At last night’s NCHA Open Futurity Finals, Tony Piggott and Rockin W swept the field with a huge score of 229 points. This score ties for the all-time Futurity record with a 229 that was marked by Royal Fletch in 2000. Owner Alice Walton of Rockin W Ranch, accepted the winner’s check for $250,000 and the prestigious Fort Worth Cup.
Rockin W is a fourth generation Walton Ranch bred stallion by legendary producer Dual Rey and out of 2004 NCHA Horse of the Year Boon San Kitty. This was Piggott’s first time in the NCHA Open Finals.
Earlier in the week, Piggott rode Rockin W to a fourth place finish in the John Deere Open Finals earning $15,946. At the conclusion of the Futurity, Piggott took home a pair of checks worth more than double his previous career earnings. He actually rode the horse for the first time just two weeks before the Futurity began. Piggott was the catch-rider chosen for Rockin W because the horse’s trainer Gary Gonsalves opted to ride two of his other mounts.
Only four other horses, in addition to Rockin W and Royal Fletch have scored a 226 or higher in the Open Finals of the NCHA Futurity: High Brow CD with 226 in 2007, Oh Cay Felix with 227 in 2006, Highbrow Supercat with 226.5 in 2005 and One Smart Lookin Cat with 226 in 2003.
