The Better Barrel Races OKC Futurity kicked off December 5–10 at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Follow along here for all the updates and stories from the final aged event of the 2023 barrel futurity year.
—> Find complete 2023 OKC Futurity results here. Scroll down for stories and updates from winners of each round.
Marne Loosenort and Kingor Earn 2023 OKC Futurity Championship
OKLAHOMA CITY — December 10, 2023 — Kingor won first place every time Marne Loosenort sent him down the alley at the 2023 OKC Futurity.
After winning the first round in 15.307, Marne rested the gelding she calls “Tres” and sat out the second round. In the Finals on Championship Sunday, the pair again emerged victorious, posting the fastest time of the finals, a 15.251, to win the 2023 OKC Futurity Championship for $27,011 with an average of 30.558.
“I’m glad I let him sit out the second go and rest him. I was a little unsure that was a good idea, but thank goodness it paid off. When he got a good first barrel, that made me feel better. I was just thinking going into the third barrel, don’t mess it up. I knew I had to be pretty fast, because DaCota had some good times,” Marne said of OKC Futurity reserve champion DaCota Monk and TNR Wannaseemycancan’s 15.186 qualifying time and 15.467 finals time.
Marne’s biggest strategy for her runs this week with the gelding were nailing the first barrel. In the finals, the pair spun a turn so fast and tight that had everyone in the stands gasping and cheering.
“The first barrel was a big concern, because it’s a long way down [the alley], so if you let them go too far, I was afraid I wouldn’t get it hooked. I wanted to keep forward motion so he didn’t lock up or spin around and get us disqualified in that alleyway,” Marne explained. “I wanted to stay back so I could keep him moving forward and get smooth. When he took off with me, I had ahold of him a little too much, but once he flattened out, I was just glad to get the first. It gave me more confidence after that.”
The Hazel, Kentucky-based futurity trainer trains out of she and husband Bob Loosenort’s Plenty Tiny Ranch and owns the gelding together with longtime partner and owner Danny Kingins. The 2018 model by First Moonflash and out of Final Form by Rare Form came out of the 2020 Heritage Place Fall Mixed Sale and into the Loosenorts’ program.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing for the tough-luck Tres.
“Kenny [Kingins’] cousin bought him at the Heritage sale, and they brought him to us to ride. Kenny didn’t really like him because he’s a smaller horse, so Danny and I bought him. We had him entered December of his 3-year-old year, and we were down at Memphis, Tennessee, and I exhibitioned him, and he worked terrible,” Marne said with a laugh. “I called Danny and said let’s scratch; we’re going to hold him. He’s just not there. He had been sidelined — he had EPM really bad we had to treat several times for, and then February of this year, he had a chip taken out [of his fetlock], so he’s had a tough start.”
The gelding has proven he’s a winner despite limited outs, earning about $23,000 in EquiStat reported earnings prior to OKC, including major Open wins over the summer at races such as the Lucky Dog and Bonus Race Finals. The lifelong trainer knows a horse like Tres is very hard to come by and appreciates when she has one like him on her trailer.
“He’s very fast, but he’s the full package. I hate to sound arrogant saying that, but he’s got the run and the turn, and that’s just so hard to find,” Loosenort said. “You can go through so many horses, but we’re only as good as what we’re sitting on. They’re the only reason we get the checks; they’re our greatest asset.”
Along with a great horse, it takes a great owner for trainers to be successful at the futurities. Marne has been training for Kingins now for 25 years, and the duo is one of the longest-standing and also successful owner-trainer partnerships in barrel racing.
Marne says a win like this is even more special on a horse she owns in partnership with Kingins.
“Any time you win first place, it’s amazing, I don’t care anymore where you’re at, it’s so tough everywhere we go. To win with this field of horses is definitely an honor. Danny and I have been [in business] together for 25 years, which makes it even more sweet,” Marne said. “Being open-minded and being able to meet in the middle makes it successful. We agree to disagree a lot of times. Like, Danny is not a fan of running horses as 5-year-olds, but in this situation, it was an asset to do that. If you’re going to be partners, you’ve got to meet in the middle. It’s not one-sided, ever. He’s the greatest owner. Good, bad, or ugly, he’s still happy for you — that doesn’t come around very often.”
Marne thanked her sponsors Triple Crown Feed, Twister Trailers, Zesterra, Equinety, Prime Performance Nutrition, Flaharty Bits & Spurs, K&N Equine Solutions, Cowboy Classic Saddlery, 3S Custom Equine, and Dr. Greg Ford DVM.
Brandon Cullins Tops OKC Rookie Futurity on Good Things Comin
OKLAHOMA CITY — December 9, 2023 — Brandon Cullins won the OKC Rookie Futurity (for coming 4- and 5-year-olds beginning the 2024 futurity year) aboard 3-year-old stallion Good Things Comin for $10,215.
The pair posted a 15.775 in the first go to finish out of the money before clocking a jaw-dropping 15.271 to win the second round for $7,661 to wrap up the winning average of 31.046.
Good Things Comin, whom Cullins owns, was bred by Jeff Varner and is by leading sire The Goodbye Lane and out of the proven-producing mare Honor This Nonstop by Mr Honor Bound.
Cullins has ridden several of Honor This Nonstop’s offspring to great success, and Good Things Comin is no different. Honor This Nonstop has produced close to $600,000 in barrel racing money earners, with her biggest winner being VQ Sucker Punch, by Dash Ta Fame, at $285,095. Cullins trained and rode “Rocco” to aged-event success, such as back-to-back BFA World Championship Derby titles and multiple American Rodeo qualifications, including the Final Four twice, before the gelding went on to the pro rodeos and made NFR appearances with Cheyenne Wimberley. The mare’s No. 2 earner, VQ Nonstop Stinson, by Eddie Stinson, was trained by Kelsey Treharne to futurity success before joining the rodeo road with Hailey Kinsel and now Grace Gardiner. Folsom Prisoner is the mare’s No. 3 winningest offspring with $104,420 — Cullins won the BFA Futurity World Championship on board the gelding in 2017. Rocco’s full brother VQ Im Buzzed had some wins under trainer Ryann Pedone and is now winning at the rodeos with Abby Phillips as Honor This Nonstop’s No. 4 performer with almost $73,000 in earnings.
The Dublin, Texas-based futurity horse trainer and EquiStat $1.7 million rider is having a good week in OKC. He won the first go-round of the OKC Derby on MJ Segers Fast Lane (scroll down for story) and also placed seventh in the Rookie average for $2,909 aboard the Brad Lieblong-owned 3-year-old mare Miss Mistakelly (RR Mistakelly x Mis Sudden Silence x Leaving Memories) with two respective times of 15.682 and 15.787.
Lilly Lohmann, Dustin Angelle Dominate American Qualifier and OKC Sweepstakes
OKLAHOMA CITY — December 9, 2023 — Just a day after winning the OKC Derby, Lilly Lohmann was back in the winner’s circle with 2016 gelding KM Famous Sniper (First Down French x Dash Ta Fantasy x Dash Ta Fame), clocking a 15.198 to win the American Contender Tournament Qualifier for $1,733. Their time also carried into the OKC Sweepstakes to finish second for $2,674.
“It felt good; I was just thinking I needed to be smooth. Whatever happens, happens. I thought I hit every barrel!” Lohmann said with a laugh. “It feels absolutely amazing. It’s just what I need right now. Every time he comes out of the arena, when he runs and does good, he’s prancing.”
Dustin Angelle rode VF Born Famous to the win in the Sweepstakes for $3,387, clocking a 15.197 to barely edge Lohmann’s time, on the 2013 gelding by Born Ta Be Famous and out of Sleek Glass by Image Of Greatness.
TNR Wannaseemycancan Smokes 15.186 with DaCota Monk to Win OKC Futurity Round Two
OKLAHOMA CITY — December 8, 2023 — TNR Wannaseemycancan did what she does best in Round Two of the OKC Futurity, posting the fastest time of the week so far to win the round in 15.186 for $3,554 with trainer DaCota Monk on board, riding for owner Suzonne Franks. The time puts the team as high callback in the 40-head futurity finals Sunday at noon.
“We’ve really got our first barrel figured out lately. In our first round, she was super tight around the second and I didn’t ride her very aggressive, so we got it. I knew we had to go for it to get in the finals. I was just wanting a 15.3, but she had other things in mind,” Monk said with a laugh. “She smoked her first again and rocked it, which really scared me, so I put my hand on it for a second. Once I saw it was up, we just had to get around the second. She was real honest, and then her third I stepped her out a little because I wanted to be clean. I’ve never felt her run that hard her whole pattern. She’s usually running at some point, but from the gate to the end, she was flying. It was so fun.”
The 4-year-old mare by Eddie Stinson and out of Chase This Ivory by Ivory James and Monk have already earned in excess of $385,000 in EquiStat earnings on the year, including prestigious title such as the Kinder Cup Futurity, BBR World Finals Futurity, Royal Crown Oklahoma City and Breeders Challenge Championship Finale, among many other Open wins and reserve futurity championships.
The OKC Futurity marks the final major futurity for 2023 horses, and Monk’s goal is to finish Cancan’s year with another ‘W.’
“All I want her to do is finish with the win so bad. I really wanted to get in the finals and have a 15.1 in the finals, so hopefully we’ve got another one in there,” Monk said. “It would really mean a lot.”
To make the round win even more special, that same day, one of Monk’s young students Lilly Lohmann won the OKC Derby on KM Famous Sniper, whom the family purchased out of Monk’s program. One day later Saturday, Lohmann and the gelding again emerged victorious, winning the American Contender Tournament qualifier with a 15.198.
“For both horses to run 15.1s, and that horse, he just never quits winning, so it’s really awesome to see,” Monk said. “Lilly is the most humble kid, she’s a very good rider, and sweet — even when they lose, she never gets mad at him. The Lohmanns are so close with us and do what they’re supposed to do with him and what’s best for him, so it’s nice to be involved with that.”
Lilly Lohmann Rides KM Famous Sniper to OKC Derby Championship
OKLAHOMA CITY — December 8, 2023 — Youth rider Lilly Lohmann bested a field of top aged-event riders mounted on some of the toughest derby horses around to win the OKC Derby championship aboard her 2016 gelding KM Famous Sniper (First Down French x Dash Ta Fantasy x Dash Ta Fame), worth $6,160.
“It was very relieving, because we’ve been having trouble for a bit. It was nice to go out there and do our thing,” Lohmann said. “I just focus on being soft, trusting him and letting him do his thing.”
The duo clocked a solid 15.519 in the first go for third place and $2,210. They turned up the heat in the second go with a 15.352 to place second for $3,214, sealing their winning average of 30.871.
“We went in the first day and he blew off his first, and we’ve been doing that. The second day I needed to ask him to turn a little harder, and I tried that and he still blew off his first, but at second and third I just sat down and let him turn, be soft, and make sure I was trusting him,” Lohmann said. “I knew having the 15.5 the first day that I would need to be faster to get in the average. I was nervous sitting there watching everybody else, waiting to see if it would hold [for the average] or not.”
Lohmann and the gelding from trainer DaCota Monk’s program have been a team for two years. They’ve become quite the match and racked up more than $123,000 in EquiStat reported earnings together.
“He’s super easygoing. He can have his days where he’s like, ‘That scares me,’ but he’s calm going into the alley. Some days he gets really excited,” Lohmann said with a laugh. “He’s one of the easiest horses I’ve been on.”
She still turns to Monk’s simple advice for success with the gelding.
“He says to just to trust him, be soft, stay square and let him do his thing,” Lohmann said, adding thanks to Monk as well as her sponsors Lohmann’s Equine Service, Aaron Lohmann CJF, American Hat Co, Hamilton Equine, Platinum Air and Diamond DM Performance Horses.
Leslie Willis and Furyofprincessphoebe Take First Round of OKC Rookie Futurity
OKLAHOMA CITY — December 7, 2023 — The first rounds of the OKC Futurity are in the books, and Leslie Willis is already having a good week in both the Futurity and Rookie Futurity. She placed fifth in the first round of the Futurity on Felice Seis with a 15.445 and then the next day won the first round of the Rookie Futurity (3- and 4-year-olds beginning the 2024 futurity year) on Furyofprincessphoebe with a 15.479 to best 425 entrants for $7,661.
However, a week like this also serves as a reminder for the career futurity horse trainer to appreciate the highs that come after the lows she endured to get here.
“It’s been a good week for me, but a lot of people don’t realize — they read the articles and the Facebook posts, because nobody ever posts the negative — there’s a lot of heartache behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t get to see or read,” Willis said. “Things happen even to the best of the best. Anyone who trains and rides horses understands the heartache. Everyone sees the highs, the person who’s winning, the person having the great year. I know what it feels like, because I went through it this summer — it seemed like everyone was having a great year but me, and in reality everyone wasn’t, it’s just the ones you get to read about. You just have to put it in God’s hands, because I sure did my share of praying this summer.”
Over the summer, Leslie’s two winning open horses, Gimme Damoney and Im Gunnin For Ya, were injured. She had other horses get hurt over the summer and fall and soon felt like she didn’t have much to bring to the table in terms of mounts.
“I walked through the barn and felt like I didn’t have much to ride. But it made me focus on ‘Felice,’ my 4-year-old futurity horse, and then ‘Prince’ coming and winning the round. It made me focus on those guys, so everything happens for a reason, it’s just hard when it all doesn’t go the way you want it to go,” Leslie shared.
Prince has seen his fair share of struggles as well getting to the winner’s circle, too.
The Copper Spring Ranch-bred gelding’s pedigree is filled with lines that trace to some of the horses on which Leslie has won the most in her career — he’s by Furyofthewind, whose progeny Leslie has had great successes on, and out of Princess Phoebe, by Brimmerton and out of Phoebe Ryon.
“I found his mom at the Heritage Place Sale. His mom is out of Phoebe Ryon, who is the mother to Ryon Rocks, who I won Fort Smith on,” Leslie said of her 2017 Old Fort Days Futurity champion gelding. “I called Lisa [Anderson] at Copper Spring Ranch, and they bought her and bred her to ‘Fury.’ I was watching the Heritage yearling sale two years later, and he was in the sale. I wasn’t even there, and he wasn’t quite as straight as you’d want a racehorse, but we took a chance on him.”
As a 3-year-old last year, the gelding bruised his coffin bone playing across the fence with another colt, resulting in three months off. Leslie tried to sell him several times but, now thankfully, had no luck.
“It was one thing after another; it felt like he never got trained. He was behind, wasn’t going to be ready to go. I had several people come ride him but never got him sold. I guess the good Lord had a plan that we don’t know about, because it sure worked out,” Leslie said.
As a trainer, Leslie admits it can be hard to remain positive when times get tough or when things don’t feel like they’re working out. She said it’s the constant eb and flow of a new group of horses each year, hope in the future and a little bit of faith that keep her pushing forward and help her appreciate a week of good luck like she’s having at OKC even more.
“In our industry, [my husband] Jason always says look to the future. Keep looking at the colts, keep trying. There’s always a future for us. There’s a whole new group coming up for 2025, 2026. We have babies on the ground for years from now,” Leslie said. “Even though these open horses are hurt, we’ve got to keep training and keep going to the barn. Sometimes it is hard to go to the barn. As trainers, we get in a rut — get to the barn a certain time, leave at a certain time, ride a certain number of horses. Whereas when we were first starting, we didn’t have a schedule, we didn’t have a program, we didn’t have a way of training, we didn’t have that great of knowledge — we were just trying to make it work. Sometimes you have to get back to that, or take a day off and go swim at the pool or do something else. Believe it or not, it makes you feel better when you come back to the barn.”
She added thanks to her sponsors Classic Equine, Advanced Equine Nutrition, Cox Vet Lab, Seminole Feed and The Equine Hemp Solutions.
Janna Brown Earns Biggest Career Slot Race Title with SH Ima Bullionaire at OKC Futurity
OKLAHOMA CITY — December 6, 2023 — She’s an EquiStat earner of more than $1.2 million and has won multiple futurity and derby championships, but the biggest single payday on one run in Janna Brown’s career as a futurity trainer came Wednesday night at the 2023 OKC Futurity. Janna banked $95,000 for her biggest career futurity slot race win, thanks to a 15.636 on SH Ima Bullionaire.
Janna and “Timmie” set the pace early as the No. 2 draw of the evening and never relinquished their lead as the field of 34 young horses beginning their 2024 futurity campaigns gave it their best for the title.
“I knew a 15.6 was a good run, but I thought well, somebody will probably run a 15.5, because I was so early. When I finally realized I’d won, I looked at Timmie and was like ‘You did it!’ It was a lot of fun. It was one of those moments where all the work finally paid off, for that moment,” said Janna, who owns the gelding with her husband, Jody. “All the times I’ve messed up, all the horses I’ve started, all the times I thought I had something and it didn’t work — the most rewarding part about this one is he’s mine. I’ve trained a lot of horses for a lot of people, but there’s something about owning your own horse — it’s like I did it, we did it. He’s special, obviously, because he’s ours, and I’ve always liked him.”
Unlike the BFA SuperStakes a few weeks prior, which is only open to 3-coming-4-year-olds and requires them to have never made a competitive run prior to the race, the OKC Futurity Slot Race changed its rules this year to allow both coming 4- and 5-year-old horses to enter, so long as they did not compete prior to the traditional November 15 futurity year start date and did not run in any other stand-alone slot races.
Timmie is a 4-year-old who will run as a 5-year-old futurity horse in 2024, and the Browns have owned him since he was a yearling. Bred by Shantell Hayes, he’s by Bullseye Bullion and out of Last Honor Ta Fame by Una Frio Cerveza. Janna has ridden, trained and really liked three other Bullseye Bullion offspring and bought Timmie sight unseen from videos and photos.
“I didn’t even see him in person. The day I got him I was like, oh my gosh, he’s little! I didn’t like him any less for it. I love the way he’s made, he’s got really good bone, he’s just smaller,” Janna said. “He’s got a great personality, super friendly, wants to be in your business. He’s a pleaser.”
The gelding came along in training nicely and in line with Janna’s previous experiences riding Bullseye Bullions.
“He’s been easy. I’ve ridden three other Bulls babies, and they’ve all been super easy, willing, they don’t forget things and retain everything you show them. They try too hard sometimes and get themselves over-thinking, but super easy to train,” Janna said. “Timmie is mine, so he didn’t get rode every day. I didn’t start him until end of his 3-year-old year, because I got him broke a little later. Every day I rode him, he got better and better, and he wasn’t being ridden every day. Probably 20 times around the barrels, he was loping through pretty dang good.”
By the time she started adding speed, the only hiccups Janna encountered in Timmie’s training were due to an abundance of try and athletic ability.
“There’s been a few things I’ve had to work on — he’ll get in a hurry because he wants to do it so bad, and he’s really fast. He gets somewhere quick and then kind of scares himself. He’ll beat himself across the pen; he’s dirty fast,” Janna said. “Even his run in the slot race wasn’t perfect; he had some little moves there, like going to the third. He moves his feet really well, and the one thing about him I love is he pays attention to me, and he moves his feet. I love a horse that’s quick on their feet. His foot placement isn’t always perfect, but he’ll always come back to me.”
As any horse trainer knows, everything doesn’t always come together at the right time, even for the best horses and riders. Janna says this win on Timmie is exciting but overall just one stepping stone in both his life and her program of building solid barrel horses for the long haul, not just one run.
“Training horses is so up and down. I’ve learned not to have expectations anymore; they’re babies. He may not win another dime this week, but that run was when it really mattered to me this week, and it worked. I always thought he was capable of being that horse, and I know a 15.6 isn’t the fastest time running here, but he did exactly what I thought he could do. For me and my program, of course I love to win, but I want them to be solid and get better as they go,” Janna said. “Now I’m like OK, just keep building on this — stay solid, stay on track. I’m not going to try and win first every time, he’s a baby, but keep that solid pattern, keep his mind good, keep him sound, and it’ll end up working out.”
Marne Loosenort and Kingor Save the Best for Last to Top Round One of OKC Futurity
OKLAHOMA CITY — December 6, 2023 — As the very last to run in the field of 235 4- and 5-year-old futurity horses in Round One of the OKC Futurity, Marne Loosenort and Kingor ran a 15.307 to win the round for $3,554.
“The first and second felt really good, and I think I pushed him a little too deep into the third and he stepped out. I was really surprised he ran the time that he did, but he’s so fast he can make some of that up,” Loosenort said. “He’s super laidback, almost a little lazy, so I just wake him up and quicken his feet a little. I just make sure he’s coming to my hand and staying snappy.”
The 2018 gelding, bred by Jose R. Espinosa and owned by the longtime owner-trainer partnership of Danny Kingins and Marne Loosenort, is by First Moonflash and out of Final Form by Rare Form. The gelding has collected EquiStat earnings of about $23,000 this year, despite undergoing surgery in February to remove a bone chip in his right front fetlock that sidelined him for a couple months at the beginning of his futurity year. He came back strong, picking up major Open wins over the summer at races such as the Lucky Dog and Bonus Race Finals.
“He missed a lot at the beginning, but he’s been coming on. The biggest thing is trying to stay out of his way. He’s super nice, and he’s not as hard as I probably make him look to ride, but I just have to stay out of his way,” Loosenort explained.
The Hazel, Kentucky-based futurity trainer decided to rest the gelding and not run the second round, saving him for the Finals on Sunday with a safe qualifying time for the top 40.
“I hope it’s the right decision, but it’s what I’m going with,” Loosenort said. “I like to visualize a really good run on each horse, stay out of their way, try not to override the horse or get them too early — that’s one of my biggest faults is dropping the outside rein too early. I’m going to try and get the first barrel and then just let it happen.”
Brandon Cullins and MJ Segers Fast Lane Win First Go of OKC Derby
