Yesterday was busy from start to finish, and there’s no slowing down as we head into the second weekend here in Fort Worth!
The Open Futurity herd work prelims finished yesterday afternoon, and currently leading the composite as we head into the cow work later this weekend is Thundr Strukk (Metallic Cat x Lightening Strike x Dual Rey), owned by Hannes Winkler and shown by Shadd Parkinson, with a combined score of 439 (R: 222.5/H: 216.5). 433.5 points is the current bubble for the top 30 going into the cow work preliminaries.
Today is the Open Hackamore preliminaries in the John Justin Arena and the Non Pro Futurity herd work preliminaries in the Watt Arena. To finish the day with some fun, the Bet He Sparks Costume Lead Line and Buckaroo Class is at 4:30 p.m. in the John Justin.
Cow Horsin' Around Winners
Yesterday evening also included the Cow Horsin' Around class. Our champions got a chance to talk with EQN Sports host Dru Stewart at the EQN Sports Desk! He’s been catching up with some of the biggest names in the sport. You can watch all the latest interviews here:
Open Herd Work Preliminaries
After five thrilling days of our Open Futurity herd work prelims, the verdict is in, and Von Jovii (Stevie Rey Von x She Wood In Time x One Time Pepto), bred by DRS MJ and Sue Christensen and owned by Bar One Land & Cattle LLP, took the top spot in the herd work with Corey Cushing, marking an impressive 222 points at the 2025 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®.
“‘Jovii and I got it done; it was very rewarding on this horse,” Cushing said. “I've always had a lot of faith in him. We've had to kind of slow things down a little bit just because of some health reasons and whatnot, but it made me more confident that I had done my job of preparing him, and he knew where he needed to be.”
Cushing is not new to the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®, with four championships under his belt and over $4 million in lifetime earnings. Cushing has dedicated most of his life to training and exhibiting some of the most elite horses in this industry.
“This little horse has a lot to offer,” Cushing said. “I joke around, calling him my little Tasmanian devil. He can get excited at times, and when he does get in trouble, he's doing too much. Sometimes he just needs to slow down and think. He's a hell of an athlete, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the show.”
Earlier in the week, Von Jovii and Cushing marked a 215 in the reined work, and now with the herd work complete, the pair is sitting fourth overall in the Open Futurity prelims with a composite score of 437 going into the cow work.
“I've got a lot of confidence in him going down the fence,” Cushing said. “You never know what's going to happen, and the only thing that's going to help make it better is going in there and doing it again.”
Von Jovii and Cushing will return to the arena on Monday to finish out the prelims and continue making history at the 2025 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®.
In the Intermediate Open, Just Cool Down (Hashtags x Donas Suen Boon x Boon Too Suen), owned by Darleen Wood and shown by Randy Paul, took the high score with 218.5 points.
The Limited Open ended in a tie between two talented pairs. Wood He Be (Woody Be Tuff x Cat Digs Lucinda x High Brow Cat), owned by Shane Ryan Turner and shown by John Love, and Scootering (Scooter Kat x Bar Gal For Hire x Gangster Chic), owned by Maya Horsey and shown by McKaul Carnahan, both marked 218 points.
Rounding out the day, Reyzin H E Double L (Reyzin The Cash x Desires Cricket x Dual Rey), owned by Lance Combs and shown by Robert Moreland, claimed the Level 1 Open high score with an impressive 219 points.
Non Pro Boxing Herd Work Preliminaries
When Tuli Dowers stepped into the Watt Arena aboard Tha Rizzler (Metallic Rebel x Starlight Playmate x Grays Starlight), it was clear they meant business. With Tha Rizzler’s early, prominent mark on his futurity year and Tuli’s winning reputation as a non pro and youth competitor, those in the crowd were on the edge of their seats throughout the run that earned the pair a 217 in the herd work—locking in both the Non Pro Boxing and Level 1 Non Pro Boxing Futurity high scores for that phase.
“That run was super smooth,” Tuli said. “It was nice and slow in my mind, and he was so good. He was with me, and it was really fun.”
Tha Rizzler had already set a strong trajectory at the 2025 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity®. Earlier this week, the Triple D Ranches LLC-owned stallion and Nick Dowers turned in the shared high score of the Open Futurity reined work prelims, tying with Shadd Parkinson and Thundr Strukk (Metallic Cat x Lightening Strike x Dual Rey).
After that shared high score in the reined work, Tha Rizzler and Nick experienced the heartbreak of losing a cow right before the buzzer in the herd work, opening the door for Tuli to take the reins on the stallion in the Non Pro Boxing Futurity. That incredible opportunity to ride Tha Rizzler behind her NRCHA Million Dollar Rider dad isn’t lost on Tuli.
“My dad has been saying how great of a horse he is, and now people really get to see it—whether that’s when my dad’s riding him or, fortunately, when I’m riding him now,” Tuli said. “It’s really cool. There’s no other horse like him.”
Tuli had only ridden him a handful of times prior and hadn’t worked a cow on Tha Rizzler until the morning of the Non Pro Boxing Futurity. Their quick success is a testament to both the colt’s natural talent and the young cowgirl’s ability to pilot him.
“Getting to ride him is so cool,” she said. “I haven’t ridden Rizz much, so being able to show him is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, because that horse is a freak. He’s so cool to take me on after just a couple of rides in the beginning.”
Coming from a family deeply rooted in the reined cow horse industry, Tuli knows success well; but achieving it on the stage of the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® feels especially meaningful.
“The NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® is so special to us,” Tuli said. “My dad won it in 2013, so it’s just super special—from the event to the people— everything.”
Tuli and Tha Rizzler now have their sights set on boosting their 435 composite score with the cow work portion of the Non Pro Boxing Futurity, slated for Monday, October 13.
Box Drive Champions
The Box Drive classes wrapped up with two impressive champions taking top honors today. In the Box Drive, Amy Stoney and Sparkville (Gunners Tinseltown x Sparklight Lillies x Lena Spark) delivered an outstanding performance to secure the win with a composite score of 296 points, marking a 148 in both the reined and cow work.
In the Select Box Drive, Cheryl Chown piloted Xtra Short Trick (Shiners Voodoo Dr x Short And Royal x Short Oak) to the championship title with a composite of 293.5 points, earning a 143 in the reined work and an impressive 150 in the cow work.
Congratulations to these talented riders on their well-deserved victories!
Youth Cow Horse Champions
The youth riders brought the heat in today’s competition! In the Youth Cow Horse, Taylor Allen rode Shinen Metallic Cat (Metallic Cat x WinenShineMe x Shining Spark) to the championship title with a total of 295 points, scoring 145 in the reined work and an impressive 150 in the cow work.
In the Youth Cow Horse 13 & Under, Addison Grilli and Im Everychics Dream (Smart Chic Olena x Didit N Dunit x Reminic N Dunit) claimed top honors with a composite of 276.5 points—145.5 in the reined work and 131 in the cow work.
These talented young competitors proved that the future of reined cow horse is bright!
