No one was more surprised than Dungowan Pro trainer Steve Byrne when he led the pretty blue eyed mare Dee Bar Isa Catty Blue to co-championship status in the NCHA Open Futurity Final on Sunday.
Coming out in the second herd of the 22 horse final, Byrne ran a satisfyingly clean run to blitz the favorites of the night and sit him equal next to TP Dancin in The Reyn ridden by Jerilderie’s Jamie Creek, both on a 218, while third place went to last year’s Open Futurity Champion rider Trent Smith atop the chestnut mare Madam Tassard with a very close score of 217.5.
It wasn’t Byrne’s only strong effort though as he took out the Limited Open Futurity Final earlier in the week scoring himself a hat-trick on his personally owned Desires Little Lioness with 217, Cats Colonel on 213.5 and the Open Futurity Champion Dee Bar Isa Catty Blue on 213. Byrne also finaled on Alphacat in the Open Classic Challenge, running a 212 to take sixth place.
Jamie Creek also cemented his skill with two very strong runs on Magicool in the Open Derby go rounds, achieving a 219 and a 217 to take him as one of the top placed aggregates into the 15 horse final, although unfortunate circumstance gave the pair a 193 in the final run.
Another Tamworth local and President of the NCHA, Peter Shumack, struck gold in the 86 strong field of the Non Pro Classic Challenge with his imported mare Fair Lady Flash; the pair scoring a comfortable 222.5, while Shumack’s daughter Jasmine went on to compete in the Senior Youth on the families well known gelding Eye Brows Cat to take out the title with a score of 222 points.
Piallamore trainer Dean Holden swept the Gelding Incentive event on the three year old red roan gelding Triple Six to achieve a score of 217 points for first place. The duo ran consistent scores in the Open Futurity go rounds to give them a spot in the final where they ran a 198 for 17th place, while Loomberah’s Grant Quigley finished up seventh on his own blue roan stallion EBs Autumn Moor scoring 213.
For more information please contact:
Craig Young/Samantha Potter
National Cutting Horse Association
marketing@ncha.com.au
(02) 6765 9356 or 0438 659 350
NCHA Media Release – June 16, 2017