Blackish and Lloyd Cox won The Ike Futurity 4-Year-Old Open with 225 points on Tuesday, in West Monroe, La., while Rollz Royce and Beau Galyean scored 222.5 points for reserve. The win was worth $21,127 for Julie Jarma, Whitesboro, Tex., who bred Blackish, by Hottish, out of SS Blacks Lil Kitty LTE $185,839. Rollz Royce, by Dual Smart Rey, earned $18,100 for owner Thomas Guinn, Philadelphia, Miss. The Ike Futurity payouts represent the first limited age earnings for the champion and reserve champion, who are related through Show Biz Kitty, the dam of Rollz Royce, and the maternal granddam of Blackish.
Three horses tied with 219 points to earn $12,720 and split third through fifth places. DBL Smart, sired by Dual Smart Rey and owned by Mike Kemna, and Sly Pepto Playgirl, sired by One Time Pepto and owned and bred by Rocking L Cutting Horses, were both shown by Lloyd Cox. Cool N Hot was shown by Sean Flynn for Kobie and Paula Wood, Stephenville, Tex.
Cool N Hot, by Hottish, came into The Ike with $37,563 that he earned as fifth-placed finalist with Paula Wood in the NCHA Futurity Non-Pro Finals and as a finalist with Kobie in the Abilene Spectacular. Out of Donas Cool Cat LTE $315,104, by High Brow Cat, Cool N Hot is a half-sister to Donas Suen Boon LTE $420,965, Paula’s 2012 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro champion.
Bred by Rocking L Cutting Horses, Boca Raton, Fla., Sly Pepto Girl is out of Sly Playgirl LTE $332,135, the $800,000 high-seller at the 2016 NCHA Futurity Sales.
DBL Smart, a $62,000 purchase in the 2016 NCHA Futurity Sales, won the Abilene Spectacular 4-Year-Old Unlimited Amateur with Kemna two weeks ago and was also an Open finalist in the event under Cox.
In addition to the win on Blackish, and third-place tie with DBL Smart and Sly Pepto Girl, Lloyd Cox also tied for sixth on his own horse Just Getting Started and split eighth through tenth places with Sheza Smokin Hot Gal, who had placed 10th in the NCHA Futurity Non-Pro with Ty Moore. As a finalist in the 4-Year-Old Open Finals, alone, Cox claimed five of the top 10 spots and earned $63,125.