Christina Cox earned her spurs Friday, as the latest champion in cutting’s preeminent Galyean family, with her 220-point win aboard SDP Twist Of Sue, by Meradas Blue Sue, in the NCHA Super Stakes Limited Non-Pro.

“I still get nervous,” admitted Galyean, who returned to cutting in 2008, after dropping out for 10 years to compete in high school athletics and to attend college. “My mare in the first set was really good, but the judges killed me on my cuts. But it helped me to relax and think that I could move on.”

Cox showed Boozin Susan to place seventh with 213.5 points in the first set of the finals, and she will show both SDP Twist Of Sue and Boozin Susan in Saturday’s Non-Pro Finals.

Wesley Galyean, Cox’s brother, shows Cinca De Maya in Saturday’s Open Finals. Ashley Galyean, married to Cox’s other brother, Beau, placed third in Thursday’s Non-Pro Gelding Finals, and father, Jody Galyean, showed SDP Twist Of Sue to third place in the Open Gelding division. In addition, Jody’s stepmother, Kathy, who is married to family patriarch Kenneth, 83, won the senior division of the Ltd. Non-Pro on KG Hot Streak.

Jody, Beau, and Wesley are all NCHA Futurity Open champions, as is Christina’s husband, Lloyd Cox.

“Sometimes with my family and Lloyd it feels like I am always being criticized, but they are teaching me at the same time and constantly helping me get better,” said Christina.

The Cox’s bought SDP Twist Of Sue, by Meradas Blue Sue, at the NCHA Futurity, after watching his trainer, Dana Larsen, show him in the first go-round.

Christina and SDP Twist Of Sue were reserve champions of the Abilene Spectacular earlier this year, and Lloyd showed the gelding as reserve champion of the Arbuckle Mountain Futurity.

Shannon Barker and her Reys Dual Badger daughter, Duals For Amanda, had already placed third in the NCHA Super Stakes Amatuer division last week, but the reserve championship of the Non-Pro Ltd. was icing on the cake.

“Clint Allen trained my mare and he has her really broke and reading cows great,” said Barker, whose husband, Gary, is also a non-pro competitor.

Duals For Amanda, by Reys Dual Badger, was shown by Allie Roger to place fifth in the 2011 NCHA Non-Pro Futurity. It was Allen who suggested to Barker that the mare might be a good match for her.

“He knew she was pretty quick, but if I could handle that part, things would be good because she’s so broke,” said Barker, who was 2011 Cattlemen’s Amateur champion on Hoo Rey For Dreams.

“She is my (all-time) favorite because she is my horse,” Barker added. “She is my first one and I am not sharing. I get kidded a lot, but I’m not giving in.”

Read more in the Daily Chatter, presented by the McDavid Family.