Fiddle And Steel must really like Will Rogers Coliseum.
The red roan stallion and Brandon Westfall returned to the scene of their biggest triumph to win the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Super Stakes 4-Year-Old Non-Pro. The winning 225.5-point run on Friday, April 16, in Fort Worth came just four months after they won the NCHA Futurity Non-Pro title in December 2020 with a crowd-rousing 227.
“We had a really deep draw in the finals but there were a few cows we really liked,” said Westfall, of Granbury, Texas. “The first cow started good so we built from there. ‘Fiddle’ felt good, really dialed in.”
The red roan stallion by Equi-Stat Elite $41 Million Sire Metallic Cat was bred, raised and trained by Westfall’s parents, Russ and Janet. The family also bred and showed “Fiddle’s” dam, Lil Bit Reckless, a daughter of CD Royal who has an Equi-Stat record of $230,923 in the cutting pen, and as a broodmare has foaled the earners of nearly $300,000. With more than $126,893 in earnings, Fiddle And Steel is her leading performer.
“It’s really neat. I showed the mare when she was older, and I was little. My parents did well on her and she’s gone on to be a good broodmare,” Westfall said.
“Fiddle is as smart as his mom and has been a little easier to train. She was a pretty good size, but he is so strong and so athletic that it’s easy for him. Sometimes, it can feel like we’re in a bind. I’ll think I over-sent him right there and that he is fixin’ to miss this cow, but he’s like ‘I got it.’
“He won’t miss it.’”
estfall plans on attending the Breeders Invitational in May and plans to stay home until the NCHA Summer Spectacular in July. The 20-year-old rider gave a shout out to his turnback help during the show, which included his dad, Clint Allen, Boyd Rice, Morgan Cromer, Casey Green and Tatum Rice.
“Winning this has dang sure one of the accomplishments I hadn’t won yet so it feels good to win that too,” he said. “I also want to thank my parents first and foremost and my friends for always having my back.”