Cody Hedlund
Hedlund, the son of cutting trainer Rock Hedlund and Non-Pro rider Landy Hedlund, Acampo, Calif., and Teles Bout This Cat had placed fifth in the Non-Pro finals at December’s NCHA Futurity in Fort Worth. The duo also reached early 2011 Non-Pro finals at the Abilene Spectacular, the Augusta Futurity and the Bonanza Cutting.
Cody Hedlund turned 21 during the three-week Super Stakes event. He used his 10 years in the show pen to overcome the first-hole finals draw.
“I didn’t really care. I was just glad to be in the finals,” Hedlund said. “I had a little heck the first go, so I just wanted to cut smooth and hope for the best.”
After setting up his run with two good cows, he took the advice of his help to be smart and smooth as he turned around to get his third one.
“I had a couple of cows on the edge that I knew what they were. I’d seen that yellow cow and I just tried to get behind her to drive her out and there was a little traffic, so I just tried to be as smooth as I could because I didn’t want it to ruin anything.”
Winning in Texas has been a part of a plan Hedlund started to put in place when he moved from his home in Acampo, Calif., to Weatherford, Texas, in the summer of 2008. He moved to Texas after earning National High School Finals Rodeo Boys Cutting titles to conclude three of his four high school seasons.
Kade Smith
Though show commitments in California kept dad Rock from attending the finals, his mom Landy flew to Fort Worth for the semifinals and the finals.
“Mom and dad are both the best parents I could ever ask for,” Hedlund said.
Kade Smith, 21, Burleson, Texas, and Spork (Hes A Peptospoonful x Hal O Kai x Lani Kai) were Non-Pro Reserve Champions with a 214.5 to earn $20,913. Smith and same gelding won the Super Stakes Limited Non-Pro on April 4 with a 218.5 to earn $9,424. They also marked a 218.5 in Thursday's Non-Pro semifinals.
Smith is the son of professional cutting horse trainer. He moved from his father Greg Smith’s barn in Cedar City, Utah, to his brother-in-law Jamie Snider and his sister, Ashley Smith Snider's ranch in Burleson, Texas, in November to be closer to the big shows. “I wanted to be down here where the action was,” Smith said. “I like being here and coming to all these major events. I get a big thrill out of it.”
Smith and Spork earned $11,138 in unspectacular fashion before showing up at their second Fort Worth show. They earned $6,816 by tying for 15th in the Limited Non-Pro at December’s NCHA Futurity and picked up the rest with small checks at two other events.
Non-Pro Semifinals
Sam Good
Good, 38, a career earner of $333,433 while competing as an early cutter since his early teens, said until now, his cutting partner, a 2007 son of High Brow Cat, out of the Smart Little Lena mare Smartlittlelenastoy, had seemed talented but unlucky at prior shows.
“He marked a good score in the in the first go at the [NCHA] Futurity [in the Open with his trainer Tag Rice] and then got run over in the second round,” Good said. “At the Bonanza [in Glen Rose, Texas, during mid February] Tag made the finals with him in the Open and they had a miss that kind of took them out of the cutting. I got run over in the first round [at the Bonanza]. We’ve just had bad luck, basically. He’s a really good horse.”
Kristen Galyean, Claremore, Okla., and Some Like It Hott, a mare sired by a stallion, Spots Hot, that Kristen’s husband, Wesley, won a 2004 NCHA Futurity Open title with, marked a 218. They ranked as a much less surprising duo near the top of semifinalist scorers. Some Like It Hott (Spots Hot x Mighty Fine Sue x Smart Little Lena) and Wesley Galyean were the 2010 NCHA Futurity Open Reserve Champions with a 222. Kristen and the mare then won the 4-Year-Old Non-Pro at January’s Abilene Cutting Spectacular with a 222. The horse headed back to Fort Worth having earned $108,420.
Some Like It Hott and Wesley Galyean are also made Saturday’s Super Stakes Open finals by marking a 218 during the first set of the Open semifinals. Wesley and Kristen Galyen co-own the mare, bred by Wagonhound Land & Livestock, Douglas, Wyo.
Native Australian Lisa Hewitt, 26, Weatherford, Texas, a previous career winner of $3,816 as a cutting rider, according to NCHA records, qualified for her first limited-age final by marking the fourth-best semifinals score - 217.5 aboard Olenasdaullyfeather. Hewittt’s mare and catch-rider Darren Simpkins, the lead trainer at Slate River Ranch, won Saturday's Open finals with a 220.5 to earn $100,000. Clint Allen, Weatherford, Texas, helped Hewitt fine-tune the horse’s training the past few weeks, but he had other horses to ride.
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