The $1.5 million Breeder’s Invitational Cutting concludes it’s 11-day venue with the Open and Non-Pro Derby finals on Saturday, May 23, in Tulsa.  NCHA Futurity champion and top 4-year-old money earner Metallic Cat is among the leaders going into the Open Derby with Beau Galyean for Alvin Fults, while the previously unplaced Purely Rey, ridden by Bubba Matlock for Jerry and Vickie Durant, maintained the high cumulative with go-rounds scores of 217 and 219.

Rey Down Sally, last year’s Breeder’s Invitational Open Derby winner, captured the Classic Open championship earlier this week under Gary Gonsalves for Iron Rose Ranch, while Adan Banuelos won the Non-Pro Classic with Reeds Instant Magic.

While Gonsalves claimed top honors in the Classic, with Wildcats and Rock Hedlund as reserve champions, Jason Clark and John Mitchell earned a significant amount (30 percent) of the total $185,185 purse.

Clark placed third and fourth, respectively, on Hick Of A Mate and Dual Ya Scoot, for Darren Blanton and Philip Layne. Mitchell finished fifth on Play Miss; split 8/9 with Peptos Stylish Miss; and 10/12 with Sarahs Super Cat, all owned by Slate River Ranch. He also placed 17th on his own horse, Cat N A Hat.

The success of Mitchell on Play Miss, Peptos Stylish Miss and Sarahs Super Cat reflect the status of Slate River Ranch as 2008’s leading owner and breeder of cutting horses. In just over a decade, the Weatherford breeding and training operation, owned by Virginia-based entrepreneur Glade Knight and managed by Mitchell, has blazed a trail to the top ranks with their shows horses, broodmares, and the stallion Playdox, who ranked 13th among sires of 2008 money earners.

In August, Slate River Ranch will offer some of their show horses, Futurity prospects, 2-year-olds in training and broodmares, along with the sires Playdox and Bobs Freckle, during a ranch production sale at the NCHA Summer Spectacular Sale. Freshman sire That Sly Cat will remain a part of Slate River’s program, to be crossed on their daughters of Playdox and Bobs Freckle.

For the latest results with finalist pedigrees from all divisions of the Breeders Invitational, click here.