Adan Banuelos captured the 5/6-Year-Old Tunica Futurity Open championship with 221 points atop A Spoonful Short on Thursday, January 30, and scored 225 with Smart Time Pepto 10 to win the 4-Year-Old Open on Friday. Banuelos also placed two other mounts in the 4-Year-Old Open – Highbrow Time and Squirrely Cat.
Cougarace, with 220.5 points under Lee Francois, was reserve champion in the 4-Year-Old Open, where Im Hal On Heels with Grant Setnicka and Redman GB under Michael Cooper tied for third with 219 points. Card Trick and Matt Gaines scored 220 points as reserve champions of the 5/6-Year-Old Open, while PRF Badgers Goldmine placed third with 28.5 under Clint Allen.
Tunica Futurity Open champion Smart Time Pepto 10, by One Time Pepto, is owned by G&A Performance Horses, Tioga, Tex., and was trained and shown to place fifth in the 2013 NCHA Futurity by Adan’s father, Ascencion Banuelos.
“I never brought a horse to the Futurity that was as intelligent and strong and well-trained,” said Banuelos during the NCHA Futurity. Banuelos purchased the red roan colt for G&A Performance Horses as a yearling, at the NCHA Futurity Sales.
“I looked at the horse and it just filled my eye,” said Banuelos, who paid $20,500 for the colt. “I stayed there until midnight to buy it.”
Smart Time Pepto 10, with unofficial NCHA earnings of $78,418 (including $20,000 from his Tunica win), is a half-brother, out of 1999 NCHA Futurity finalist Uno Tassa Mia, to Duallys Uno LTE $58,418 and Sigala Rey LTE $55,723.
Reserve champion Cougarace, by High Brow Cougar, is owned by Jim and Mary Jo Milner, Southlake, Tex. Mary Jo won the 2013 NCHA Futurity Amatuer UnLtd. Senior on the gelding and was also reserve champion in both the Non-Pro Senior and Amateur UnLtd. divisions, as well as a Non-Pro semi-finalist. Cougarace has unofficial NCHA earnings of $35,482, including $16,750 from the Tunica finals.
Redman GB, by High Brow Cat, and Im Hal On Heels, by Halreycious, also earned money at the NCHA Futurity. Redman GB, owned by James Hooper, Decatur, Ala., placed third with Hooper in the Non-Pro Senior division and was a Non-Pro semi-finalist; the red roan gelding also was a finalist (26th) under Cooper in the Open Finals. He has unofficial earnings of $24,218.
Im Hal On Heels, bred and owned by Sue Hearst, Paso Robles, Calif., was an NCHA Futurity Open semi-finalist and has unofficial earnings of $25,713.
Tunica Futurity 5/6-Year-Old champion A Spoonful Short is owned by Alicia Akins, Gainesville, Tex. The 6-year-old Hes A Peptospoonful daughter was the 2012 Tunica Futurity Non-Pro champion under Kelle Earnheart, as well as a 2011 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro finalist (24th). A Spoonful Short has unofficial earnings of $71,217.
Reserve champion Card Trick is owned by Reata Cutting Horses, Los Olivos, Calif. The 6-year-old daughter of Lizzys Gotta Player, a 2013 Pacific Coast Futurity 5/6-Year-Old Open finalist (8th) and Brazos Bash Classic finalist with Matt Gaines and has unofficial earnings of $54,190. Card Trick, out of Moms Stylish Babe, is a full sister to My Lizzy Bable LTE $151,579 and Stylish Lizzie LTE $65,188.
PRF Badgers Goldmine, owned by Mandy Chisum, Atascadero, Calif., earned $44,599 as an NCHA Super Stakes and Derby finalist under Tag Rice. The 5-year-old gelded son of Reys Dual Badger has unofficial earnings of $57,099.