Catolena Cashin In, a son of first crop sire Reyzin The Cash, scored 224 points under Tarin Rice to claim the high score on the first of five days of Open go-round competition, and the first day of the 2020 NCHA World Championship Futurity, November 19 through December 13, in Fort Worth’s Will Rogers Memorial Complex.
Sweet Lil Kit Kat, a Kit Kat Sugar daughter shown by Armando Costa Neto, and Speak Easie, a Smooth Talkin Style daughter ridden by Cass Tatum, tied with 222 points, the day’s second-highest score, and Flashy Talker, also sired by Smooth Talkin Style, posted 221, the day’s third-highest score, with Craig Thompson.
Owned and bred by Joel Colgrove, Boligee, Ala., Catolena Cashin In is out of the High Brow Cat daughter Dual Catolena LTE $37,917, dam of two money earners, Catn Bluez, by The Bluez Man $21,320, and the Woody Be Tuff gelding Catolena Express LTE $19,444, who Colgrove showed as a 2018 NCHA Futurity Amateur finalist.
Tarin Rice, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $2,378,180, has been an NCHA Open finalist seven times, on six different horses, including in 2012, when he tied as the Futurity co-champion and placed fourth in the Open Ltd Finals riding He Bea Cat, also shown by Rice as 2013 NCHA Open Horse of the Year and the earner of $401,384.
Sweet Lil Kit Kat, owned and bred by Renato E Rezende Barbosa, Weatherford, Tex., is out of Sweet Smoke Lena LTE 37,314, by Sweet Lil Pepto, and is a half-sister to Bill Oreylly LTE $36,837, a 2017 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro Semi-Finalist under Costa.
An NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame rider and NCHA earner of $1,207,233, Armando Costa Neto has been a Non-Pro or Amateur Futurity finalist 13 times on 10 different horses, including in 2015, when he won the the NCHA Futurity Non-Pro championship on Watch Me Whip LTE $182,699, who he would show to become 2016 NCHA Non-Pro Horse of the Year.
Costa also scored 215 points in Thursday’s seventh set riding Stars Go Blu, sired by Once In A Blu Boon, and also owned and bred by Renato E Resende Barbosa.
Bred by Double Dove Ranch, Fort Worth, Tex., and owned by Holly Davidorf, Johnstown, Ohio, Speak Easie is a half-sister to Kit Kat Sugar daughter Stevia LTE $51,661, shown by Cass Tatum as a 2019 NCHA Futurity Open Limited finalist. Speak Easie’s dam, SDP Miss Caba Rey, by Dual Rey, is a full sister to Twice As Reycy LTE $194,141, reserve champion of the 2003 NCHA Open Futurity with Lloyd Cox, and a half-sister to High Brow Cougar LTE $194,141, third-placed in the 2003 NCHA Open Futurity under Tim Denton.
Cass Tatum, a former assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Lloyd Cox, and the NCHA earner of $97,055, made his first appearance as a Futurity Open finalist in the 2019 NCHA Futurity Open Limited on Stevia, who Tatum also showed as a Futurity Open Semi-Finalist, as well as reserve champion of the 2020 Brazos Bash Open Limited.
Owned by Mark Senn, Augusta, Ga., and bred by Barker Ranch, Madill, Okla., Flashy Talker is out of Purdy Boy Flash daughter Flash About LTE $246,087, whose first and only money earner, Hottie Toddie LTE $48,123, by Hottish, was a 2018 NCHA Futurity Open Semi-Finalist with Kelle Earnheart. Flash About’s dam, Play Miss LTE $180,165, is the dam of 10 NCHA earners of $754,292.
Craig Thompson, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $2,946,994, has won two NCHA Futurity championships – in 2006 with Oh Cay Felix LTE $466,878, and in 2011 with Oh Miss Caroline LTE $301,871, both owned and bred by Patrick and Laura Collins. Thompson has additionally been a Futurity finalist on five other horses for a total of $780,934, alone, in NCHA Futurity earnings.
Check for complete results at nchacutting.com