Brandon Westfall scored a near-record 227 points riding Fiddle And Steel, by Metallic Cat, to win his second consecutive NCHA Non-Pro Futurity championship, on Saturday, December 11. Only two other riders have won back-to-back Non-Pro Futurity titles, S.J. Agnew in 1970 and 1971, and Sandy Bonelli in 2004 and 2005.
Westfall’s hard-won 227-point score is the second-highest in the 53-year history of the NCHA Non-Pro Futurity. Mary Ann Rapp won the event in 2002 with a record 228 points on Little Janey Lena, by Smart Little Lena. Westfall’s winner’s share of $74,605 is also the second-richest in Non-Pro Futurity history. Only Wes Shahan, with $77,917 in 1985 riding Miss Silver Pistol, has won more.
Reyly Plendl, Kingsley, Iowa, riding Nitreyious, a Metallic Cat gelding, claimed the Non-Pro reserve championship with 222 points and earned $51,349, while Ali Good, Ringling, Okla., placed third and earned $44,673 on the Metallic Cat gelding Lucky For U.
As qualifiers for the Non-Pro Futurity, Westfall and Fiddle And Steel earned 440.5 points, the second-highest cumulative with go-round scores of 222 and 218.5 points.
Westfall showed I Reckon So LTE $78,580, by Kit Kat Sugar, as co-champion of the 2019 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro and also placed third on Desires One And Only LTE $52,576, by One Time Pepto. In 2017, Westfall, the NCHA earner of $618,068, was NCHA Futurity Non-Pro reserve champion riding Smooth Lil Cowtown LTE $127,352, by Smooth As A Cat, and in 2018, he placed in the Open Finals and the Open Limited Finals riding Ringo LTE $57,886, by Kit Kat Sugar, and was a Non-Pro finalist as well aboard The Bluez Feather, by The Bluez Man.
Fiddle And Steel, bred by Westfall’s parents, Janet and Russ Westfall, is out of Lil Bit Reckless LTE $231,124, by CD Royal, the dam of Ringo, Brandon’s NCHA Futurity Open and Open Limited finalist in 2018.
Reyly Plendl, the NCHA earner of $277,700, was a Top 10 NCHA Futurity Amateur Unlimited finalist in 2017 and 2018 showing LHR Play Boon LTE $43,588, by Boon San, and Reyly Rey LTE $26,235, by Dual Rey, respectively.
Nitreyious, Plendl’s 2020 reserve champion, was also shown in the Open go-rounds by Dirk Blakesly, where he scored 221.5 and 217.5 and qualified for the upcoming Open Semi-Finals. The Metallic Cat gelding is out of Dual Rey daughter Cherrey LTE $27,646, the 2013 NCHA Classic Challenge Open Limited champion with Dean Domann. Cherrey is out of Shesa Smarty Lena LTE $211,380, dam of 13 earners of $253,711.
Ali Good, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $442,924, won the 2017 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro Limited on Sneakish LTE $74,953, by Hottish, and in 2018 placed tenth in the Non-Pro Limited with Sabrina Boon LTE $74,542, by Boon A Little.
Last year, Good showed both Smart Stella Rey LTE $25,837, by Dual Smart Rey, and CR Too Tuff To Break LTE $29,483, by Woody Be Tuff, in the Non-Pro Limited Finals, and was also a Non-Pro finalist on Smart Stella Rey.
Good also qualified Lucky For U for Saturday’s Open Semi-Finals with a cumulative score of 435.5 from go-rounds of 216 and 219.5. Lucky For U is out of Bingos Lil Bay Rey LTE $10,894, a three-quarter sister to Dually Lena LTE $336,582, the 1995 NCHA Futurity Open reserve champion under Winston Hansma.