He chuckled softly and swooped in for a quick kiss. “As you can probably tell, I’m up for that. The guys can wait another five minutes.”
“Five? You’re spoiling me.”
“Okay. Six. But only if we start now.”
* * *
Since the horses at the pre-works were all three-year-olds that weren’t allowed to compete until the Futurity, there were no judges or points given at the Renfrew Top Six Ranch workout. But if there had been, the consensus was that Rosco would have won. Or so Press Amala told Raney the following afternoon when they were loading up to go home to the ranch.
“The colt handled himself well, as I knew he would,” he told her. “And it was smart of Cardwell to lend a hand when called on. Big Mike is as fine a helper horse as I’ve ever seen. With him along to keep things calm, your colt and his trainer have earned themselves a high regard among the other trainers. They’ll do well at the Futurity.”
“I hope so.”
“Count on it. And count on me being there to see it. Tell your mama hidey.”
As Raney watched him drive away, she was filled with gratitude for all that the wise old trainer had done to get Dalton and Rosco ready for the trial ahead. In less than two weeks, Dalton would either make his name, Rosco would prove himself a winner, and Whitcomb Four Star would join the ranks of the top breeders of prize-winning cutting horses.
Or they’d fail.
No pressure. None at all.
CHAPTER 24
The three-week-long, annual fall United States Cutting Horse Association Futurity in Fort Worth was a world-class event. Raney had been to it once, a decade ago with Daddy, but remembered little except the gigantic exhibition hall. It was like Fantasyland for horse lovers, and she was excited to take Uno to see it after they checked in with the USCHA office.
And that wasn’t all there was to see and do.
In addition to the various horse competitions and the exhibits, there was also a multimillion-dollar auction during the last ten days of the Futurity, where bids for outstanding mares and studs with impeccable bloodlines ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. Promising yearlings and two-year-olds, debuting three-year-olds, as well as previous Futurity winners, finalists, and their offspring, all brought top dollar. In the cutting horse industry, breeding always tells, and well-bred horses were constantly in demand. It was serious business, the USCHA Futurity, and through it flowed millions and millions of dollars, all centered around the best quarter horses and cutting horses in the world.
Raney had planned long in advance for their attendance. Following the same setup as with the pre-works, they took the big horse trailer, although this time, she brought her truck as well, should they need transportation while the rig was parked. She also booked two rooms at a nearby hotel—one for her and Dalton, and the other for Mama should she escape her baby duties and join them. As before, Alejandro and Uno would stay in the trailer to keep an eye on Rosco and Big Mike.
They arrived late morning on the day the competition began. They already knew that for Rosco’s first go-round, he had drawn number 111, which meant he would compete early on the second day. That gave them plenty of time to unload and ready the stalls that Raney had reserved. After feeding and watering the horses, they all headed out to a popular nearby Tex-Mex restaurant.
Raney was too excited to eat much. She also thought Dalton and Alejandro were too relaxed, but she supposed that was better than being as anxious as she was. After they ate, Dalton and Alejandro took the horses to one of the exercise areas for a lope and brief post-trailering workout, while Raney and Uno went to the USCHA offices to ensure that all their paperwork was in order and to get instructions about competition procedures. And there were a lot of procedures.
Each team would consist of the competing rider and horse, and the helper and his horse, whose job would be to help manage the herd while the cutter worked the cows. Each competitor would have two and a half minutes to separate a cow from the herd, hold it, then release it back to the herd before selecting the next cow. They were expected to work two cows and make an attempt on a third during the time allotted. After twelve horses had completed their runs, the cows would be exchanged for fresh stock and the arena would be raked. It was a well-choreographed process, yet it would still take six days to get through all six hundred–plus entrants scheduled in Round One.
Raney was glad Rosco wouldn’t start until the second day. That would allow him time to settle before his first go, and give him a four-day break before Round Two began—assuming he made it into Round Two, since the competition was single elimination. Easy on the horse, hard on those waiting. During that four-day wait, to minimize stress and give the horses a chance to relax between rounds, Press Amala had graciously arranged for both horses to stay at the Running Bar Ranch just outside of town, unless Mike was needed to help out other riders. He and Alejandro were so good at their job requests were already coming in.
But today, Raney and Uno had come to explore. Once Raney had finished registering, USCHA officials verified her membership was current and that the three thousand–plus entry fee had been paid, as well as the fees for stalls and time in the practice arena, then she and Uno were finally able to check out the huge exhibition hall.
It was an amazing place. She got a kick out of watching Uno’s look of awe as they walked past the dozens of exhibits and
