From NCHA’s Daily Chatter
Kelly Kasun earned his fourth Open Limited championship title last night with a 216.5-point win aboard Gunnin At Sundown in the NCHA Futurity Open Limited Finals. Ryon Emerton, on Little Bonnie Blue, and Tony Piggott, on Pedual To The Medual, tied for second and third with 216 points.

“There were a lot of good cows down there, but we just wanted to be smooth and let the horse do what we trained him to do,” said Kasun, who drew eighth from ten slots in the last bunch of cattle.

Emerton had set the pace as the first rider on Mike Rutherford’s Mecom Blue daughter. Piggott took his shot on Dub Leeth’s Dual Pep son as the fourth rider in the last bunch.

“A lot of times, being a green showman, I get in there and try too hard,” Kasun said. “So I made up my mind today to let the run take care of itself. Fortunately it worked out.

“Thank God for the Limited. It’s hard to go against all those tough guys that have been doing it for so long. When we have the opportunity to show in this arena and have a little success, it’s good for us and good for the owners.”

Kasun came to Texas six years ago from Prescott, AZ to apprentice with trainer Roger Wagner. Two years ago, he went to work for the Tiemanns, who also compete and run 4,000 to 5,000 head of yearling cattle on their ranch south of Waco.

In 2006, Kasun won the Breeders Invitational Open Limited for the Tiemanns on Buckeye Dually, and came back on the horse this year to win the 5/6 division of the same event and claim reserve on CDs Lucky Gal. Earlier in the season, he won the Memphis Futurity Open Limited on Place A Little Bet.

Gunnin At Sundown scored 213 and 215 in the Open go-rounds with Kasun.

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