Woody Be Tuff Claims Inaugural Gold Buckle Futurity Top Sire Bronze Thanks to $80,500 in Offspring Earnings

In just three days in Belton, Texas, Woody Be Tuff's offspring banked $80,500 across the heading, heeling, tie-down and breakaway at the first Gold Buckle Futurity, making Woody Be Tuff the top-earning sire at the inaugural $660,100-event.

Owned by Solo Select and Kaleb Terlip, Woody Be Tuff is a 2001 stallion by Nitas Wood out of Tuffs Junie by Tuff Lena.

Woody Be Tuff is the top rope horse sire of 2023 and stands at the Lazy E Ranch. | Solo Select Photo

Woody Be Tuff's Gold Buckle Futurity Top Earners

Metallic Hardwood, the 2019 gelding out of MetallicAlexis by Metallic Cat, headlined Woody Be Tuff's top-earners at the Gold Buckle Futurity. Shown by Andy Holcomb and owned by two-time PRCA World Champion Kaleb Driggers, Metallic Hardwood took home $35,000 between winning the Gold Buckle Futurity Incentive in the Futurity Heading and winning second in the main average of that roping with a score of 893.58 on four head.

Woody Be Tuff's Stallion Incentives: Breeders Invitational, Gold Buckle Futurities, NCHA Super Stakes, NRCHA Stallion Stakes, Riata Buckle, Royal Crown Roping and The Diamond Classic

Driggers' other 4-year-old, CR Pepto Tuff Lena, by CR Catalena Cat by High Brow Cat, won $31,000 across the tie-down roping, breakaway and heeling thanks to the handy work of Beau Peterson, Trevor Hale and Kollin VonAhn.

Trevor Hale on CR Pepto Tuff Lena in the Gold Buckle tie-down roping futurity, where they won $21,000. | Elite Equine Promotions

"They are both very level-headed, they are only 4 years old, and you wouldn’t know it,"Driggers said. "Both are very easy going and have a good presence. It doesn’t matter what event they are doing, the judges like them."

Speaking of top earners, Woody Be Tuff's prolific son Zak 34 showed up at the Gold Buckle Futurity, too, under the guidance of ARHFA World Champion Andy Holcomb. Zak 34, who's earned over $305,000 in NRCHA competition, added $4,500 to his LTEs by winning third in the heading maturity at the Gold Buckle with Holcomb, an impressive feat in a tough field for his very first roping appearance.

Andy Holcomb and Woody Be Tuff son Zak 34 en route to third place in the Gold Buckle Heading Maturity. | Elite Equine Promotions Photo

Woody Be Tuff's Rope-Horse Revolution

While QData and EquiStat are still updating their 2023 leaderboards, Woody Be Tuff entered December the roping industry's top sire of the year.

"Woody Be Tuff has long been one of the industry's preeminent sires in the cutting and the cow horse," co-owner Ty Smith said. "The opportunities we've seen in the team roping in the last few years have incentivized breeders to up their game on the rope-horse side of the business, and the horsepower we're seeing now speaks for itself. Woody's size, athleticism and mind make him the perfect fit for all of the roping disciplines, and I'm not surprised his offspring are performing in every event."

Woody Be Tuff stands at the Lazy E Ranch in Guthrie, Oklahoma. By Nitas Wood out of Tuffs Junie by Tuff Lena, Woody Be Tuff's 2024 stud fee is $6,500 (frozen), $4,500 (ICSI).

Woody Be Tuff has just begun his journey into the rope horse side of things, with mares like Junior Nogueira's Apache R Hali and Cody Snow's Ima Fresnos Dee on his books in recent years, and more crosses with top performers planned for 2024.