Four days into the 2026 Gold Buckle Futurities Spring Showdown at the Ardmore, Oklahoma Hardy-Murphy Coliseum, one horse has held the top spot since Wednesday, two stallions have separated themselves with three top-progeny each, and Jerad Wittwer has overtaken the field as top owner with three horses in the money.
One day of competition remains. Sunday’s futurity heading and limited and non-pro heeling start at 8 a.m.
Here’s where things stand through Saturday.
The Horse Race: Thiccthirty Holds On
Thiccthirty, a Metallic Cattack gelding out of Nurse Connie owned by Blake A. Cavataio, has won $58,002 across two events — the futurity breakaway and the futurity tie-down. The futurity-aged gelding swept the average in both classes and took both Elite Breeders Incentive checks. No other horse is within $12,000.
Saturday’s maturity heeling produced the third-highest single-event total of the week. Sjr Stylish Believer, a CD Diamond gelding out of Amanda Starlena bred by San Juan Ranch and owned by DF Rope Horses, won $41,315—taking the open intermediate average, the Elite Breeders Incentive and placing third in the open average. Ar Metallic Man, a Metallic Cat gelding bred by Atwood Quarter Horses Inc and owned by Copper Smith, won the open average for $31,195.
| Rank | Horse | Sire x Dam | Total Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thiccthirty | Metallic Cattack x Nurse Connie | $58,002 |
| 2 | Fly Mister | SJR Diamond Mist x Highly Unlimited | $45,290 |
| 3 | Sjr Stylish Believer | CD Diamond x Amanda Starlena | $41,315 |
| 4 | Tom Cats R Popular | Metallic Cattack x Lotta Popular Grace | $32,404 |
| 5 | Tps Classic Whiskey | Whoze Your Daddy x Four Chex Classic | $31,490 |
| 6 | Ar Metallic Man | Metallic Cat x Stylish Lizzie | $31,195 |
| 7 | Aldo The Apache | Kit Kat Sugar x Dmac Easter Bunny | $29,997 |
| 8 | Dont Quote Me | Taggline x BCR Popular Scotti | $27,249 |
| 9 | Kryptoniite | Metallic Cattack x Fun N Fancy Free | $27,247 |
| 10 | RR Gunners Affair | Gunners Special Nite x Cowgirl Affair | $26,200 |
| 11 | Dont Stopp Trackin | Dont Stopp Believin x Marking Your Tracks | $25,642 |
| 12 | Rr Gold Starr | Gunners Special Nite x Belle Starr Dun It | $24,082 |
Sires: Metallic Cattack on Top, Two-Horse Race for Second
Solo Select’s Metallic Cattack still leads at $117,653 with three top-nine horses. Behind him, the picture changed dramatically Saturday. Gunners Special Nite jumped to second on the strength of three top-12 horses—all Relentless-Remuda piloted RR Gunners Affair, This Star Is Special and RR Gold Starr—pushing past $68,000. CD Diamond rocketed to third with Sjr Stylish Believer’s $41,315, Queen Of Sparkles’ $19,370 and Sjr Diamond Eve’s $1,500.
| Rank | Sire | Earnings | Top-Earning Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metallic Cattack | $117,653 | Thiccthirty, Tom Cats R Popular, Kryptoniite |
| 2 | Gunners Special Nite | $68,912 | RR Gunners Affair, Rr Gold Starr, This Star Is Special |
| 3 | CD Diamond | $62,185 | Sjr Stylish Believer, Queen Of Sparkles, Sjr Diamond Eve |
| 4 | SJR Diamond Mist | $60,122 | Fly Mister, SJR Calipso Mist |
| 5 | Kit Kat Sugar | $45,125 | Aldo The Apache, TLC Dulce Kat, Kitt Katt Kidd |
| 6 | Smooth Talkin Style | $40,080 | Hez Talkin Smack, Rubys Stylish Cat, Mr Suavemente |
| 7 | Metallic Cat | $33,869 | Ar Metallic Man, Alloy Catt |
| 8 | Whoze Your Daddy | $31,490 | Tps Classic Whiskey |
| 9 | Stevie Rey Von | $31,447 | Evereything, Dually Von Rey, BL Plyitsteviegirl, SLR Stevie Chick |
| 10 | Catty Hawk | $27,569 | Catty Gamble, Catty Reyz |
Pushed out of the top 10: Taggline, Winners Version, High Brow Cat.
Breeders: San Juan Ranch Pulls Away
San Juan Ranch added Sjr Stylish Believer’s $41,315 and Sjr Diamond Eve’s $1,500 to the ledger Saturday, pushing their total to $122,307—more than double the second-place breeder. Atwood Quarter Horses Inc made the biggest move into the top three on AR Metallic Man’s $31,195, combined with AR Bamaboy from the futurity heeling.
| Rank | Breeder | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Juan Ranch | $122,307 |
| 2 | Solo Select Horses LLC | $58,002 |
| 3 | Atwood Quarter Horses Inc | $38,545 |
| 4 | Randy French | $32,404 |
| 5 | Tim or Paula Schaack | $31,490 |
| 6 | Terry Riddle | $29,997 |
| 7 | Bailey or Tia Moore and Cody M | $27,249 |
| 8 | Ty M Smith | $27,247 |
| 9 | Lil Equine LLC | $26,200 |
| 10 | Infinity Oaks Ranch | $25,642 |
Owners: Jerad Wittwer Takes the Lead
Jerad Wittwer entered Saturday third on the owner list. He exited on top. Statton Wittwer’s win in the limited heading non-pro on Catty Gamble added $20,025 to Wittwer’s tab, joining RR Gunners Affair and This Star Is Special for a $64,855 total — the highest in the showdown.
X Performance Horses dropped to second. Three new operations joined the top 10: DF Rope Horses (with Sjr Stylish Believer and Sjr Diamond Eve), Treston Brazile (with Star Blue Holder’s win in the limited heading average plus Icingonthedeal in the maturity tie-down) and Copper Smith (with Ar Metallic Man).
| Rank | Owner | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerad Wittwer | $64,855 |
| 2 | X Performance Horses | $61,530 |
| 3 | Blake A. Cavataio | $58,002 |
| 4 | DF Rope Horses | $42,815 |
| 5 | Beau Amber Peterson | $41,825 |
| 6 | Treston Brazile | $34,856 |
| 7 | Chance Bradley Thiessen | $32,404 |
| 8 | Fallon Avery | $31,490 |
| 9 | A&C Racing And Roping | $31,330 |
| 10 | Copper Smith | $31,195 |
Beau Amber Peterson moved up on TLC Dulce Kat’s $11,828 in the limited breakaway, adding to Aldo The Apache’s win in the maturity breakaway average.
Riders: Cody McCartney Holds the Lead, Saturday Roping Reshuffles the Bottom
Cody McCartney still leads at $54,959.50, anchored by Thiccthirty in the futurity tie-down and Icingonthedeal and Hez Talkin Smack in the maturity tie-down. Trevor Brazile is second at $53,031. Cheyanne McCartney is third at $52,330. None of the three rode Saturday.
Three new riders cracked the top 10. Kollin Von Ahn jumped to sixth with $27,437.50 on Ar Metallic Man’s maturity heeling sweep. Joseph Harrison entered at seventh on Dont Stopp Trackin and Wimpys Hustlin Chex. Billie Jack Saebens climbed to eighth — picking up the rider portion of Sjr Stylish Believer’s three Elite Stallions and Elite Breeders Incentive checks plus Sjr Diamond Eve’s round-three win.
| Rank | Rider | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cody McCartney | $54,959.50 |
| 2 | Trevor Brazile | $53,031.00 |
| 3 | Cheyanne McCartney | $52,330.00 |
| 4 | Beau Peterson | $42,092.00 |
| 5 | Colton McCarley | $41,390.00 |
| 6 | Kollin Von Ahn | $27,437.50 |
| 7 | Joseph Harrison | $25,181.00 |
| 8 | Billie Jack Saebens | $24,982.50 |
| 9 | Marissa Boisjoli | $24,807.50 |
| 10 | Chance Thiessen | $24,342.00 |
Andy Holcomb, Jackie Crawford and Myles Kenzy fell out of the top 10. Justin Johnson, who rode Sjr Stylish Believer to the open average and intermediate placings, sits 14th at $19,060. Statton Wittwer, who took the limited heading non-pro on Catty Gamble, is 15th at $16,575.
Rider totals reflect round wins, average and intermediate payouts in full plus the rider’s half of Elite Stallions and Elite Breeders Incentive checks. The other half goes to the stallion owner or breeder.
The Team Roping Journal
by Chelsea Shaffer
View article on TRJ
