Kobie Wood, winner of the 2018 NCHA Super Stakes on Cool N Hot, can attest to the success of his recent triple bypass. On Saturday, as Wood recuperated from surgery and followed the Breeders Invitational, his friend and fellow NCHA Hall of Fame rider Sean Flynn, showed Cool N Hot, to tie 2017 NCHA Futurity champions Dual Reyish and Austin Shepard with 223 points in a heart-stopping Breeders Invitational Open Finals.

A workoff won the championship title and $68,107, for Dual Reyish LTE $310,003, but Cool N Hot LTE $223,916 retained his #1 ranking among 2018 NCHA 4-year-old money earners, with $188,353 to Dual Reyish with $117,312. Rollz Royce, reserve champion of the NCHA Super Stakes and Ike Hamilton Futurity under Beau Galyean, ranks second among 2018 NCHA 4-year-olds, with $120,127.

First crop sire Hottish, sire of both Dual Reyish, owned by Billy Wolf, and Cool N Hot, owned, bred and also shown as a champion in non-pro limited age competition by Paula Wood, claimed top sire status of 2018 Breeders Invitational Open Finalists. In addition to Dual Reyish and Cool N Hot, Hottish was also represented by Hott Nu Cowboy, tied for 8/9 with Sean Flynn, for Mary Jo and Bobby Hawkins, and Blackish, at 13/15 for Julie Jarma, with Boyd Rice.

Hottish, by Spots Hot, won the 2012 Breeders Invitational 4-year-old championship, as well as the NCHA Derby Open championship with Lloyd Cox.

CR Smart Boots, third-placed in the 2018 Breeders Invitational, with 222 points under Boyd Rice for Sarco Creek Ranch, also has a connection with Kobie Wood. His sire, Boon Too Suen LTE $250,368, by Peptoboonsmal and out of Meradas Little Sue LTE $670,098, earned a quarter-million dollars under the direction of Wood, who also showed Meradas Little Sue to win three NCHA Open World Championships and the NCHA Horse of the Year Award.

In addition, Nike Lil Sue, sired by Boon Too Suen and shown by R.L. Chartier, for Teresa Gillock, placed seventh with 218.5 points.