The National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) announces the inductees to the NCHA Hall of Fame. Four honorees will join the NCHA Members Hall of Fame and over ten horses and riders will be recognized for their success in the arena.

Read what is going on at The Ike Derby Classic. The industries very best cutting horses are competing for over $500,000 at the Ike Hamilton Expo Center.

The 2020 Augusta Futurity concluded on Saturday, January 25, with the Open Futurity, where Kinky Bootz, owned and bred by Glenn Drake, Napa, Calif., scored 226 points to carry NCHA Hall of Fame Rider Austin Shepard to his sixth Augusta 4-Year-Old Futurity win. On the heels of his 5/6-Year-Old win aboard Dual Reyish, on Friday night, the 2020 Futurity win also gives Shepard his second Augusta Open Futurity sweep. Shepard  won 4-Year-Old and 5/6 Year-Old championships in 2014, riding CD Kual Gun and Bamacat, respectively.

Augusta Futurity action began on Thursday, January 23 with with 70 entries in the 5/6-Year-Old Amateur go-round. Andrew Sligh, Altoona, Ala., the second rider in the first of five sets, laid down the pace with 219 points on the Kit Kat Sugar gelding Carmylantalized LTE $45,030, who had been an Augusta Open finalist in 2018 and 2019 with Todd Gann.

Austin Shepard, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of over $8.1 million, holds the record for Augusta Open championship wins, with five in the Futurity and three in the 5/6 Classic. He claimed last year’s Futurity with 225 points on Bama Jelly LTE $149,005, by Bamacat, and on Sunday, January 19, he showed Bama Jelly to top the 2020 Augusta Futurity 5/6 Classic qualifying go round, with 222.5 points.

Jessie Pritchard and Who Ya Callin Shorty, by High Brow CD,  scored 222 points on Tuesday to win the Augusta Futurity 4-Year-Old Intermediate Finals. Walt Erwin and Sweet Metallic CD 16, by Metallic Cat, marked 218 to place second in the nine-horse finals, while Gabe Reynolds and Reyz Your Chelada, by Reydioactive placed third with 215 points.

The 2020 Abilene Spectacular concluded on Saturday, January 11 with the 5/6-Year-Old Non-Pro Finals, won by Paula Wood, Stephenville, Tex., with 222.5 points, on Cool N Hot. Kylie Rice, Weatherford, Tex., scored 221 points as reserve champion on Miss Kitty Russel, while Nadine Payne, Overbrook, Okla., placed third with 218.5 riding Blu Velvet.

Ireydescent, shown by Adan Banuelos, and Stole A Kiss, with James Payne, were the stars on Wednesday, January 8, at the Taylor County Expo Center, as 221.5-point co-champions of the 2020 Abilene Spectacular Derby. Miss Blu Boon, ridden by Lloyd Cox, was next with 219 points, while Jae Zee, with Tatum Rice, scored 218 points to place fourth, with the third-highest score in the 28-horse Finals field.

Langston Pattillo, St. Elmo, Ill., scored 222 points on Catsa U Later LTE $19,784, by Boon Too Suen, to win the Abilene Spectacular Amateur Derby. Hunter Williams, Nolan, Tex., took second with 219 points on Rumor On The Street, by Dual Rey, as well as first in the Amateur Gelding division. Williams also placed sixth in the seven-horse finals aboard Mightee Merle, by WR This Cats Smart.

The stakes were high on Tuesday at the Abilene Spectacular, where the second go-round of Open 4-year-old competition saw 28 horses with cumulative scores of 434.5 points or more advance to Wednesday’s Derby Finals, and 19 Open 5- & 6-year-olds with scores of 220.5 points or more advance to the Classic Finals.