The first two days of the 2020 Arbuckle Mountain Futurity, Sunday and Monday, February 23 and 24 in Ardmore, Okla., set the stage for Tuesday’s 4-Year-Old Open second go-round and 5/6 Open Limited Finals.
On Sunday, 75 horses, with scores of 215.5 or more from 123 entries in the first go-round of the 4-Year-Old Open, qualified for the second go-round. Bohemian Rhapsody, shown by Michael Cooper, for Rose Valley Ranch, Weatherford, Tex., topped the day with 225 points, followed closely by Kinky Bootz with 224.5 under Austin Shepard, for Glenn and Debbie Drake, Napa, Calif.
Justa Girl Named Sue, shown by Rodrigo Taboga for Ellen Carter, Dallas, Tex., and Niki Sixx, with Tarin Rice for Sixy Syndicate, Poolville, Tex., tied with 222, the third-highest score.
Justa Girl Named Sue LTE $20,440, by Metallic Cat, is the richest of the four high-scoring horses, with money earned as a 2020 Open finalist under Taboga in the Abilene Spectacular, the Ike Hamilton Futurity, and the Bonanza. The red roan daughter of Some Like It Hott LTE $183,383, by Hottish, also placed tenth in the 2019 PCCHA Open Futurity with Beau Galyean.
Kinky Bootz LTE $13,506, by Dual Rey, comes into the Arbuckle Mountain Futurity as champion of the 2020 Augusta Open Futurity under Shepard. Niki Six LTE $13,761, by Metallic Cat, earned 2020 payouts with Rice, prior to Ardmore, in the Abilene Spectacular and the Bonanza, while Bohemian Rhapsody LTE $8,657, by Metallic Cat, claimed all of his earnings as a 2019 NCHA Futurity Open Semi-Finalist under Cooper.
The 5/6 Open go-round, which leads directly to the Finals, was topped with 226 points in a tie between CR Dualin Out Tuff, ridden by Austin Shepard for Julie Beasley, Montgomery, Ala., and Ms Baby Cakes, with Lloyd Cox for Barker Ranch Cutting Horses LLC. Five-year-old Ms Baby Cakes LTE $122,82, by Metallic Cat, was reserve champion of the 2020 Abilene Spectacular under Cox; 5-year-old CR Dualin Out Tuff LTE $82,073, by Woody Be Tuff, was a 2020 finalist with Shepard in the Augusta Futurity.
The 4-Year-Old Open second go-round of the Arbuckle Mountain Futurity begins on Tuesday morning, February 25, and is followed by the 5/6 Open Limited Open Finals. The 5/6 Open Finals will be held on Wednesday morning, followed by the 4-Year-Old Open Finals.