September 26, 2002 – Rachel Eady has made a habit of winning at major
reined cow horse events, and at the age of 16 she's a veteran competitor.
Even so, the Sisters, Oregon teenager had to be a little amazed with her
preliminary reining score of 221.5 on Gallo Del Polo. The score topped the
field of Non Pro exhibitors at the National Reined Cow Horse Association
World Championship Snaffle Bit Futurity.
It was also the exact same score she marked in the rein
work at the Snaffle Bit Futurity a year ago! Her herd work score on
Wednesday was the exact same score she had marked last year, as well.
"If I mark a 215 tomorrow, I'm going to really think
this is weird," she laughed, shortly after the round.
The little sorrel mare that Rachel calls "Rosie" is a
daughter of Gallo Del Cielo out of Tammy Pan Chex - a half sister to the
mare Shawn Renshaw rode to the win of Wednesday's herd work preliminaries.
Rachel's parents, Ted and Keri Eady, bought the mare from Nedpoint Quarter
Horses last December at the National Reining Horse Association Futurity
Sale.
Rachel, who rides with trainers Todd Bergen and Andrea
Fappani, was the 2002 NRHA Derby Limited and Intermediate Non Pro Champion,
also plans to show Rosie at the NRHA Futurity in December.
Second in the round went to Terry Christiansen of
Snohomish, Washington on TC Lena (Lenas Wright On x Sugari Colonel), for a
score of 221.
Mike Miller of Big Piney, Wyoming, rode Playboys Buck
Fever, a son of Freckles Playboy out of Tsarina Chexanic, to a score of 218
today. That marking, combined with yesterday's herd work score, gave him a
435 point composite, and the lead in the race to the finals.
He's just a point ahead of Terry Christiansen and TC
Lena. Following the top two is Michelle Strickland of Taft, California,
with a 433.5 score on Tejons Nu Cash (Nu Cash X Docs Tenina).
The combined total score of the three parts of the
futurity – herd work, rein work and cow work, will earn qualifying slots in
the clean-slate finals on Friday, October 4. The winner will earn $40,000.
The action continues at the World Championship Snaffle
Bit Futurity on Friday with the Non Pro cow work slated to begin at 8 am.
The Non Pro Bridle Class will follow after the completion of the futurity
round.
