Beau Galyean and Caleb Anderson both marked 226 to win the Open and Non-Pro divisions, respectively, of the Mercuria Energy NCHA World Series of Cutting last night. The $25,000-added events were held in conjunction with the Battle in the Saddle in Oklahoma City. The Battle in the Saddle was the fifth of eight stops in the $400,000-added series open to cutting horses of all ages.
Galyean rode Sweet Abra, a 7-year-old Abrakadabracre mare for Alvin and Becky Fults of Amarillo, Texas. The $8,858 winner’s check will take her earnings over the $100,000 mark. Ascencion Banuelos started Sweet Abra. Galyean got the mare in 2008 when he began training for the Fults family. A few months later, the Galyean/Fults team won the NCHA Futurity with Metallic Cat.
At the Battle in the Saddle, Galyean put Sweet Abra to the test, cutting two cows with a lot of working time.
“It was one of those deals with that second cow that if you hold it, you mark a big score,” Galyean said. “But at the same time, it could have easily been a zero.
“Sweet Abra is the reason we got together, and it’s a good team, a good ranch. Our main goal, especially with the World Series coming up, was to get her to $100,000.”
See the results of the Open finals.
Caleb Anderson, the 2009 NCHA Senior Youth World Champion, was the youngest rider in the Non-Pro finals, but he and newly minted Quarter Horse CA Las Vegas Lights put together a dream run to mark 226. The $9,752 paycheck is the biggest the 11-year-old Smart Mate gelding has won, but it wasn’t Caleb’s highest score on the horse. The team marked 228 to win the 2008 NYCHA Senior Youth Scholarship Cutting at the NCHA Summer Spectacular.
“My dad (Steve Anderson) had him a long time,” Caleb said. “I kind of snagged him in 2008 when I marked that big score, and I just kind of stole him.”
Originally competing as a Paint Horse, CA Las Vegas Lights made his AQHA debut at the Battle in the Saddle, shortly after being dual registered.
“We had three cows that we knew were really good and that’s always good to know when you’re walking down there,” Caleb said. “He got tapped off right and once he started calming down and going to stopping, I could just ride him hard to a stop and sit there and have fun with it.”
He added he’s open about going to the El Rancho Futurity in September, another stop in the 2010 Mercuria NCHA World Series.
“We’ll see,” he said. “If my parents go, I’ll tag along.”
See the results of the Non-Pro finals.