Kelle Smith
Kelle Smith and Rufanicki claimed their second win of the early futurity season when their score of 219.5 won the John Deere Futurity Non-Pro at the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic in Tulsa, Okla.
The striking brown colt is by Lil Ruf Peppy and out of one of Smith’s all-time favorite show horses, Chexanicki by Bueno Chexinic. Lil Ruf Peppy is an NRHA Million Dollar Sire and Chexanicki is the mare Smith rode to win $89,696, which included a Reserve in the Non-Pro at the 2003 Congress Futurity. In 2004 they won the Non-Pro divisions at the Carolina Classic, Gordyville and NRHA Derby, and in 2005 they took the Non-Pro title at the NRBC. Chexanicki is now owned by Cinder Lakes Ranch, Powell Butte, Ore.
In July, Smith and Rufanicki won the Non-Pro at the Rocky Mountain Summer Slide Futurity in Denver, Colo. The win in Tulsa added $4,268 to their earnings.
Although Smith, Marietta, Okla., has more than $338,000 in NRHA earnings and two NRHA Futurity titles to her credit (2003 on See Ya At Seven and 2006 on JD Conquista Anna), she said Rufanicki is the first stallion she has ridden.
“He was pretty much the same horse as he was in Denver, but I might be getting with him a little better,” Smith said. “He’s pretty simple and even though he’s a stallion, I treat him like a mare.”
She and her husband, trainer Sam Smith, raised Rufanicki. Sam rode him until about a week before his wife showed in Denver. Kelle plans to continue to show him.
“He’s so much like his mother, it’s just like riding her all over again,” she said.
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