Travelin Smooth lived up to his name with a 224-point win, worth $20,508, under Michael Cooper in the Tunica Futurity, January 31 in Tunica, Miss. Pepto Smoothy, shown by Matt Miller, was reserve champion with 220 points; Sweet Little Cats and Austin Shepard placed third with 219.5.

Michael Cooper and Travelin Smooth nudged past the 211-point first go-round bubble with 212 points, then tied Augusta Futurity champions MC Im With The Band and Craig Thompson with 222 points to top the second go-round. With close to a $35,000 payoff under Cooper’s assistant Nate Lansford, as a finalist in the NCHA Futurity Open and Open Limited divisions, Travelin Smooth’ has career earnings of $55,999.

Sired by Smooth As A Cat, Travelin Smooth was purchased by his current owners, Karen and Brian Murray, Mission Hills, Kan., for $15,000 at the NCHA Futurity 2-Year-Old Sales. Although the first foal out of an unshown Travalena daughter, Travelin Smooth is well-connected through the offspring of his female line, including War Lano Missy, $165,5965; Travalano, $170,782; Flashin Some Cash, $149, 406; Little Artie Lena, $143,556; Light N Lena, $160,442; and Whittle Lano Lana, $120,528.

The Tunica Futurity was also the first 4-year-old venue for Pepto Smoothy, who earned $13,816 as a semi-finalist in the NCHA Open Futurity. Miller trained the Peptoboonsmal filly for David and Georgia Husby, who purchased her for $35,000 in 2009, at the Rock Creek Dispersal. Current owner Center Ranch purchased Pepto Smoothy last September for $72,000, in the Husby Cutting Horse Dispersal.

Pepto Smoothy is the first foal out of the Smooth As A Cat daughter Smoothy Blue, $32,694, whose granddam is Autumn Boon, earner of $244,470 and dam of the earners of $1.15 million.

In addition to Travelin Smooth, Smooth as A Cat also sired three other Tunica Futurity Open finalists – Starlight Smoothie; Mercedes Smooth; and Hi Ho Nabisco – and is the dam’s sire of MC Im With the Band.

Michael Cooper, who showed Tapt Out earler in the week to tie Catagory Five and Steve Oehlhof with 221 points, as reserve champion of the Tunica Classic, also tied for fifth in the Futurity on Scooters Daisy Duke, was a Futurity finalist with Driven Dirty, and placed 13th in the Futurity on SDP Locked N Loaded, all owned by Rose Valley Ranch, Vail, Colo. Altogether, Cooper earned $48,706 with his mounts.

Click here for complete results and details for individual finalists.