That Duramax Dually did more than catch up on Netflix and eat bags of Cheetos the past two-plus months was immediately evident when he arrived at the Hardy Murphy Coliseum in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
The 6-year-old stallion was the look of a fine-tuned machine coming out of COVID-19 quarantine, ultimately turning in an eye-popping 230 under Wesley Galyean on Sunday to win 5/6 Year Old Open finals at The Non-Pro plus The Open.
He needed every ounce of effort in a super competitive class in a highly anticipated cutting return after the prolonged layoff.
“He was working really good the whole show,” said Galyean, who has an Equi-Stat record of more than $4.2 million. “We had good work on him in the practice work. I had a good feeling. You never know you’re going to do that, but I felt like all the preparation went really well. I felt he was ready and where he needed to be.
“After the second stop and turnaround I really felt he was dialed in, and the more I asked of him the better he kept getting and it just kept climbing and climbing. The more I’d get into it, the more he was getting into it. We just kept digging.”
For the winners, a check of $10,000 was waiting, a nice addition to the more than $200,000 on the Equi-Stat record of “Dually,” the son of Dual Rey and out of High Brow Cat mare That Catomine.
He is owned by the Grover/Galyean Partnership, based in Claremore, Oklahoma. Having also bred him, the partnership has raised him from the cradle.
The class was spotted with good scores, including a 228 from Reserve champion Hott Nu Cowboy, trained by Cullen Chartier. Metallics MVP posted a 225 under Beau Galyean, Wesley’s brother. Beau Galyean also piloted Rollz Royce to a 224. Crey Zee, under Tatum Rice, rounded out the top five with a 222.
“It didn’t matter if it were for a $1 or $10 million, the level of completion of all those horses and all those great runs really raised the bar, and I feel he really stepped up.
“I was jacked. You didn’t know where it was going to end up at, but the feeling was great when the buzzer rang. It was one of the best runs I’ve had. It didn’t matter what they marked it, it just felt great. It was definitely a blessing for everything to come together the way it did.”
A blessing indeed, Galyean said, especially with missing almost three months of shows because of cancellations made in hopes of limiting the spread of the dreaded COVID-19.
Among those shows cancelled was the Breeder’s Invitational in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“We never took off,” Galyean said. “We were still working six days a week. Working horses, preparing, preparing, preparing. I think everybody else was the same way. It was great to get out here to show.”
The layoff “makes you appreciate it even more. It’s an honor, privilege and blessing to get to show these horses. I want to thank God for everything that He’s done for me and the opportunity to get to go and show this horse at a high level.”
As a 3-year-old, Dually advanced to the semifinals of the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity in 2017. He had a very nice 4-year-old year, winning $118,370, according to Equi-Stat. He finished fourth at the NCHA Super Stakes and fifth at the Breeder’s Invitational.
The next year, he was reserve at both the Super Stakes and the NCHA Summer Spectacular.
There seemed to always be something that “nicked us and hurt us” in those close calls in Fort Worth, Galyean said.
“But here, to me, it was the perfect run. I’ve always believed in that horse. I always knew he could get to that point. Everything came together right there. He was the best he has ever been, I was able to show him the best I could show him.
“We cut some cows that were pretty testy that really tried him.”
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Quarter Horse News
by John Henry
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