KR Isadorable LTE $52,182, sired by Hottish and owned by Kathleen Moore, Madill, Okla., scored 224 points under Lloyd Cox to win $7,500 and the championship of the 2021 Arbuckle Mountain 5/6 Open Classic. Austin Shepard, riding Bama Jelly LTE $218,524, by Bamacat, and Kinky Bootz LTE $78,331, by Dual Rey, split second and third with 220.5 points to earn $5,143 each for owners Joel Colgrove, Boligee, Ala., and Glenn and Debbie Drake, Napa, Calif., respectively.
This is the second limited age event championship for 5-year-old KR Isadorable, who won the 4-Year-Old 2020 Cotton Stakes with Cox. Bred by James Karhan out of KR Isadorable Dual LTE $146,164, by Smooth As A Cat, KR Isadorable is a full sister to Just Gettin Started LTE $167,247.
Lloyd Cox, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of over $9.7 million, won the 2015 Arbuckle Mountain 4-Year-Old Futurity on Smooth Talkin Style LTE $293,232, and has claimed reserve championships in the Arbuckle Mountain Futurity three times – in 2016 on Metallic Tassa LTE $86,023, by Metallic Cat; in 2013 on Lil Catbaloo LTE $230,653, by High Brow Cat; and in 2012 on SDP Twist Of Sue LTE $159,603, by Meradas Blue Sue.
Six-year-old Bama Jelly and 5-year-old Kinky Bootz won the Arbuckle Mountain 4-Year-Old Futurity under Austin Shepard in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Shepard, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of over $8.5 million, was also reserve champion, in a three-way tie with Rollz Royce LTE $348,383 and Candi Cat LTE $126,448, in the 2019 Arbuckle 5/6 Classic aboard Sir Long Legs LTE $404,421, by High Brow Cat.
The Arbuckle Mountain Futurity continues through Sunday, February 28.