It was a party in Ardmore on Saturday night as the Southwest Reining Horse Association crowned champions of the Billingsley Ford Open Futurity. Big winners included Casey Deary and Pierre-Luc Phaneuf, who tied for the Level 4 Championship amidst plenty of celebration and camaraderie that make the SWRHA Futurity a favorite on the schedule.
For full results, visit www.SWRHA.com and be sure to follow Southwest Reining Horse Association on social media for fun updates and more photos from the event.
Open Level 4 Co-Champion—Casey Deary and Live N On A Prayer
One glance at Live N On A Prayer’s blueblood pedigree, and it’s no surprise to see Casey Deary on his back in a win photo. Deary has shown both sides of Live N On A Prayer’s pedigree to great success—sire In Like Flinn boasts lifetime earnings of $187,000, and dam Americasnextgunmodel is a blue-hen producer with lifetime earnings herself of $289,000.
Deary rode the young standout to his first big win with a 222 at the SWRHA Futurity, tying for the Level 4 Championship with Pierre-Luc Phaneuf for $15,177 each.
“This colt is a really good loper. He has a lot of natural rate and draw like his sire, but he’s got the really great qualities that his mother had,” Deary said. “He has that foot-speed in the turn and a really cool style of running and stopping.”
Surprisingly, Live N On A Prayer got behind in training this year but is catching up to speed.
“He had a small muscle tear on his hip, so we rested him like the vet said and he’s all healed up now. I missed a few months through the summer on him,” Deary said. “The time that I missed, I had to put back together on the road. I showed him twohanded at Tulsa, showed him in Vegas and had a bobble there, and took him to Congress and got hung up in a rollback. He prepared really well last week at home and this week here, he showed really well for me.”
Deary says it’s immensely helpful for all involved to have such a talented team of assistant trainers to help give all the horses he has in training a chance to show. “It puts my customers in a really good spot, too. They know there aren’t just three spots [for the NRHA Futurity]—there are six, nine or 12. There’s a good chance those horses are going to get shown,” Deary said. “The whole group, between Josh, Caleb, Katie, Hannah and Sarah, they work really well together and are supportive of each other. I try to make sure all those guys get a chance to show, too.”
He thanked his wife, Nicole Deary, in addition his farrier and veterinarians that keep the horses healthy. “There are so many people to thank. It truly takes a village,” he added.
Open Futurity Level 4 Co-Champion and Level 3 Champion—Pierre-Luc Phaneuf and Electrician
Pierre-Luc Phaneuf had the kind of run every trainer works toward, tying for the Level 4 win with Casey Deary for $15,177 each and winning the Level 3 for an additional $10,541 at the SWRHA Open Futurity. Everything came together for the Canadian native and the Gunny Mathison-owned horse Electrician (Electric Snow x Braz Us x Smart Chic Olena) with a score of 222.
“My horse felt great. He walked in great, he turned big both ways. When I was in the middle, I said, ‘This is mine to mess up,’” Phaneuf said. “I know he’s got big stops, so I went and loped off, felt him out and thought we just need to be clean through there. We got through our circles clean, and then I turned the corner and thought, ‘There’s my money shot.’ And he hit all stops. He’s a freak athlete. I couldn’t have
been happier with him.”
The trainer says Electrician has been a joy to train for his friend Mathison. The two are enjoying the ride one show at a time. “He’s been so much fun because he’s got so much try,” he said. “He’s one you never have to encourage. He tries so hard all the time, and he’s just been so much fun to train.”
Open Futurity Level 2 Champion—Adam Hendrickson and Gunna Bea Goodtime
Adam Hendrickson broke out of his slump in a big way, marking a 217.5 to take home the Open Futurity Level 2 Championship for $4,141 aboard Leslie Weibel’s gelding Gunna Bea Goodtime (Gunnatrashya x Lil Ruf Sara x Lil Ruf Peppy). He won an additional $2,292 for placing eighth in the Level 3.
“This is a big deal, because I have not done much of anything for two years,” Hendrickson said with a laugh. “My horses were great, and I’m just remembering how to horse-show again.”
Despite a few bobbles in the pen, Hendrickson was able to recover and put a solid run together. “He tried to beat me into the turns because we’ve worked on it so much. I should have seen that and been a little more prepared for it—that’s my fault—because he wasn’t trying to be bad,” the Colorado-based trainer said. “He felt good circling.
When I loped off I felt something funny happen for a second, but he settled in. He barreled down to that first stop, and I don’t know if he hit bad ground or what, but he wasn’t comfortable. After that, he drug his butt.”
Hendrickson has a good one underneath him in Gunna Bea Goodtime. He’s ridden several horses out of the gelding’s dam Lil Ruf Sara and says each one has been trainable and ready to work. “Come hell or high water, they just feel like they’re good show horses and will do what they can for you. As long as you’re fair, they’re fair,” Hendrickson said. “Knowing that line helps tremendously as a trainer. Even when they’re half-siblings, there are some characteristics that pass on and you know what you need to do when
you run into things.”
Open Futurity Level 1 Champion—Colin Fitzpatrick and Flamethrow
Colin Fitzpatrick clinched the Open Level 1 Futurity victory aboard Flamethrow (Lil Joe Cash x Freckle Whiz x Gizmo Whiz) with a score of 216.5, worth $1,845. He pocketed an additional $2,521 for finishing second in the Level 2.
The Pilot, Point, Texas-based trainer, who works under Flamethrow’s owner Brian Bell, says the horse has been straightforward to train and accomplished exactly what Fitzpatrick set out to do.
“He felt really easy, really simple. Didn’t do anything I didn’t ask him to do,” Fitzpatrick said. “This horse, I had a little redemption to do on him from Tulsa when I had stepped a lead and trotted. I wanted to make sure we didn’t do that here, because everything else worked really good at Tulsa, and it worked really good here too.”
At this point late in the year with the NRHA Futurity on the horizon, Fitzpatrick says his horses should be ready to show enough so that he can focus on his mental game as a rider.
“As long as I’ve got my maneuvers working right, it’s just mental preparation more than anything,” he said. “I really try to stick to a plan. We come to these things with a plan for each horse, so I have a checklist that I like to run through with each of them.”
Fitzpatrick says having a horse as trustworthy as Flamethrow gives him confidence heading into December. “It darn sure helps,” he said. “Going to Oklahoma City is always nerve-racking anyway, but when you’ve got a horse you can trust a little more, it makes it a whole lot easier.”
Prime Time Open Champion—Duane Latimer on Ziggy Rocks
For NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider Duane Latimer, pre-futurities like the SWRHA give him the opportunity for a pre-flight check prior to the big show in Oklahoma City. “You get them the experience here, and just make sure everything is as solid as it can be,” he shared.
With a score of 220, Latimer’s entry Ziggy Rocks looks poised to peak at Oklahoma City. The colt won the Prime Time Open Championship for $745 and finished eighth in the Level 4 Open to win $3,924 for owner Roxanne Koepsell.
“He turned really big to the left and pretty good to the right. He did shy from some people, but he plussed all three stops,” Latimer said. “I can’t say I went and asked for everything he had, because I didn’t. I’m the type that will save more for the big futurity.”
It was only the second show for Ziggy Rocks, by Whizkey N Diamonds out of Shes Got Good Guns. “I liked how he was honest. He’s getting better, and I can tell he’s going to be a showhorse. I have had horses that have gone on to win major events and mark huge scores that showed horrible the first time, but the vast majority will let you know pretty early if they are going to be show horses or not,” he said.
Kaci O’Rourke Wins Toyon Ranch Open Mare Bonus on Starstruck Gunner
With a score of 220.5, Kaci O’Rourke and Starstruck Gunner won the $2,500 Toyon Ranch Open Mare Bonus. That big score was also good for sixth in the Level 4 and third in the Level 3. Owned by Starstruck Partners, Starstruck Gunner is by Gunners Special Nite out of Chic Olena Starbuck.
Toyon Ranch has supported various programs and shows within the reining horse industry for several years. The picturesque ranch—located south of Pilot Point, Texas—is owned by John and Nancy Tague. For more information, visit their website at ToyonRanchLLC.com.