The spotlight belonged solely to Smooth Talkin Style and Lloyd Cox, after a 225-point win in the 2015 Breeders Invitational Open Derby, on May 23 in Tulsa, Okla. Button Down Supercat and Wes Galyean scored 222 points for reserve and CR Too Tuff, with Ronnie Rice, claimed third place with 220 points.

Although the Breeders Invitational was Smooth Talkin Style’s third win, it was the first title he did not have to share with another horse. Trained and shown by Lloyd Cox for Gail Holmes and Hill Ranches, Smooth Talkin Style placed second with 225 points in the 2014 NCHA Futurity, then tied with Magistic Moon, ridden by Beau Galyean, for the Arbuckle Mountain 4-Year-Old championship, in February.

On April 18, in Fort Worth, Smooth Talkin Style and Cox tied Dont Stopp Believen and Phil Rapp with 223 points, to become co-champions of the NCHA Super Stakes. With earnings of $274,793, including the Breeders Invitational winner’s purse of $71,464, Smooth Talkin Style tops the charts as 2015’s leading 4-year-old cutting horse.

Bred by Gail Holmes’ Double Dove Ranch, Smooth Talkin Style is sired by Smooth As A Cat and out of Stylish Play Lena. Trained and shown by Cox to earn $264,474, Stylish Play Lena is a leading dam of the earners of more than $1.4 million, including Hottish $286,109, by Spots Hot; Pepto Boom $235,857, by Peptoboonsmal; Halreycious $227,459, by Dual Rey; Reydiculous $142,703, by Dual Rey; and Stilish Rey $101,680, by Dual Rey.

In addition to Smooth Talkin Style, Hottish (who won the 2012 Breeders Invitational), Hayreycious, and Reydiculous were also all trained by Cox, an all-time leader with $7 million in lifetime earnings.

For complete results with pedigrees, click here.