Monty Buntin, who won last year’s El Rancho 4-Year-Old Futurity riding Dual Cat Pepto, claimed the 2020 El Rancho 5/6 Classic with 228 points aboard Steel Betty, on Monday, September 7, in Rancho Murieta, Calif. Adan Banuelos placed second and third, with 227.5 on Reystylin Smooth and 221 on Cougars Diesel.
Owned by Ravi Tumber of Winters, Calif., 6-year-old Steel Betty LTE $74,636, by Metallic Cat, was bred by Linda Holmes, Longmont, Colo., out of the Stylish Rey daughter Betty Greyble LTE $50,156, dam of three NCHA earners of $111,982. Steel Betty and Buntin also won the 2019 Utah 5/6-year-old Classic and claimed reserve in the 2020 Idaho Futurity 5/6 Classic. Owner Ravi Tumber showed Steel Betty, as well, to win the 2019 Pacific Coast Futurity 5/6 Amateur Intermediate.
In addition to his El Rancho win on Steel Betty and Dual Cat Pepto, Monty Buntin, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $1,294,801, has also collected 2020 winner’s checks in the Idaho 3-Year-Old Futurity, riding Starlights Lil Fox, and the Cascade 3-Year-Old Futurity, on Kit Kat Kangaroo.
Owned by Ten 27 Ranch of Denham Springs, La., 6-year-old gelding Reystylin Smooth LTE $255,529, by Smooth As A Cat, was bred by Eddie & Barbara Young, San Angelo, Tex., and is the first money earner out of Rey N Style LTE $102,608, by Dual Smart Rey. Reystylin Smooth won the 2019 Brazos Bash Open Classic and 2019 West Texas Futurity Open Classic with Adan Banuelos, and this year has claimed the Ike Hamilton Futurity 5/6 Non-Pro and Bonanza 5/6 Non-Pro with Ten 27 Ranch owner Todd Quirk.
Six-year-old Cougars Diesel LTE $151,437, by High Brow Cougar, is owned by Bill & Catherine Lacy of Crested Butte, Colo., and was bred by Karen Griffin, Bellingham, Wash., out of the Mr Peponita Flo daughter Miss Remanita, dam of eight earners of $442,272, including Remanitas Alegria LTE $80,918 and KG Fair Dinkim LTE $64,392.
Bill Lacy showed Cougars Diesel to win the 2018 Pacific Coast 4-year-old Non-Pro Derby, and has won and placed in numerous other Non-Pro events on the gelding, including the 2020 Cascades Futurity, where he was reserve champion.
Adan Banuelos, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $3,352,216 and reserve champion of the 2018 and 2019 NCHA Futurity on Badboonarising and Twice In Santiago, respectively, won the 2019 El Rancho 3-Year-Old Futurity riding Armani Blue, as well as the 2019 PCCHA Futurity 5/6 Classic with Metallic Mania. Banuelos’ 2020 wins include the Abilene Spectacular 4-Year-Old under Ireydescent and the West Texas Futurity 5/6 with Badboonarising.
The 2020 El Rancho Futurity continues through Sept. 13.