires with the most offspring in the second round of the NCHA Futurity Open:
Rollz Royce
NCHA Hall of Fame horse Rollz Royce leads the way with the most progeny qualified for the second round of the NCHA Futurity Open. He also entered the event as the current leading freshman sire in the EquiStat database, having an approximately $7,000 lead over Dual Reyish as of Nov. 15.
During his own show career, Rollz Royce (Dual Smart Rey x Show Biz Kitty x High Brow Cat) earned $353,872 and was the NCHA Super Stakes Classic/Challenge Open Champion. His 15 offspring in the NCHA Futurity Open second round are:
- Rollin On A River (out of Mereyda x Dual Rey)
- Rock N Rollz (out of Too Highbrow x High Brow CD)
- China Rolls (out of Stylish China Cat x High Brow Cat)
- Miss Phantom Cat (out of A Little Wild Cat x Boon A Little)
- Rockn The Rollz (out of Special Nu Kitty x High Brow Cat)
- Very Special Rollz (out of Very Special Squirel x One Time Pepto)
- Oooh La La (out of A Little Loopsie x Metallic Cat)
- Ole Roy (out of Duals Play Kit x Kit Dual)
- Made By Rollz Royce (out of Maid Of Metal x Metallic Cat)
- Rollz Into Hell (out of Hellcat X x Oscar Boon)
- Rollin Stylish (out of Fletchs Dutchess x Royal Fletch)
- Rollin On Dubz (out of Metallic Memorey x Metallic Cat)
- Im Rollz Royce (out of One Time Clementine x One Time Pepto)
- Kygirl (out of Inmyownsweetime x One Time Pepto)
- Movin Like Royce (out of Clementine Ichi x Cat Itchi)
CR Gotcha Covered
The current leading freshman sire going into the NCHA Futurity, NCHA Open World Champion CR Gotcha Covered rolls into the event after an incredibly successful effort by his offspring in the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Snaffle Bit Futurity. His son, Paint It Blak, placed third in the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open and was the Intermediate Open Reserve Champion. Another son, Undder Cover, was fourth in the Snaffle Bit Futurity Intermediate Open.
CR Gotcha Covered won $301,106 during his show career. He is by Dualin Boon and out of The Cattatac (by High Brow Cat). In the NCHA Futurity, CR Gotcha Covered has ten offspring that made the second round of the Open:
- Covered Up (out of Desires Dixie Cat x High Brow Cat)
- Covered in Grace (out of PRF One Mas Time x One Time Pepto)
- Wil Covered Up (out of Sweet Lil Sue x High Brow CD)
- Covered In Dots (out of Reyl Smart Dot x Dual Rey)
- Smoked Cha (out of Smokin Tap x Smokin Trona)
- CR Miss Mayzie (out of Miss Mayzie Wood x Nitas Wood)
- Got Mary Jane (out of Mare E Hughes x Thomas E Hughes)
- Two Socks Shakur (out of Smooth Lil Cowtown x Smooth As A Cat)
- Smooth Gotcha (out of SB Smooth As A Mate x Smooth As A Cat)
- Covered In Cat (out of Gumps Playful Cat x Smooth As A Cat)
Dual Reyish
NCHA Futurity Open Champion Dual Reyish holds the distinction of having the highest-placing offspring in the first round of this year’s NCHA Futurity, as his daughter, Dualz, marked a 225 to earn the round’s top score.
The top money-earning cutting stallion represented by his first show-age foal crop in 2023, Dual Reyish (Hottish x A Little Reylena x Dual Rey) earned $456,016 during his own show career.
Dual Reyish found success early this season, fathering Cotton Stakes Futurity Open Champion The Big Badd Wolf and West Texas Futurity Open Reserve Champion Rey To The West. His seven progeny who made the NCHA Futurity Open second round are:
- Deeliteful (out of Dee Cats Meow x High Brow Cat)
- Doctor Dreyish (out of Itty Kitty x WR This Cats Smart)
- Every Last Drop (out of Cat O Connor x High Brow Cat)
- Dualz (out of Ashado x Smart Little Lena)
- Cuteish Desire (out of Desires Kitty Cat x High Brow Cat)
- Reyish Cain (out of Razzberry Beret x Metallic Cat)
- Chitas Hot Merada (out of Chitas Cats Merada x Cats Merada)
2023 NCHA Futurity Open Freshman Sires
| Sire | Pedigree | Foals in NCHA Futurity Open Second Round |
| Rollz Royce | (Dual Smart Rey x Show Biz Kitty x High Brow Cat) | 15 |
| CR Gotcha Covered | (Dualin Boon x The Catattac x High Brow Cat) | 10 |
| Dual Reyish | (Hottish x A Little Reylena x Dual Rey) | 7 |
| Cool N Hot | (Hottish x Donas Cool Cat x High Brow Cat) | 3 |
| The Animal | (Cat Ichi x My Little Abra x Abrakadabracre) | 2 |
Freshman Cutting Sires Overall
Here are the current leading freshman sires based on their progeny’s cutting earnings recorded in EquiStat as of Nov. 15, 2023.
| Rank | Stallion | Pedigree | Money Earning Offspring | Progeny Earnings (as of Nov. 15) |
| 1 | Rollz Royce | (Dual Smart Rey x Show Biz Kitty x High Brow Cat) | 11 | $76,585 |
| 2 | Dual Reyish | (Hottish x A Little Reylena x Dual Rey) | 4 | $69,841 |
| 3 | Spots Heff | (Spots Hot x Ms Bag Of Hope x Freckles Loverboy) | 2 | $33,777 |
| 4 | CR Gotcha Covered | (Dualin Boon x The Catattac x High Brow Cat) | 3 | $4,586 |
| 5 | Cool N Hot | (Hottish x Donas Cool Cat x High Brow Cat) | 2 | $2,913 |
| 6 | A Reymarkable Cat | (High Brow Cat x Short Of Reymarkable x Dual Rey) | 1 | $102 |
Top Ten Freshman Western Performance Horse Sires
Here are the top ten freshman sires in the Western performance horse industry based on the combined cutting, reining and reined cow horse of their progeny recorded in EquiStat as of Nov. 15, 2023.
| Rank | Stallion | Pedigree | Money Earning Performers | Progeny Earnings (as of Nov. 15) |
| 1 | CR Gotcha Covered | (Dualin Boon x The Catattac x High Brow Cat) | 6 | $144,269 |
| 2 | Rollz Royce | (Dual Smart Rey x Show Biz Kitty x High Brow Cat) | 15 | $96,308 |
| 3 | Dual Reyish | (Hottish x A Little Reylena x Dual Rey) | 5 | $70,342 |
| 4 | Scooter Kat | (Kit Kat Sugar x Scooters Daisy Dukes x Dual Smart Rey) | 3 | $45,500 |
| 5 | Spots Heff | (Spots Hot x Ms Bag Of Hope x Freckles Loverboy) | 2 | $33,777 |
| 6 | Cool N Hot | (Hottish x Donas Cool Cat x High Brow Cat) | 4 | $19,416 |
| 7 | SF Hottish Lumi Cat | (Hottish x Ima Phat Cat x High Brow Cat) | 1 | $15,978 |
| 8 | Gringo Love | (CD Diamond x Whiz N Spark x Topsail Whiz) | 1 | $12,200 |
| 9 | One Shiney Metallic | (Metallic Cat x One Shiney Rey x Dual Rey) | 2 | $10,887 |
| 10 | Bet Hes Black | (Bet Hesa Cat x Soula Jule Forever x Soula Jule Star) | 1 | $7,000 |
