PG . 40With LTE of over $ 1.2 million and
multiple titles to his name , Corey Holden has not only finalled in the NCHA Open Futurity many times , he ’ s also been crowned the Open Derby Champion in 2017 riding homebred Garter Cat Q-93365 , and Open Classic Champion in 2016 riding Danny Carey ’ s Reylee Play A3-727 . Yet until this year , the title of NCHA Open Futurity Champion has eluded this stalwart of Australia ’ s cutting industry .
“ It ’ s surreal , it ’ s still sinking in to be honest ,” Corey says as he reflects on his epic win riding Metaloo Q-101675 ( Moore Metal Q-79373 / Hicapep Q-96467 ). “ It ’ s been a lifelong dream , one of those things you always want to tick off , and a lot of times I ’ ve come close but haven ’ t been able to quite crack it .”
bit of a chance .” When it was clear that Corey had clinched the win , the crowd erupted and Corey ’ s family , help team , supporters and fellow competitors flocked around him to offer their heartfelt congratulations . It ’ s hard to imagine a more popular winner ; weeks later , Corey is still overwhelmed by the outpouring of well wishes he has received from far and wide .
“ It ’ s been very special and to be honest I ’ ve been blown away by the number of messages I ’ ve received . People have been going out of their way to ring me and congratulate me , I ’ ve even been
FEATURE ~ 2024 NCHA 4CYTE OPEN FUTURITY
Known as a quiet achiever , Corey ’ s path to victory at this year ’ s Futurity was unsurprisingly unassuming . Scoring 211 points and sitting in = 54th place after the first Go Round , Corey was undeterred and remained steadfast in his belief that the horse he was riding and the preparation he had given her were enough .
“ I didn ’ t get very good cows in the first go round , but Metaloo Q-101675 always gave me the feeling of being a horse that could win the Futurity . She was always very cowy and tried really hard , during her training I actually spent a lot of time working on getting her to slow down a little bit , she was certainly quick enough ,” Corey explains . “ She kept stepping up while we were at the show , and we got better cows in the second Go Round .”
The pair ’ s second Go Round score of 216.5 saw them finish in 20th place on the aggregate ; they had made it through to the Final and the countdown to the final Sunday was underway . Once again , Corey showed the patience and resilience he ’ s known for .
“ Through the week I didn ’ t work her a lot , I went about things just like I would if we were at home . I gave her 3 or 4 days off after the Go Rounds , then slowly started working the flag and cows , we didn ’ t really change anything ,” Corey explains . “ When it came to the Final , I felt really confident and knew that if I cut decent cows she was going to do her job .”
Drawing 8th out in the first herd , Corey and Metaloo ’ s 219.5 point run was enough to take the lead however Corey wasn ’ t confident it would be enough to retain it .
“ I was watching the rest of the class thinking , ‘ Well , we got pushed back a bit on the last cow , but the mare did really well and we did everything we could . We ’ ll be up there but others will probably get around us ,” Corey explains . “ I was happy with that . But as we got to around halfway through that second herd , and it was sort of not happening for anybody else , I realised we might be a hearing from some of the older guys that were involved back when I was just getting started and aren ’ t even involved in cutting anymore . That means a lot . I haven ’ t even been able to get back to everyone yet !”
While Corey confesses that the win may never truly sink in , his gratitude for those that have helped him throughout his career and played a part in this milestone achievement is ever-present .
“ My wife Trudy and son Cash , they ’ re there through all the long hard days and I couldn ’ t do it without them . Danny Carey ’ s been helping for around 20 years at shows , he ’ s like a foundation member of C Bar H Cutting Horses . Then there ’ s Marcus Berlyn , we work cattle at his place , and Lindsay Dickens and Gail Gillespie who are such good people , plus everyone else that helps me at home and at shows ,” Corey says .
AUSTRALIAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION - www . aqha . com . au