“Big A” Aces in Fort Worth
At a show like the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Summer Spectacular, there is plenty of anticipation leading up to the Derby Open, and this year the performances brought the house down.
When Equi-Stat Elite $3 Million Rider Matt Miller marked a 224 on Cynthia Villas’ Metallic Smart Cat in the first set, things started ramping up pretty quick. That score was holding up through several horse and rider teams, but they say it’s not over until it’s over.
As the last draw, Equi-Stat Elite $6 Million Rider Austin Shepard put together an electric run on Sir Long Legs (High Brow Cat x Lil Lena Long Legs x Smart Little Lena). That run earned a huge 229 from the judges, which sealed the deal on the Championship.
The title was worth a massive $41,097 paycheck, which pushed the stallion to and Equi-Stat record of $259,641.
“This horse just loves his job,” Shepard said. “I got lucky enough that it all worked out for me.”
Sir Long Legs is owned by Lew Hall and was bred by Michelle Cannon.
Quarter Horse News
written by Alex Lynch