Karey Franz, 28, Steelville, MO, had originally thought about showing Tana Gotta Gun as a reined cowhorse. But the Playgun daughter cemented her status as a cutter with a 219-point win for Franz in last night’s Matthews Cutting Horses Super Stakes Non-Pro Limited.
Gary Barker, Madill, OK, and Dually Dually, by TR Dual Rey, claimed the reserve championship with 217 points.
“She was so promising as a cutter that I just stayed with her,” said Franz, who started the mare on cattle and sent her to cutting trainer Tommy Marvin as an early 3-year-old.
Franz, who won the 2008 Snaffle Bit Futurity Amateur division and was reserve in the Intermediate Non-Pro in 2009, had shown Tana Gotta Gun’s dam, Tejons Tenin Tana, as $2,000 Limited Rider reserve champion of the 2005 NCHA Eastern National Championships.
“Her mother was actually my dad’s horse and he passed away in August of 2009,” said Franz, whose father was Bob Cottrell. “It was his idea to breed her (Tejons Tenin Tana) to Playgun and this is the product.
“This win is special. He never got to see her show, so in my heart, I was doing it for him.”
Franz and “Little Tana” also won the non-pro championship at the Kansas Futurity and claimed reserve in the Tunica Futurity Non-Pro Limited.
Gary Barker and his wife, Shannon, have both been successful with Dually Dually, who they purchased right before the NCHA Futurity.
Gary won both the Arbuckle Mountain Non-Pro and Non-Pro Limited championships on the gelding, and Shannon placed as reserve champion in the amateur divisions of the Augusta Futurity and the Arbuckle Mountain Cutting.
Rothwell’s Pepto Solution
Pepto Solution seems a fitting name for a college student’s mount. In this case, the student is Cole Rothwell, Abilene, TX, a junior finance major at TCU in Fort Worth.
Yesterday, Rothwell and his Peptoboonsmal son scored 218 points to lead Non-Pro Super Stakes first go-round competition, which concludes today.
Paula Wood, Stephenville, TX, marked 216 points, the second-highest score.
“She’s the easiest horse to ride that I’ve shown in my life,” said Rothwell, who at 14 was reserve champion of the NCHA Derby Amateur on Little Lady Stylish; won the 2004 NCHA Super Stakes Classic Amateur on the same mare in 2004; and was reserve champion of the 2005 NCHA Super Stakes Amateur riding Little Lenastelesis.
Rothwell purchased Pepto Solution as a yearling in the NCHA Futurity Sale and started her under saddle. He sent her to trainer David Stewart late in her 2-year-old year and Stewart finished her for the NCHA Futurity, where Rothwell qualified for the Non-Pro Finals.
“I am the only person that’s ever shown her,” said Rothwell, who has limited time to show because of school, but placed sixth with Pepto Solution in the Abilene Spectacular Non-Pro.