Kristen Galyean used to favor a Harley, but now her favorite ride is a ZR One. In particular, ZR One, the Peptoboonsmal son that carried her to a 223-point win in the NCHA Super Stakes Non-Pro Finals on Saturday, April 19.

“He’s been good every time I’ve shown him,” said Galyean of ZR One, who she showed to win the 2014 Arbuckle Mountain Non-Pro Derby in February. “I knew if I could get three good cows in front of him, he would give me a shot to do really good. But tonight he stepped up to another level.

“He did some things tonight I didn’t expect. Extra stuff like Harley used to do. On the first cow, he got on his belly and he’s never done that before. He felt awesome.”

ZR One had already earned a buckle for Galyean last week with a reserve championship in the NCHA Super Stakes Non-Pro Gelding Finals, where Galyean claimed the championship on Im Reydioactive, who also carried her to tie 16/17 in the Non-Pro Finals.

Kristen and her husband, NCHA Hall of Fame trainer Wesley, who won the 2004 NCHA Futurity on Spots Hot, purchased ZR One as a weanling at the Waggoner Ranch Dispersal Sale in 2010, where they also bought the colt’s dam, That Catomine, by High Brow Cat.

“Matt Gaines had shown That Catomine and she had incredible talent,” said Kristen. “We were looking for a broodmare for our program and she seemed perfect with the way she is made and her breeding and athletic ability.

“She was so strong with her stop, but she could get up and get out. And ZR One is the same way. He stops and freezes, but he can get out quick. Some horses struggle when they stop that big, but he doesn’t.

“We gelded him really late in his 3-year-old year. It was a tough decision, but he needed to be gelded. Once we did, he started betting better and better, and has shaped into a phenomenal horse.”

Galyean won the 2010 NCHA Derby Non-Pro on Harley, sired by Spots Hot and trained by Wesley. It was Kristen’s first win in Will Rogers Coliseum. It was also just her second season of riding cutting horses, although she had shown pleasure horses from the time she was five.

“I feel I have gotten a lot better in the sport than I used to be,” she said. “It used to break me down pretty hard mentally because I was used to being able to perfect what I did. And you can never perfect this. All you can do is prepare and hope you get a situation that you can handle well. That was a really hard lesson for me to learn.”

The Galyeans, who have a one-year-old daughter, Gracelyn, live in Ardmore, Okla. Kristen works for her family’s Tulsa-based Jim Glover Chevrolet dealerships weekdays and catches up with her riding on weekends and at shows, where she practices on Harley, That Catomine, and Some Like It Hott, who she showed to win the 2011 Abilene Spectacular Non-Pro.

Reserve champion Cody Hedlund

“To me this run felt better than the one I had won it on,” said Hedlund. “After the first two cows, I knew I had a run going and I wanted to keep the tempo up and not spend time in the herd, so I cut my third cow as quick as I could.”

Hedlund had also been an NCHA Futurity Non-Pro finalist (24th) aboard Metallic Cat-sired Meteles Cat. Teles Bout This Cat LTE $208,196, by WR This Cats Smart, and Meteles Cat, are out of Teles Lies, shown by Cody’s father, Rock Hedlund. Cody also rode Teles Bout This Cat to place fifth in the 2010 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro Finals, and to later win seven championships.

“I wanted to do good on (Meteles Cat) because I think he is one of the best horses that my dad has trained,” said Hedlund. “I want to do the best I can to showcase the fact that he trained this horse.

Rock and Landy Hedlund, Cody’s parents, live in Acampo, Calif.