Austin Shepard marked 229 on Thomas E Hughes to win the first round of the Mercuria NCHA World Finals in Fort Worth last night. Ranked second in the standings coming in to the World Finals, Thomas E Hughes narrowed the lead held by Jeremy Barwick’s Dual Rey Me, who marked 224 for third (behind Curly Tully on Stylish Curly).
“He has a lot of strengths, but he’s really intense on a cow,” said Shepard of the High Brow Cat son owned by perennial Non-Pro World Finalists Don and Kathy Boone. “We came in here behind, and Jeremy had a big score. I tried not to do anything stupid, but I tried to take advantage of an opportunity. This horse is very well trained – I can say that I guess – my dad trained him. When I bought him from my dad, that’s what I’ve done my whole life is ride horses my dad trained, so it kind of fit good.”
Thomas E Hughes earned $6,410 for the win, which moves him $8,199 behind Dual Rey Me in his World Champion bid, and also strengthened his lead in the World Champion Stallion category.
“This is a really good venue for the World Finals,” Shepard said. “Horses aren’t done when they’re seven. For them to have a big money show to let us do this during the Futurity when everybody who loves cutting is here in town, it’s just a great thing.”
Here’s a look at the first round of the Open World Finals:
| Score | Horse | Owner | Rider | Earned | 2009 $ |
| 229.0 | Thomas E Hughes | Don & Kathy Boone | Austin Shepard | $6,410 | $70,071 |
| 226.5 | Stylish Curly | Katherine MacMillan Tanner | Curly Tully | $5,128 | $33,091 |
| 224.0 | Dual Rey Me | Candace & Jeremy Barwick | Jeremy Barwick | $3,846 | $78,271 |
| 221.0 | Hick Chicaroo | Latigo Canyon Ranch | Scott Weis | $3,077 | $23,678 |
| 220.5 | Cats Dual Olena | Jarrett & Shannon Callahan | Eddie Braxton | $2,564 | $22,186 |
| 218.5 | Cats Royal Jewel | Robert & Connie Rust | Robert A Rust | $2,051 | $34,274 |
| 218.0 | Neat Little Cat | Jim & Judy Spaulding | Scott McClurg | $1,282 | $52,481 |
| 218.0 | Tronas Chex | Dale & Erin Robbins | Dale Robbins | $1,282 | $22,830 |
| 217.5 | Jazzys Pep Talk | W T Alexander | Robert A Rust | $44,880 | |
| 217.0 | Lenas Dualin | Buck Daniel | Mike Coleman | $43,956 | |
| 215.5 | Captains Choice | Joe & Stacey Robinson | Casey C Crouch | $24,677 | |
| 214.0 | Starcat Merada | Daniel Jeaggi | Chubby Turner | $20,343 | |
| 213.0 | Acres Upon Acres | Jane & Johnny Mancuso | Raymond Shumate | $31,407 | |
| 207.0 | Play Peek A Boon | Oxbow Ranch | Lindy Burch | $19,224 | |
| 201.0 | Whittle Wed Boon | Kate Gaughan | Cookie Banuelos | $28,309 |