Kinky Bootz and Austin Shepard won the 220 Southern Futurity 4-Year-Old Open championship with 225 points, in a rousing finals on October 27, where five of the 19 finalists scored 220 points or more.

Hit Tha Flo and Matt Miller claimed the reserve championship with 224 points, while Jae Zee and Tatum Rice placed third with 223.5 points.

This was Austin Shepard’s fifth Southern Futurity 4-Year-Old championship win. His first came in 2004 aboard Widows Intentions LTE $352,665. In 2011, Shepard won with Cats In Ya Dreams LTE $268,895, and he claimed back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017 on Kual Lil Wendy LTE $48,540 and Sir Long Legs LTE $388,977, respectively.

In addition, on Monday, October 26, Shepard won the Southern Futurity Classic with Bama Jelly LTE $196,636, as well as the reserve championship on Dual Reyish LTE $427,791.

Kinky Bootz LTE $77,331, sired by Dual Rey and owned and bred by Glenn and Debbie Drake, Napa, Calif., is the first money earner out of the High Brow Cat daughter Sheza Stylish Cougar LTE $57,040.

The Southern Futurity championship was the third major 2020 win for Kinky Bootz, who also won the 2020 Arbuckle Mountain and Augusta Futurity 4-year-old championships.

Austin Shepard is a leading NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $8,372,312.

Hit Tha Flo LTE $64,566, by Dual Smart Rey out of Miss Woody Two Shoes, was bred by Lannie Louise Mecom and is owned by Matt and Megan Miller, Poolville, Tex.

Miss Woody Two Shoes LTE $136,250  has produced 13 earners of $525,689, including Lou Lou Louise LTE $138,711, Miss Peptonstilettos LTE $84,809 and Shez Sinsational LTE $71,088. Hit Tha Flo also won the 4-year-old Bonanza Open this year.

Matt Miller is the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $3,767,113.

Jae Zee LTE $84,896, owned and bred by Kevin and Sydney Knight, Weatherford, Tex., and sired by Boon Too Suen, is a half-brother to 2018 NCHA Futurity champion  and 2019 NCHA Horse of the Year Crey Zee LTE $347,844, also shown by Tatum Rice and owned and bred by the Knights.

Jae Zee has been an Open finalist this year at the Abilene Spectacular, The Non-Pro and The Open, the Ike Hamilton Futurity, and the Brazos Bash, as well as a Non-Pro finalist with Kylie Rice at the NCHA Derby.

Tatum Rice is the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $2,589,380.

The Southern Futurity continues through Oct. 31.