Dynamic Duo: Special Nu Baby and Special Nu Kitty Do Mama Proud

It’s a feather in any broodmare’s cap to be a million dollar producer. Recently, two sisters joined their mother in achieving that rare feat—making for more than $3.6 million in earnings between the three matriarchs.

The two mares to achieve the feat—Special Nu Kitty (by High Brow Cat) and Special Nu Baby (by Dual Rey)—are both out of EquiStat Elite $1 Million Producer Nu I Wood (by Zack T Wood). Each sister now has more than $1 million in progeny earnings, according to EquiStat.

It’s no surprise the two sisters hit the prestigious milestone, as their offspring have been fixtures at the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Open finals and in NCHA World Standings for years.

The two mares are owned by Ten/27 Ranch (Special Nu Kitty) and Gary and Shannon Barker (Special Nu Baby). Both sets of owners said they are proud to be part of the legacy of one of the two great mares.

Elizabeth Quirk, of 10/27 Ranch, said “it’s just an honor to be part of this mare’s story.” The ranch bought Special Nu Kitty in February from long-time owner Julie Wrigley.

“The credit goes to Clint Allen, who trained her. R.L. Chartier, showing her…the whole crew that showed her, and then obviously Julie Wrigley and her incredible, incredible program with Wrigley Ranches,” said Quirk, who also praised the mare’s former owner Gary Rosenbach for his part in her breeding success. “And then, just for them to think enough of us to then hand over the reins for us to own this mare, it’s honestly surreal. It truly is.

“It’s hard to put into words just what she means to us and our program.”

Special Nu Baby

Special Nu Baby was so impressive when Barker saw her for the first time, he had to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.

“We went down and looked at her once and she really impressed me and I thought, well, this may have been her best day in her training so far, I need to see again. So I went back in a couple of days and she was better the next time I saw her. But, she was just so physical and so dynamic,” he said. “This was probably in January of her 3-year-old year.”

While Matt Gaines rode the mare for much of her career, Barker also showed her himself.

The mare, as Barker recalls, was “very quick.” She was fast getting to the herd and powerful once she started working the cattle.

“The mare has a fast walk going to the herd,” Barker said. “Matt told me…the first time I showed her he said ‘Don’t get scared. You’re gonna think that she’s not ready to show, because she’s gonna walk so fast.’ She does, but when you drop your hand , you better be ready to hang out because she’ll send you out the back or over the front of the saddle.”

An NCHA Open World Champion, Special Nu Baby’s biggest year in the show pen came in 2015 when she won five NCHA/World Series of Cutting events and and placed third in the NCHA Open World Finals. That’s in addition several major aged event victories during her younger years. In all, the mare earned $486,156 during her show career.

While Barker could have sold Special Nu Baby as a blue chip broodmare prospect after her show days were over, he chose to keep her. In addition to riding her, he’d spent a lot of time with the mare rehabbing her from a tendon injury she suffered her 4-year-old year. It was a long process, though one he followed diligently, and she had her biggest year in the show pen after she recovered.

“We worked for about two years rehabbing her and then that’s when Matt [Gaines] went back showed her that year and won the World [Championship],” he said. “So, I got pretty close to her doing all that rehab stuff.”

Unlike Special Nu Kitty, whose leading earners are geldings, Special Nu Baby’s star performers are mares. Her leading earner is multiple aged-event champion Baby Talk, a winner of $312,004.  Her second- and third-leading earns are full sisters sired by EquiStat Elite $70 Million Sire Metallic Cat: Ms Baby Cakes ($227,720) and Empress ($210,653). 

• Baby Talk: A 2007 daughter of Smooth Talkin Style, Baby Talk placed third in the NCHA Futurity Open and went on to win multiple aged-event cuttings over the years, including 5/6-Year-Old Open titles at the Abilene Cutting Spectacular and the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association Derby show.
• Ms Baby Cakes: An NCHA Futurity Open finalist, Ms Baby Cakes won the 4-Year-Old Open at the West Texas Futurity and earned the Co-Reserve Championship in the Breeder’s Invitational 5/6-Year-Old Open. She also earned titles in the Amateur and Non-Pro competing under breeder Gary Barker and subsequent owner Cristina Cox.
• Empress: A 2020 mare, Empress earned the major of her career total—$152,516—by tying for third in the 2023 NCHA Futurity Open with Wesley Galyean. She also earned a $50,000 incentive in that class from Rocking P Ranch, owner of Metallic Cat. 

Overall, Special Nu Baby is the dam of 17 money-earning foals who have earned a total of $1,183,165 with an average of $69,598 per earner, according to EquiStat. They were sired by Smooth Talkin Style and Metallic Cat—who fathered her leading earners—as well as Smooth As A Cat, Hottish, High Brow Cat, Third Cutting and Kit Kat Sugar. 

Special Nu Kitty

Special Nu Kitty was ridden during her show career by then-owner Julie Wrigley as well as Clint Allen, R.L. Chartier, Jason Clark and Sheridan Clark. In addition to being an NCHA Futurity Open finalist, she and Wrigley won the Breeder’s Invitational Derby Non-Pro. Chartier’s highlights aboard the mare include an Open Reserve Championship in the NCHA Summer Spectacular 5/6-Year-Old and third place in the NCHA Super Stakes 5/6-Year-Old. She retired with $305,585 in earnings, according to EquiStat. 

The mare’s illustrious breeding career was launched and nurtured for years by Wrigley, who has bred most of the money earners the mare has foaled so far. Now, the mare’s production is being guided by Ten/27 Ranch LLC, of Denham Springs, Louisiana.

Quirk, one of cutting’s top non-pro riders, owns and rides one of the mare’s top earners, Hott Nu Cowboy, and has long been one of her admirers. Owning such a horse is not something she takes lightly, and she’s quick to credit Wrigley for helping the mare become the successful broodmare she is today.

“It’s a huge feat to bear, but we are just honored to have the opportunity to have her,” she said.

Prior to buying Special Nu Kitty, Quirk’s family had purchased breedings from Wrigley to pair with their stallion, NCHA Futurity Open Reserve Champion Badboonarising. The stallion’s first foals turn 3 this year and two of them, Miss Nu Booty and Dark Side O The Moon, are out of Special Nu Kitty. The mare also has a 2-year-old, Rising Nu Boon, sired by Badboonarising.

“We’re really seeing just these babies come on and when we began conversation with Julie, it just it seemed like it would be a good fit, and we wanted just to provide her a forever home and the opportunity for her legacy to continue and for us to breed her in all the ensuing years essentially.”

The mare is a character.

“Tons of personality—I see where Hott Nu Cowboy gets it from,” Quirk said. “She is full of life. She loves to eat, so that’s how she got her name. She comes by it honestly, being named ‘Piglet.’ But, she doesn’t act like she’s 20 years old.”

Special Nu Kitty’s top money earners are all geldings who had successful aged event careers as young horses and then continued their winning ways in Weekend cutting events. One has already been part of an NCHA World Championship run, and the other two have earned money in the Non-Pro World standings this year.

• Special Nu Boon ($356,436): A 2016 gelding by EquiStat Elite $5 Million Sire Boon Too Suen, Special Nu Boon placed third in the 2017 NCHA Futurity Open with Michael Cooper. With his career now in Weekend event cuttings, Special Nu Boon continued to show in 2024 with owner Frank Martin. As of press time, Martin ranked eleventh in the NCHA World Championship Non-Pro standings in part thanks to Special Nu Boon’s winnings.
• Hott Nu Cowboy($345,169): Another offspring of Special Nu Kitty who is currently being hauled as part of a World title race, Hott Nu Cowboy was a frequent Open finalist during his aged event career. Now, he is one of multiple horses being ridden by Quirk, who currently ranks leads the NCHA World Championship Non-Pro standings. In 2023, Quirk rode Hott Nu Cowboy to the NCHA World Finals Show Championship. 
• Old Towne Road($116,812): A 2016 gelding by Docs Stylish Oak, Old Towne Road participated in an NCHA World Championship race in 2023. It was a winning effort, as he was one of the horses owner Molly Bellefeuille rode to the $50,000 Amateur World Championship. Earlier in his career, he was a finalist in many aged-event cuttings. 

In total, Special Nu Kitty is the dam of 12 money-earning foals who banked a total of $1,202,270. They averaged $100,189 per earner. They were sired by Boon Too Suen, Hottish, Docs Stylish Oak, One Time Pepto, Rollz Royce and Peptoboonsmal.