EquiStat Elite $3 million rider Roger Wagner appeared in the United States to ride two horses in the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) World Championship Futurity. He and Rollzana (Rollz Royce x Wendels Little Missy x High Brow CD) were crowned Intermediate Open Champions on November 20th at the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum.
Rollzana is the top modern sire Rollz Royce until 2023 and only the third-earning offspring of Wendels Little Missy (by High Brow CD). Van Bokel Hog Farms of Ontario, Canada, owned Wendel's Little Missy during her show career and bred the mare to eventually raise Rollzana.
The Canadian-bred horse was ridden by an Australian trainer. Wagner currently lives in Australia, but trained cutting horses in the United States for about a decade, winning major titles such as the 2004 NCHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion, the 2007 and 2013 NCHA Classic Challenge Open Championship, the 2011 NCHA Summer Spectacular Derby Open Champion and the NCHA 2013 Super Stakes Classic Open champion. He rode influential top horses such as Quintan Blue (Mecom Blue x Quiolena x CD Olena) and Stylish Martini (Docs Stylish Oak x Miss Martini Play x Freckles Playboy).
“I’ve been here for a week watching them ride,” Wagner said. “So far her personality has been really good. It was really basic for me to get along and get along with her in a timely manner.”
Although Wagner hasn't ridden Rollzana long, he gets along well with the newborn mare, who is trained by EquiStat Elite $4 Million Rider Grant Setnicka.
“She's just extremely shy and very precise. “I really don't miss a cow, and what I love most about her is just the look on her face, she looks like a pointer dog,” Setnicka said.
Wagner supported Setnicka's statements about her shyness and style. He also explained how demanding the cattle were throughout the Futurity.
Rollzana's style in the showpen sets her apart. *Photo by Amy Olson
“The first black cow did pretty well and then the second cow probably did a little better, then the last Brangus cow we cut did really well and finished sturdy,” Wagner said. “So I’m very ecstatic with what we ended up with because it wasn’t a massive bunch of cows.”
Wagner and Rollzana scored 219 on their first attempt, setting up a sturdy show. He said it was arduous to make up ground against the Cows in the second round, but Rollzana scored a 215 and punched her ticket to the Intermediate Open final as well as the Open semifinal.
They received $29,274 for their win in the Intermediate Open final.
“The way she uses her head and neck at this level I think is the only thing that makes a difference because all horses are trained that way, but when they look like that, that's the difference between a 19 and a 24,” said Setnicka.
Setnicka and Wagner are both looking forward to taking the horse to the semifinals for owner Van Bokel Hog Farms.
