Kelsie and Skye Miller dominate at the Northwest futurities in April. The mother-daughter duo took home the wins at the 18th Annual Sand Cup Futurity and the 46th Annual Valley Girls Barrel Daze Futurity.
Double the Dinero: Kelsie Miller and SP Haydays Choice Win Back-to-Back Sand Cup and VGBRA Barrel Daze Futurities.
Born and raised in the Northwest, Kelsie Miller of Riley, Oregon, has been attending the Sand Cup Futurity and VGBRA Barrel Daze Futurity for as long as she has been professionally training futurity barrel horses full time.
However, it was her first time to win both futurities in the same year, and she credits this great accolade to a special horse named SP Haydays Choice, better known as “Tommy”.
A match made in heaven, Kelsie was introduced to Tommy’s owner, Tera McQuirk, by Kelsie long-time colt starter professional cow horse trainer, Jake Telford. For over 15 years, Telford has started nearly all of Kelsie’s personal horses that have had successful careers as futurity and derby horses.
“Tommy was big and mature when I got him in November of his two-year-old year from Jake. I knew he was going to be physically mature enough to run as a four-year-old, but Tera and I are very like minded with the same goals for the horses, so we decided Tommy told us he was ready to run as a four-year-old, then we would go,” Kelsie explained. “Once he started clocking 1D times in the exhibitions as a three-year-old, we just kind of ran with it, and he hasn’t told us no since.”
Meet The Millers
A seven-hour drive from Dry Mountain Ranch, Kelsie kicked off a more than memorable ten days in Moses Lake, Washington, at the 18th Annual Sand Cup Futurity held April 5-7.
Between Kelsie and her daughter Skye Miller, who also trains full time alongside Kelsie, they had 12 futurity and derby horses.
“My mom, Susan Evans, Jessi Auman, and Char Bracher played a huge role in helping Skye and I behind the scenes throughout the two weekends,” Kelsie said. “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do everything that we do for the horses to help them perform to the best of their ability.”
Kelsie placed third in the first round running 15.602, but admitted that she overrode the fast and talented young gelding.
“I didn’t do my job the first round at each futurity. My timing was off, and I was late helping him at the second barrel,” Kelsie explained.
However, Kelsie was dialed in for the second round to turn in a time of 15.212 and claim the round win. Kelsie was determined to showcase the gelding’s ability that she knew he had, afterall he had been winning big jackpots all winter against tough open horses.
“I didn’t saddle back up, or change my warm up routine. The training was done, he knew his job, and I knew myself enough to know it was my fault in the first round,” Kelsie said.
Kelsie’s humbleness as a horsewoman paid off when she adjusted her jockeying in the secondary round and the gelding won the second round and clinched the Sand Cup Futurity Championship, running a 30.814 on two runs and winning over $7,000 in futurity and open earnings for the weekend.
Even more special, Skye was named the Sand Cup Futurity Reserve Champion running a 31.184 on two runs aboard 2019 sorrel gelding KG Shock In Awe (Feel The Sting x KG Justiceasweexpected) owned by Andrea Peters banking over $4,800 in futurity and open earnings over the weekend.
Dinero For Days: Kelsie Miller Wins Barrel Daze Futurity
After a successful weekend at the Sand Cup, Kelsie overnighted at the Grant County Fairgrounds and shifted her focus to the upcoming VGBRA Barrel Daze April 12-14.
“We let the horses rest the Monday after and got them out of their stall to hand walk them. On Tuesday, we worked on some body control – keeping Tommy soft and round, and then Wednesday we were back in the arena doing exhibitions,” Miller explained. “We also put a lot of focus into making sure the horses were feeling their best, using the Bemer and the Flexineb.”
Although Tommy felt like a winner even early on to Kelsie, the exquisite and personable gelding had his fair share of quirks that Kelsie had to work with during the training process.
“He is a horse that does better with a job. If I give him something to focus on, he won’t look around and be spooky,” Miller said. “He can be a handful and does better the more you ride him. The more runs he makes, the faster and more confident he gets.”
Kelsie clocked a 15.771 to place tenth in the first round, but explained that again she felt like she had overrode her horse in the first round of the futurity.
“When I did it again at the VGBRA, I was definitely mad at myself. I knew the caliber of horse he was, and I knew he had the capability to win this futurity too. I couldn’t help but feel like I failed my horse, yet again,” Kelsie said. “That’s what makes Skye such a better competitor than I, she can overcome a loss a lot easier than I can.”
Kelsie quieted her riding in the second round to turn in an effortless time of a 15.407 and win the round, explaining that smooth is fast on the four-year-old gelding.
“I had never even picked up my whip on the way home on Tommy until that weekend. He is so fast, he can clock so effortlessly. I don’t think we have really tapped into his full potential yet, and it makes me excited to have a horse of his caliber in the barn. He is just a really fun horse to ride,” Kelsie exclaimed.
Kelsie and Tommy were named the VGBRA Barrel Daze Futurity Champions clocking a 31.178 on two runs to win over $9,000 in futurity earnings.
Skye and her gelding KG Shock N Awe again were named the VGBRA Barrel Daze Reserve Futurity Champions, turning in a time of 31.183 on two runs and winning over $8,000. Skye also claimed the VGBRA Barrel Daze Maturity Championship running a 30.586 in a knife fight of a maturity on her very own 2018 sorrel gelding, DMR IM Kinda Special, winning over $3,600.
Miller explained that the success of her training program is crucial with Skye, that although they train very similarly, they can offer two different styles of jockeys to owners with horses in training.
“It’s really just whoever fits that horse better,” Kelsie said.
“It was really special to me to win the VGBRA Futurity and even more so for Skye to win the VGBRA Maturity the same weekend,” Kelsie chuckled and said, “I think if Skye ever turns the first barrel on her futurity gelding, she’s going to have me beat.”
Together, the Millers earned over $67,000 and a backseat full of prizes between the two weekends in Moses Lake among their 12 horses.
Miller credits the success of her program to the unwavering support of her family, friends, and owners. She also thanks her sponsors: Med-Vet Pharmaceuticals, Zesterra, Forco, Performance Horse Depot – Ronda Melton, Wire 2 Wire Vet Products – Nancy Temple.
