Heating Up the East Coast: Pre-Futurity Champions

HEATING UP ON THE EAST COAST

By Katie Frank Photographs by Primo Morales

Reined cow horse competitors brought their 3-year-olds and A games to the East Coast.

Aboard Stanton Pinckard Horses LLC’s 2019 mare A Rey Of Sunshine (Stevie Rey Von x Justa Lil Freck x Bobs Freckle), Ben Baldus rode to the win with a 654.5 (R:215.5/ H:221.5/ C:217.5) to earn $2,870.78. T he heat index wasn’t the only thing hot in Cordova, Tennessee, during the Dom Conicelli Memorial Eastern Derby, presented by MARS Equestrian™. Competitors brought smoking 3-yearolds to the third annual event.

Winning the Open Pre-Futurity with 654.5 (R:215.5/ H:221.5/ C:217.5) was A Rey Of Sunshine and Ben Baldus owned by Stanton Pinckard Horses, LLC. The 2019 mare by Stevie Rey Von and out of a Bobs Freckle mare named Justa Lil Freck, rode wise beyond her years.

“This was the first show we hauled this year’s 3-year-olds to,” said Baldus, of Gainesville, Texas. “’Freckles’ did really great. She was very correct. She stepped it up in the herd work, and really tied on to the cow going down the fence.”

Baldus also captured Reserve with Travis and Rene David’s Fancy Wasnt My Name (One Time Pepto x Cyndi Cat x WR This Cats Smart), a 2019 mare that tied with Cayley Wilson and Nothing But Blu (Once In A Blue Boon x CC Cat x Neat Little Cat), owned by Alicia Bolls. Wilson also topped the Intermediate Open with the mare.

Kirk Druey of Adamstown, Maryland, had a clean sweep across the Non Pro divisions with Gin N Smoke N Lies marking a 614 (R:196/ H: 213/ C:205) to win the Non Pro, Intermediate Non Pro and Limited Non Pro.

“She’s usually a real ‘lookie’ horse at home, but she did well,” Druey said, who rides with Todd Crawford, who bred and raised the mare. “Usually having the combination of a three-yearold horse and a non pro isn’t the best idea, but it worked out.”

Brandon Gorham marked a 617 (R:206.5/ H:207/ C:203.5) aboard OSR Smooth Indian to win the Non Pro Boxing and Level 1 Non Pro Boxing. Gorham, of Weatherford, Texas, owns the 2019 gelding.

“I bought her a year ago with no intentions of showing him as a 3-year-old,” said Gorham. “As training progressed, he showed athleticism I didn’t know he’d have.”

Gorham says the usually skittish young horse was calm at the show. “I feel like I had more nerves than him!”’

INTERMEDIATE OPEN PRE-FUTURITY CHAMPION

Aboard Alicia Bolls’ 2019 stallion Bothing But Blu (Once In A Blue Boon x CC Cat x Neat Little Cat), Cayley Wilson topped the Intermediate Open and also tied for Reserve in the Open with a composite 644 (R:217/H:221.5/C:217.5), earning $939.84 for the win and $1,999.30 for reserve.

LIMITED OPEN PRE-FUTURITY CHAMPION

Maxx Bet (Bet Hesa Cat x DLH Miss Peppy Cat x Cats Merada), a 2019 stallion bred by JPM Ranch Company and owned by Toni Blonde, and Ben Bowman rode to the win with a 586.5 (R:203/H:195/C:188) to earn $512.64.

NON PRO PRE-FUTURITY CHAMPION

Kirk Druey swept three divisions of the Non Pro Pre-Futurity with his 2019 mare Gin N Smoke N Lies (Brother Jackson x What Chics Wanna Doo x Chic Please), bred by Todd and Pam Crawford, with a 614 (R:196/ H: 213/ C:205).

LEVEL 1 OPEN PRE-FUTURITY CHAMPION

Will Letner piloted the BFB Syndicate’s 2019 mare Stevie Bobbi Baby (Stevie Rey Von x Smart Bobbi Sock x Bob Acre Doc), bred by Fults Ranch LTD, to a composite 628 to earn $1,728.

NON PRO BOXING PRE-FUTURITY CHAMPION

Brandon Gorham marked a 617 (R:206.5/ H:207/ C:203.5) aboard OSR Smooth Indian (Smoothe Bye Design x OSR Young Guns Peppy x Hickorys Indian Pep) to earn $510 in the Non Pro and another $150 Level 1 Non Pro Boxing.