It would make sense that, over the grueling conditions of team-roping futurities all season, 6-year-old horses would have the most success. But Bama Fury and Nu One Time Blues do not make sense. They are 4. And they are freaks. Each earned more than $67,000 in 2023 at the hands of Trevor Brazile and Joseph Harrison, respectively, to rank in the top five of all futurity money-winners in 2023—against 5- and 6-year-olds. In fact, Brazile's and Miles Baker's Relentless Remuda owned the two winningest horses of the season in head horses Step N Small Town (“Kobe”) and Bama Fury (“Bugatti”). And, listen: Bugatti is now healed up, but in August he took a bad step at Rock Springs' Royal Crown Futurity and never even got hauled to the last three shows of the year.
Year's best
The top cat in '23 was Kobe, the brown 6-year-old gelding by Wimpys Royal King out of Small Town Blondys by Von Starlight, that came from the rope horse training program of Canadians Vaughn Warken and Kiel Wilson for Gerold and Maureen Arnold before he was added to the Remuda. Last February, Brazile said the horse “feels like you're riding a rodeo horse in the futurity.”
That works great for three-time NFR header Clint Summers, who
