Matt Cox was concerned about Hickorys Fancy Pepto’s draw in the finals of the West Texas Futurity. Even though the Pepto Doc Quixote daughter is his first cutting horse, Cox knew enough about the sport to fear the “black” hole, until Danny Miller set him straight.
“There isn’t anybody I’d rather have ride a horse in the last spot than Lloyd Cox,” said Miller, referring to Matt’s cousin, who is one of the sport’s all-time leading riders.
Miller’s confidence was well founded. Hickorys Fancy Pepto and Lloyd Cox (pictured) scored 220.5 points from the last hole to win the West Texas Futurity. Kadabra Jess, under David Stewart, was second with 217 points.
“That was the first time she showed me some of the stuff that I knew she could do,” said Cox of Hickorys Fancy Pepto. “I was expecting her to be a little bit better in the go-rounds because she’d been good at the house. She just kind of got through her runs in the go-rounds (214 and 213), but I was more satisfied with her in the finals.”
Lloyd Cox and Matt Cox are cousins who grew up in the same small town in southeastern Missouri, not far from the Mississippi River. Matt, 37, a row crop farmer, remembers as a child seeing his grandfather Raymond Lloyd Cox’s trophy for the Missouri Arkansas Cutting Championship that he had won on a horse he called Snake. But most of all, Cox remembers the visits he liked to make to his Aunt Sunny and Uncle Glenn’s house to visit Lloyd.
“I really looked up to Lloyd,” said Matt. “He’s always had something special about him. He’s a great guy.”
A year ago this past spring, Matt visited Lloyd at his training facility in Fort Morgan, CO and Lloyd promised that if Matt found a horse, he would ride it for him. A few months later, Matt and his father, Jerry Cox, purchased Hickorys Fancy Pepto from Benny Lemons of Dexter, MO. Larry Garrett had started the filly for Lemons and recommended her to Matt Cox.
The filly is one of just four foals from the first crop of Pepto Doc Quixote, who is owned by Lemons. The Peptoboonsmal son was a 2002-2003 NCHA Futurity and Derby Open finalist and earner of $42,150. His dam is a Doc Quixote daughter out of NCHA Non-Pro World Champion Jae Bar Maisie, full sister to Open and Non-Pro World Champion Jae Bar Fletch.
Matt Miller, Danny Miller’s son, won the West Texas Non-Pro Futurity and the Non-Pro Gelding Finals with 228 and 225 points, respectively, riding Swimmin Dual, by Kit Dual, and placed fifth and sixth on Twisted Starlight and Sharkbait. He also won the Non-Pro Derby on Soda Rey Bay and placed third on Travs Scooter, his NCHA Futurity Non-Pro champion and NCHA Derby Non-Pro reserve champion.
Lloyd Cox also placed as a West Texas Futurity finalist riding Squeeze A Lil Boon, sired by Mylanta Lena, for Susan Himmel, Greeley, CO. He was a Derby finalist riding three horses – CRR Smart Little Cat for Richard Mason; Bitty Little Lena for Lannie Mecom; and Playin Pistol (also a Derby Gelding finalist) for Carl Smith – and a Classic finalist with Reydiculous for ATL Cutting Horses and Halreycious (Super Stakes Classic champion) for Linda Holmes.