July 26, Fort Worth, Tex.
Isidro Sigala, Weatherford, Tex., scored 216.5 points Thursday on Safari Smooth Cat, by Smooth As A Cat, to win his first NCHA championship in Fort Worth – the 2018 NCHA/Metallic Cat Summer Spectacular Derby Rios of Mercedes Amateur Unlimited. For good measure, he also placed third with 215.5 points aboard See Ya At Cadillacs, by Sigala Rey.
John Rockey, Palmdale, Calif., claimed the reserve championship with 216 points riding Dureyngo Kid, by Reys Dual Badger.
Isidro Sigala, a Venezualan native, made his first mark in limited age event competition when he placed 12th in the 2009 NCHA Futurity Amateur Finals aboard Sofie Rey $148,557, a half-sister, by Dual Rey, to Safari Smooth Cat. He went on to win the 2010 Breeders Invitational Amateur championship, as well as the 2011 West Texas Futurity Non-Pro Classic on Sofie Rey. In 2012, Sigala won the Augusta Futurity on Sigala Rey, the sire of See Ya At Cadillacs.
Sigala, the NCHA earner of $264,869, trained both Safari Smooth Cat LTE $7,075 and See Ya At Cadillacs LTE $12,179 on the family ranch in Weatherford, where both horses were bred and raised. He showed Safari Smooth Cat to place (13th) in the 2018 NCHA Super Stakes Amateur Unlimited and See Ya At Cadillacs to place third in the Super Stakes Amateur Unlimited, as well.
John Rockey and Dureyngo Kid, were reserve champions of the 2018 NCHA Super Stakes Amateur, and also won the 2018 Cattlemen’s Amateur and Amateur Unlimited championships. Rockey, the NCHA earner of $223,802, placed third in the 2016 NCHA Super Stakes Classic Amateur and eighth in the NCHA Classic Challenge on Let Georgie Do It LTE $144,509, the 2016 NCHA Amateur Horse of the Year.
Rockey also won the NCHA Derby Amateur Senior championship with his 216 on Dureyngo Kid.
The 2018 NCHA/Metallic Cat Summer Cutting Spectacular continues daily through Aug. 5th. For live webcast and live scoring go to NCHAcutting.com.