If you have been keeping up the NCHA this summer, you won’t be surprised that Matt Gaines and Special Nu Baby have added yet another title to their resume. Marking a 229, the team won the Mercuria NCHA World Series of Cutting Open Finals championship this past weekend in Las Vegas at the South Point Equestrian Center.
Special Nu Baby is owned by Gary and Shannon Barker of Madill, OK. She is a nine year old mare out of Dual Rey and Nu I Wood. Her lifetime earnings surpass $415,000 and has over $70,000 won in just 2015 and has double the earnings of second place in the NCHA Open standings. Marking a 229 isn’t out of the ordinary for “Baby”, she and Matt marked a 230 this Spring at the San Antonio Stock Show to get the win.
Baby is a “once in a lifetime” horse and I cherish every day I get to walk to the herd on her.
Matt and Baby’s partnership is somewhat nostalgic because he rode her dam, Nu I Wood, to 6 NCHA Championships and earning over $400,000. When talking about Baby, Matt said, “Baby is a “once in a lifetime” horse and I cherish every day I get to walk to the herd on her. This team has had an exceptional year and it will be exciting to see how it all concludes.
