The social media phenomenon of hashtags, or hash marks, are used as labels to identify a topic or subject in cyberspace. The term "hashtag" took on a new form when, on April 15, a 2013 blue roan stallion named Hashtags became the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Super Stakes Open Champion. Hashtags, ridden by Tatum Rice, scored a 220, earning $74,095 and bringing his total earnings to $154,441 for owner Jose Raul Garcia.
Inferno Sixty Six and Franco Bertolani drew a lot of attention when they tied with Shesouttayourleague in the finals of the 2015 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity Level 4 Open. The tie necessitated a runoff, and when the dust settled, they were the Reserve Champions. Since then, Inferno Sixty Six and Bertolani have been multiple aged event finalists, that is, until they scored a 228.5 in the Lucas Oil Derby Level 4 Open at the Cactus Reining Classic. The Championship netted $13,788 for the horse's Italy-based owner, Slide Or Die LLC. Heading into the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC), Inferno Sixty Six's total earnings are $185,056.
Taylor Zimmerman and Wimpys Little Jessie scored a 220 to win the Bluebonnet Feeds Derby Level 4 Non-Pro at the Oklahoma Reining Horse Association (OKRHA) Ride and Slide on March 10. They earned $4,903 for their first Level 4 win. The team has earnings of $71,717 since August 2016.
Game On Smooth has shown consistency in his young career for owner Mike Schraeder and trainer T. J. Good. Schraeder and the horse made the finals of the Limited Non-Pro at the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity; Good and Game On Smooth made the 4-Year-Old Open finals at the Abilene Spectacular.
The World’s Greatest Horseman competition wrapped up on Feb. 18 with Canadian John Swales earning the Championship on Heza Diamond Spark. Swales and Heza Diamond Spark worked their way to a composite score of 874, which included the top score of 222.5 in the rein work and the top score of 226.5 in the fence work. Swales was rewarded with the $35,000 winner’s check.
Reyzurbetsonthiscat locked down his second Open win in January when he won the Ike Derby on Jan. 31. He scored a 223 with Equi-Stat Elite $2 Million Rider Craig Thompson in the saddle. The first win came when Thompson and Reyzurbetsonthiscat won the Augusta Futurity 4-Year-Old Open 10 days earlier.
