“Regardless of what happened, I wanted it to be known that I came here to cut,” said Craig Thompson, who scored 226 points on Oh Miss Caroline, to win the 50th anniversary edition of the NCHA Futurity, on Saturday, December 10 in Fort Worth, Tex.

Oh Miss Caroline, owned and bred by Patrick and Laura Collins, Lincoln Ill., the last horse in the last set of the NCHA Futurity Finals, upset Jewel Bars Cat under former two-time Futurity champion Ronnie Rice, who had scored 225 points in the first slot of the first set.

It was deja vu all over again for Thompson, who won the 2006 NCHA Futurity on Oh Miss Caroline’s full brother, Oh Cay Felix, by High Brow Cat, out of Oh Cay Shorty, with the same draw — dead last. Oh Cay Felix, also owned and bred by the Collins, was Patrick’s mount to win the 2006 NCHA Amateur Futurity and is the only horse to ever win both the open and amateur divisions of the NCHA Futurity.

“You know exactly what you have to do and what cows are left,” said Thompson, who trained Oh Cay Felix and Oh Miss Caroline, as well as Oh Cay Do Over, Patrick’s 2011 NCHA Non-Pro Futurity reserve champion mount and a three-quarter sister to Oh Miss Caroline and Oh Cay Felix.

“Craig showed his horse tonight,” said two-time NCHA Futurity champion Ronnie Rice, who showed Jewel Bars Cat, by High Brow Cat, for Center Ranch, Centerville, Tex.

“We knew going in, that if we were first, we were going to have to do a bunch to get enough marked. You never know until the last horse rides down there. There were a lot of good horses left.

“I was so proud of Craig, Rice added. “He’s fearless. You don’t have to worry about him not coming to the cutting.”

With Oh Miss Caroline’s win, Oh Cay Shorty became one of just three mares in the 50 year history of the NCHA Futurity to produce two Open Futurity champions. The other two are Miss Chickasha Ann, with Chickasha Glo (1963) and Chickasha Dan (1965), and Poco Lena with Doc O’Lena (1970) and Dry Doc (1971).

Oh Miss Caroline extended High Brow Cat’s record as the Futurity’s most prolific sire of all time, with six Open champions, beginning with One Smart Lookin Cat in 2003, and including Highbrow Supercat, Oh Cay Felix, High Brow CD, and Metallic Cat.