From NCHA’s Daily Chatter
Michelle Cowan, who won this year’s NRCHA Non-Pro Snaffle Bit Futurity, leads Amateur contenders coming into today’s Semi-Finals with an aggregate score of 434 points on Kitty Cats Mirage.

Philip Layne, winner of the Non-Pro Limited on Dual Ya Scoot, is second to Cowan with 430 on his Smart Lil Scoot son.

Both Cowan and Layne are also Non-Pro Semi-Finalists, Cowan on Hez Neon Blue, and Layne on Dual Ya Scoot.

“I haven’t ridden her very much,” said Cowan of Kitty Cats Mirage, a High Brow Cat daughter that she purchased as a yearling in the NCHA Super Stakes Sales. “She was my husband’s (Non-Pro) horse, but he didn’t advance in the second go-round, so we put her in my other mare’s slot because (Kitty Cats Mirage) is a little more solid.

Cowan’s husband, Bill, trained the mare; Michelle rode her to win the first go-round with 219 points.

“I give Bill all the credit on the mare,” said Cowan. “I was just the jockey.”

Cowan was also a first go-round leader with 216 points on Hez Neon Blue, who she recently purchased from Sean Flynn. Cowan lost a cow in the second round — the gelding’s sixth time to be shown in seven days.

“He’s really a nice solid horse,” said Cowan of the blue-eyed gelding that she shows in today’s third (Non-Pro) set. “He’s got a lot of stop and he’s real sweepy across a cow.”

Cowan won the Non-Pro Snaffle Bit Futurity on a Shining Spark daughter that she bred and raised herself.

“I got into cutting because I was trying to get my cutting better for snaffle bit,” said Cowan. “We got into the sport and just started loving it.”

Read more stories from the NCI Building Systems NCHA Futurity in today’s Daily Chatter, edited by Sally Harrison.