Metalic Al, ridden by Tom Shelly for Metallic All LLC, Los Olivos, Calif., scored 225 points on Saturday, September 2, to win the ICHA Futurity Mercuria World Series Open Finals in Nampa, Idaho. Eazee E scored 220 points under Tatum Rice for second, while QB Cat, shown by Clint Allen, and Metallic Rebel, with Beau Galyean, each scored 219 points to split third and fourth-place money.
Metalic Al, a 7-year-old son of Metallic Cat and $90,000 NCHA Futurity Sale 2-year-old graduate, earned $10,970 for his win, increasing his lifetime earnings to $143,195. Shown exclusively by Shelly, primarily on the West Coast, Metalic Al won the 2014 NCHA Super Stakes Limited Open and earned money in 14 limited age event finals including as reserve champion of the Pacific Coast Classic, the Las Vegas Derby, and the Pacific Coast Winter Roundup.
Tom Shelly’s first major win was the 1989 PCCHA Stakes on Awesome Oskar. Shelly has NCHA lifetime earnings of $579,330.
Eazee E was the ICHA Mercuria World Series go-round winner with 222 points. Owned by Kevin and Sydney Knight, Scottsdale, Ariz., the 7-year-old High Brow Cat daughter was reserve champion of the Mercuria World Series at the Calgary Stampede in July, and has also been a Mercuria finalist with Rice in the Pacific Coast Derby, the West Texas Futurity and in the Houston World Series. A three-quarter sister to NCHA Hall of Fame Horse Smooth Asa Zee LTE $616,000, including her ICHA World Series paycheck of $8,653, Eazee E is the career earner of $153,549.
Tatum Rice, an NCHA Hall of Fame Rider with $1,551,863, also shows Hashtags, the Idaho Derby champion and current top-earning NCHA 4-year-old of 2017.
QB Cat LTE $164,144, owned by David and Stacie McDavid, Fort Worth, Tex. and shown by Clint Allen, won the recent Mercuria Word Series event at the Calgary Stampede, and placed second in the 2017 World Series Mane Event. Sired by High Brow Cat and out of Quintan Blue LTE $594,000, QB Cat carried Stacie McDavid to non-pro limited age event reserve championships in the Brazos Bash Classic, the Tunica Futurity Classic, and the Pacific Coast Classic.
Clint Allen is an NCHA Hall of Fame Rider with career earnings of $4.5 million. He was reserve champion at last month’s West Texas Futurity riding Dmac Geisha Girl, also owned by the McDavids.
Metallic Rebel LTE $312,820, owned by Thomas Guinn, Philadelphia, Miss., is the current point leader for 2017 NCHA Open Horse of the Year. The 5-year-old Metallic Cat son, shown exclusively by Beau Galyean, has claimed four championship wins (NCHA Super Stakes Classic, Abilene Spectacular Classic , PCCHA Classic, and Arbuckle Mountain Classic) in 2017 and four reserve championships, including the Idaho Futurity Classic.
Beau Galyean is an NCHA Hall of Fame Rider and earner of more than $3 million. He rode Metallic Rebel’s sire, Metallic Cat, and won a Mercuria World Series event on the stallion’s dam, Sweet Abra.