PASO ROBLES — Entries, purses and prizes all increased at this year’s National Stock Horse Association Futurity, and one rider in particular seemed to be in a zone. The Zane Zone.

Idaho-based Zane Davis, who had his breakthrough year in 2009 when he won the NSHA Futurity Open on Reymanator (Dual Rey x Savannah Hickory), did it again this year aboard Michelle Cannon’s Shiney Outlaw (Shiners Nickle x Mereyda), topping a long list of quality 3-year-olds to earn $15,900.

Davis also brought west Reymanator, who thrilled the Paso Robles Events Center crowd in winning the 2015 World’s Richest Stock Horse competition, sponsored by Hearst Ranch Winery, to become the first NSHA Triple Crown Champion — winner of its Futurity, Derby and World’s Richest events.

Comparisons of Reymanator and “Outlaw” are inevitable now, and the diminutive stud colt has an ambitious track to follow. Reymanator went on to win the 2009 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity and its $100,000 purse by a decisive 5.5 points. Davis is excited about the 3-year old, though, whose competitiveness caught him by surprise.

“At home, I thought he was a good horse, but I didn’t know he was going to be my best horse,” said Davis, who brought two of his four snaffle bit prospects to Paso. “I had another one that I thought might be a little better than this horse, but when we got to the show, Outlaw turned out to be the one that wanted to be a show horse.

“He was always a big stopper and things like that,” he added. “I really didn’t know what I had until I got to the show. He came shining through. I couldn’t believe it. He was way better at the show than he was at home.”

Although different, the two horses seem to share a competitiveness, a trait that Davis said separates Reymanator from the field.

“Outlaw has not been difficult to train, and the Reymanator was a little different,” Davis said. “He fit me perfectly, but he was — and still is — tough to train. He’s a knothead.

But the thing about him is, he’s a winner. For whatever reason, the horse is a winner.

It’s like people — you watch them practice and ask,’why is this the best-paid quarterback in the NFL?’ But when they get on the field in those clutch moments, they come out and really shine. That’s kind of how The Reymanator has been. He’s not pretty. He doesn’t do anything pretty. Hes just a real competitor for some reason.”

Three-time NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman Russell Dilday watched Reymanator’s winning World’s Richest fence work this year from the warm-up pen.

“I saw him turn down the fence, and they were running so fast, he kind of went out of sight at the corner,” Dilday said. “I thought there was no way he wasn’t going to tear out the end of the arena. I’ve seen a lot of speed, and that’s as fast as a cow and a horse can run. To make that big turn that fast without tearing the end of the arena out — that makes it exciting and fun for everybody. You never see Zane and Reymanator go slow in the fence work. And he’s always been like that.”

This year’s NSHA Futurity was the brightest in years, with more entries (575), purse ($252,975) and World’s Richest entries (30). The sale was a hit, too, with 21 head in the sale. Eleven sold for an average of $12,675, and the sale-topper was Great Billys Cool Cat, consigned by Julie Anne O’Rears, who brought $45,000 from new owner Patti Chiarelli of Simi Valley.

The World’s Richest followed an innovative format this year that included divisions for limited open and non pro competitors in addition to the big guns in the open.

“There are 10 to 15 heavy-hitters, and everybody knows who they are,” Dilday said. “There also are 60 head of bridle horses out there that are just on the verge — but those owners don’t want to send those horses to that World’s Richest against the Reymanators and Oak Olenas and get their heads torn off and handed to them. And, we also had the non pros who always wanted to be in a primetime event. So, we put all three classes together.”

The herd portion was eliminated to pick up the pace, and the horses’ earnings (not the riders’) determined the Open or Intermediate Open placement. It went well.

Dilday sees the NSHA Futurity is again gaining momentum, from competitors, owners and sponsors.

“We’ve got over a big hump,” he said. “I’m grateful for all our sponsors, and Lucas Oil has really stepped up. The partnership is a win-win.”

This year’s NSHA Futurity felt the absence of Jimmy Flores, Sr., who missed the NSHA Futurity for the first time when he was diagnosed with cancer Aug. 12 (related story, page 39). The cow horse community rallied with a heartfelt fund-raiser at the show that raised the Flores family $14,000 in two days to assist with their ravaging medical expenses.

Flores died Sept. 7.

“I would like to thank all the people,” said Dilday. “We put on that benefit, and everybody helped, raising the money in a couple days when we went in not even knowing it was going to happen. Not just the money, but all the great items in the auction.

“Jimmy Flores was a good person who worked hard and treated everyone very, very well,” he added. “He will be missed bigtime.”

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