Jason Clark, who showed Starlight Starbrite, by Somebody Smart, for Jayme Toledo, Granbury, Tex., also earned the fourth highest score, 218.5 points on Katz Flash, and marked 217.5 points aboard DFB Mates Brow.
Six-year-old Starlight Starbrite inaugurated her career as reserve champion of the 2011 NCHA Futurity Open Limited under Geoffrey Sheehan and was champion of the Cattlemens Derby Open Limited with Sheehan. With an approximate $35,000 won in the Bonanza Open division, Starlight Starbrite has unofficial NCHA earnings of over $114,000.
Creedence Clearwater was shown by Lloyd Cox for Monty Johnson, Amarillo, Tex. The 5-year-old Peptoboonsmal daughter won the 2013 Pacific Coast Stakes under Cox, and most recently placed fifth with Cox in the Abilene Spectacular, where Johnson showed her as Non-Pro Senior reserve champion.
Creedence Clearwater’s Bonanza win should boost her lifetime earnings past $80,000.
That Sly Bob was ridden by Paul Hansma for Dub and Christy Leeth, Cleburne, Tex. The 6-year-old gelded son of That Sly Cat was reserve champion of the 2012 Bonanza 4-Year-Old Open Gelding class with Tarin Rice. That same year, Rice also showed him as the Cattlemens Derby Open Gelding champion and as reserve champion in the Open division of the same event.
Rice and That Sly Bob also won the 2012 Super Stakes Open Gelding championship, and was NCHA Derby Non-Pro Senior champion for Christy Leeth.
That Sly Bob has official NCHA earnings of $126,362, not including his Bonanza winnings of approximately $17,000.
Thundercat, shown by Wesley Galyean for non-pro rider Steven Feiner, Aspen, CO, came to the Bonanza with close to $250,000 in official earnings earned under Galyean and Feiner in 2013, as well as with Matt Miller and non-pro Don Bell in 2011 and 2012.
The 6-year-old son of High Brow Cat carried Miller as a 2011 NCHA Futurity Open finalist (17th) , an NCHA Super Stakes finalist (7th), and as reserve champion of the 2012 Breeders Invitational.
Thundercat is out of Desire Some Freckles, the dam of earners of more than $900,000, including Desires Little Rex (NCHA -LTE $287,519), by Smart Little Lena.
He Bea Cat, ridden by Tarin Rice, and Cattalou, shown by Beau Galyean, are both 5-year-old sons of High Brow Cat. He Bea Cat, with unofficial earnings of more than $300,000, was the 2012 NCHA Futurity Open champion with Rice, as well as winner of the 2013 Cattlemens Derby Open and Open Gelding and the Southern Open Futurity.
Most recently, He Bea Cat, bred and owned by Jim Crawford, Lexington, Neb., was Open reserve champion of the Abilene Spectacular.
Cattalou, owned by Curtis Chester, Weatherford, Tex., was reserve champion of the 2013 Pacific Coast Open Derby with Galyean, and most recently placed as a finalist (14th) in the Tunica 5/6-Year-Old Classic.
Shesa Metallic Star shines in Bonanza 4-Year-Old Open
Shesa Metallic Star and Wesley Galyean scored 220.5 points to claim the Bonanza Futurity championship over Johnny Reyngo and Tatum Rice, who took reserve with 220 points. Junie Wood, the 2013 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro champion with Craig Crumpler, claimed third with 219 points, under John Mitchell.
Owned by Don and Joetta Bell, Weatherford, Tex., Shesa Metallic Star was an NCHA Futurity Open semi-finalist under Wesley’s father, Jody Galyean. The Bonanza win marked the Metallic Cat daughter’s first time to light a final’s board in 2014.
Johnny Reyngo, owned by The 51 Partners, Weatherford, Tex., placed third with Rice in the NCHA Open Futurity, and was also a finalist (22nd) in the 2014 Abilene Spectacular. The Dual Rey son came to the Bonanza with unofficial earnings of $97,536.
Note: Since the Bonanza Cutting prize money distribution has not been published, the unofficial estimates above are based on 2013 prize money.