It was double down for Kade Smith yesterday at the XTO Energy NCHA Super Stakes, when he scored 218.5 points to win the Super Stakes Matthews Cutting Horses Limited Non-Pro championship and $18,794.
Smith’s NCHA payout was $9,397, but he earned another $9,397 from the McDavid Double Down Bonus program because his mount, Spork, is sired by the McDavid’s stallion Hes A Peptospoonful.
“It’s great,” said Smith, 21, of his bonus. “I’ve always drawn late on this horse, but this time I lucked out and had a good draw.”
Smith drew second to work in the second set to top Dianna Helm’s high mark of 217 points from the first set. Helm held her advantage for the reserve championship title.
Smith purchased Spork last spring from J.B. McLamb, who had started the gelding at two and trained him through last April. When Smith returned home to Utah, where his father, Greg Smith, operates a training facility, Kade took Spork along and finished him there with the help of Greg.
“I like him because he does everything real smooth. Tonight, I sent him long one time on my second cow, but he handled it well and covered me,” Smith said.
Smith, who was 2008 NCHA Classic Challenge Non-Pro Limited champion on A Little Reylena, also showed Spork as an NCHA Futurity Limited finalist and a non-pro finalist in the Arbuckle Mountain Futurity.
Dianna Helm showed EE Ichi Bar, by Cat Ichi, who has carried Helm and her husband, Bill, as finalists in eight major non-pro and amateur events, including a reserve for Dianna in the Arbuckle Mountain Non-Pro Limited and third in the non-pro division of the Tunica Futurity.
“We went to EE Ranches right before the NCHA Futurity and looked at their horses,” said Helm. “Jo (Ellard) was going to ride this horse, but she opted to let me buy him.
“He’s really been good for us. We know if we do our job, he always does his. And that’s a comfort.”
The Helms, who own and operate a custom pre-conditioning cattle yard in Nowata, Oklahoma, sent EE Ichi Bar to Tommy Marvin, whose training facility is 40 miles from their home.
“Tommy keeps this horse tuned for us, and his staff really takes good care of him,” said Helm. “It makes showing a lot of fun.”
Helm won the 1992 NCHA Derby Non-Pro Limited championship on Smart Fancy Lena. But in the late 1990’s, she and Bill took a 12-year hiatus from cutting to grow their business.
See results.