Latest News
10-26-2005
Crawford & Dooley Win Novice Horse Titles
Todd Crawford and Kim Dooley picked up the 2005 SWRHA Futurity's first championships - in the Novice Horse Open and Novice Horse Non Pro classes.
The 21st-annual Southwest Reining Horse Association Futurity kicked off Wednesday, October 26 with Todd Crawford and Kim Dooley picking up the event's first championships - in the Novice Horse Open and Novice Horse Non Pro classes, respectively. Competition continues Thursday at 8 am with the Open Futurity preliminaries, followed by the Non Pro Futurity Preliminaries.
Todd, Blanchard, Oklahoma, rode Lena Gallo to a 74.5 in the 72-entry Novice Horse Open class for the first-place check for $989. Lena Gallo, a 5-year-old bay stallion by Gallo Del Cielo and out of Heavenly Doc, is owned by Lapke Quarter Horses of Logan, Iowa.
Lena Gallo is no stranger to the winner's circle. The stallion has earned more than $115,000 in competition and has been a finalist at all of the industry's major events. Todd and the horse just stopped in Ardmore for final preparations before the AQHA World Show in November where Lena Gallo will attempt to better his already impressive top-5 finish at last year's World Show. But once Todd and Lena Gallo entered the arena, the horse stepped up for a winning run and not just a schooling session.
"I came to school him but he showed well so we just kept on going," Todd explained. "He was really good to show; he was dead on. We didn't run too fast but what we did do he did very correct."
After a runoff in the 22-entry Novice Horse Non Pro, which ran concurrently with the Novice Horse Open, Scottsdale, Arizona resident Kim Dooley took home the win riding Smokin Dually.
Kim drew up in the last set with her 4-year-old sorrel overo Paint stallion by Colonels Smokingun, or Gunner, and out of Diddy Boppin Dually. She tied Tamra Kyle and Stingalenadingdong (Peppy Badger Chex x Slylena) with a 72 but earned a 71 in the runoff, over Tamra's 70.5. The win awarded Kim with a check for $616.
"I wasn't worried about the runoff. I knew I had a lot of horse left," Kim commented after her run. She was happy with her horse's performance both times she entered the arena but said there were things from both runs that she would have changed. "In my final run I had a big over spin penalty but he also circled better in that run."
Kim bought Smokin Dually through Luke Gagnon last March. The pair then tied for the Intermediate Non Pro Reserve Championship at the 2005 National Reining Breeders Classic in April and made the Non Pro Finals at the NRHA Derby.
more news »»