Badboonarising Stands Out Among 2024 NCHA Futurity Freshman Sires

Each year, the top new stallions showcase their first crop of 3-year-olds at the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity. This year, the unquestionable leading futurity freshman sire is Badboonarising.

The 2018 NCHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion and earner of $367,101 was represented by 42 offspring in the first round of the NCHA Futurity Open—by far the most of the five freshman sires who had foals from their first crop entered in the Open class. Nineteen of Badboonarising’s colts, geldings and mares made it through to the second round. On Dec. 6, he’ll be the only freshman sire to have offspring advance to the NCHA Futurity Open semifinals when nine of his progeny are expected to compete.

Before the show, owner Elizabeth Quirk thanked the mare owners who bred to the black cutting horse stallion in his first year at stud. The black son of EquiStat Elite $12 Million Sire Once In A Blu Boon and out of top producer Show Biz Kitty (by High Brow Cat) stands at Valley Equine Reproduction, formerly Brazos Valley Stallion Station.

“First and foremost, I think we have to give a huge shout out to our mare owners that came alongside us in that first year that said ‘yes,’ and that said they wanted to breed to him,” she said. “As a mare owner, too, they don’t get enough credit. People really talk, ‘Oh, your stud, your stud, your stud’ … I’m like, well, it takes two to tango.”

In addition to siring entries in the Open semifinals, Badboonarising also was represented by progeny in the finals of the two Futurity Open classes that have crowned champions so far—the Intermediate Open and the Limited Open. They were led by Limited Open Reserve Champion Breyking Badd, who also made the Open semifinals. In addition to his Open entries, Badboonarising also sired entries in the Non-Pro and Amateur classes.

Breyking Badd, ridden by Antonio Sergio de Araujo during the Limited Open finals. * Photo by Amy Olson Early Cutting Futurity Successes

While the NCHA Futurity is cutting’s most prestigious event for young horses, an ever-growing number of lucrative early futurities are available for those who don’t plan to take their 3-year-olds to Fort Worth. Badboonarising’s foals already found success at the early futurities, most notably with Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association (PCCHA) Super Futurity Champion LBR Quite Bad. With Adan Banuelos aboard, the daughter of Quite The Cat (by High Brow Cat), earned $60,000 at the event held in September in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In October, Quintan Boon (out of Quintessential High, by Smooth As A Cat) won the Southern Cutting Futurity Open Championship with Michael Cooper. Earlier in the year, Quintan Boon was third in the West Texas Futurity 3-Year-Old Open.

Offspring From a Variety of Cutting Horse Bloodlines

Owned by Plantation Farms, of Denham Springs, Louisiana, Badboonarising sired 131 American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) registered foals in his first foal crop, 2021. His next two foal crops have been even bigger: the stallion has 198 AQHA-registered offspring born in 2022 and another 141 registered with the association that were born in 2023.

While mare owners showed interest after the stallion’s NCHA Futurity Reserve Championship, Badboonarising’s connections waited until his 5-year-old year to start breeding him to mares.

“We waited until he was 5 to stand him, just to give him a 4-year-old to really solidify who he is,” Quirk said. “All that being said, it was the mare owners that came alongside of us that said, ‘Yes.’ And they bred some of their best mares. That’s very exciting.”.

So far, Badboonarising’s top earners have been born out of mares from a variety of bloodlines. His nine NCHA Futurity Open semifinalists are out of mares sired by seven different stallions. Of the nine, two are out of Quirk’s outstanding non-pro mare Cat Sheree (by High Brow CD) and two others are out of daughters of Dual Smart Rey. His early money earners also include Poizon Ivy, a finalist in the PCCHA Super Futurity and PCCHA Futurity whose mother is Quirk’s old Non-Pro and Amateur mount, Flickaweed (by Tumbleweed Smith).

“It just speaks to him,” Quirk said. “I think he’s capable of crossing on just about anything.”

Freshman Sire Badboonarising’s Open Semifinals Entries

Nine of Badboonarising’s first crop of foals made the NCHA Futurity Open semifinals. Here’s a closer look at their pedigrees, owners, riders and semifinals draw:

OffspringDamRiderOwnerSemifinals
DrawBadd CompanyCat Sheree (by High Brow CD)Elizabeth QuirkTen/27 Ranch3AzuulOne Time At Bandcamp (by One Time Pepto)Hayden UptonJH Nail Ranch Inc11Catahoochie MomCat Mom Do (by High Brow Cat)Cullen ChartierNancy and Steve Martin25Breyking BaddRey N Style (by Dual Smart Rey)Antonio Sergio de AraujoTen/27 Ranch34Reyal BadReyal Money (by Dual Rey)Trevor BullockDustin and Kate Rusnack42Conundrum RisingIggy Reyzalea (by Dual Smart Rey)Grant SetnickaRio Roca Land & Cattle Co59Sporty SpyceCat Sheree (by High Brow CD)Kelle EarnheartTen/27 Ranch63Bet On BlkBet On Metalic (by Metallic Cat)Michael CooperRose Valley Ranch77Point Me SouthA Spoonful Short (by Hes A Peptospoonful)Adan BanuelosTen/27 Ranch78

NCHA Freshman Sires with Offspring in the Futurity Open StallionFuturity Open
First Round EntriesStallion PedigreeBadboonarising42(Once In A Blu Boon x Show Biz Kitty x High Brow Cat)Bama Jelly1(Bamacat x Would She Be Neat x Nitas Wood)CTR Metallic Rey1(Metallic Cat x Smart Little Betsy x Smart Little Lena)Maggic Mike1(Metallic Cat x Sweet Abra x Abrakadabracre)One Alley Cat1(High Brow Cat x Nod N Smile Baby x One Time Pepto)