The Wrangler Horse and Rodeo News

6 The Wrangler, Horse and Rodeo News • May 5-19, 2018 Oen & Mica McClung's PksOf Being Fams turny and she's never "She's honest, but really setty," said Oen, expounding on the mare's style. "She's not going to drop a shoulder on you, but she's really setty and wants to turn. She's not cheat-y at all. You just go as fast and as hard as you can the entire run." At their first futurity in the Northwest—the Sand Cup Futurity in Moses Lake—Oen caught a barrel in the first round to place really high but came back to place in the second. He said he was actually happy they got the knocked barrel out of the way before heading into the lucrative Barrel Daze, which is held on an extremely short course. "I honestly thought it was kind of going to be her thing," Oen said of the Barrel Daze setup, where because she won a go at Diamonds & Dirt, right down her alley as well. I was looking forward to running her in there because I know she's running by something. "I was a little a concerned about making two clean runs in there, but I just kept going forward. I never thought about asking Sweep VGBRA Bel Daze Futities her turn. It was just asking her arena." The victory in the $27,000-added Open Futurity was worth $7,271, while the Stallion Incentive Program victory was worth $5,345. Oen, who wanted to thank his intern Kelsey Hildebrand for all her help, had a very successful Northwest Futurity Run, having won the Sand Cup Futurity the week before on SR Moonshine OnRocks, owned by Valerie Smith-Rebholz. "I took four horses, and all four placed at least once or twice in the 1D of a futurity," he said. "I got two in the average at Sand Cup and two in the average at Walla Walla." Oen has the BBR World Finals Futurity in two weeks and that will be his last major futurity before the Old Fort Days at the end of May. As far as having Layla in his trailer, Oen said it's up to McClung, who isn't accustom to sending her futurity horses off to someone else to ride. "I told her when ever she's ready, I'll hand her back the lead rope," he said, "but maybe I'll get lucky and get to keep her through the BFA (in December)." By Tanya randall Million-dollar rider Pete Oen of Ardmore, Oklahoma, captured three futurity wins in a row with a clean sweep of the Valley Girls Barrel Racing Association's Barrel Daze with Monica McClung's PerksOf Being Famous ("Layla"). Oen and Layla topped both the Open and Stallion Incentive Program (SIP) futurities at the 40th Annual event, held April 13-15 in Walla Walla, Washington, for $12,616. "I didn't need to do anything but ask her to go fast," said Oen of the talented 4-year-old mare. "She's way like an ace rodeo horse. She has a lot of rate and wants to turn like all of Monica's seem to be. There's no doubt that Monica taught her to run barrels. Monica is known for training good, solid horses and several people have ridden behind her and been able to win. I've just been the jockey." Bred by Busby Quarter Horses in Millsap, Texas, Layla is by all-time leading barrel horse sire Dash Ta Fame out of French Lady Perks, a daughter of Frenchmans Guy out of the great Dash For Perks mare Lady Perks. McClung, a barrel horse trainer and rancher from May, Okla., purchased the filly as a 2-year-old and started her competitive career as a 3-year-old, earning a check in the BFA Juvenile. A busy schedule was going to keep McClung from making the Kinder Cup. Layla was entered in the slot race, so McClung hauled the mare to Oen, who was running horses at the Fort Worth Stock Show. Oen rode Layla once late one night at the Fort Worth and got to cruise her through the pattern. His exhibition before the slot race in Kinder was just the second time he'd been on her. "I asked Monica what I needed to do, and she told me that when I warm her up that I wanted her to feel like she wants to run off," he chuckled. "'Smooch her up and get her on her toes. When she feels like she wants to run off and is pulling into the bridle, she's ready.' I was like 'Okay…' That's pretty different from most of them that you want quiet and sneak up on the alley and go. Her you've got to get jazzed up and when they open the gate, you go as hard as you can go." Since he first climbed on the mare, Oen has won more than $22,000 on Layla prior to the Northwest Futurity Run. They were the reserve champions in the BFA Futurity at the Kinder Cup ($5,944) and were third in the Slot Consolation ($5,000). They were seventh at The Patriot ($1,867) and finished 16th at Diamonds & Dirt after winning the second round ($9,413). high 13-second runs usually set the bar in the Open races. "I know she can run long distance but I also think that small, quick, snappy, turn, turn, turn again kind of thing is to go as fast as she can the e n t i r e time we were in the rundoWn WiTH PeTe oen PerksOf Being Famous ("Layla") - 2014 Bay Mare Bit: Ray Maheu twisted-wire ring snaffle; warmup in a Loomis or Professional's Choice short shank Brittany Pozzi with a twisted snaffle mouthpiece Headgear: None Saddle: Carl Ammerman Saddle Pad: Best Ever Pad Leg gear: Iconoclast Feed: Bluebonnet Hay: Alfalfa Supplements: Med-Vet Pharmaceuticals Alternative Therapies: Theraplate, Equi-Resp Conditioning/Training Regimen: "These horses spoil me. There's not a whole lot to them beyond keeping them fit and their face a little bit soft. There's not much training. It's more just riding them around keeping them soft and correct. There might be a little refresher work here and there, but not anything that you would call barrel training." Sponsors: Med-Vet Pharmaceuticals, Equi-Resp, Bluebonnet Feeds, Outlaw Equine, Best Ever Pads, Iconoclast and Ammerman Saddlery

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