NRCHA Hall-of-Fame inductee and $2 million rider Boyd Rice added a timely win to stallion Blu Genes’ resume Feb. 2, topping the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Invitational Fence Challenge inside the John Justin Arena.
Riding the 6-year-old stallion—by Once In A Blu Boon and out of Lil Miss Shiney Nic—Rice won a runoff against Emily Kent to earn $3,695.
While it’s likely not the largest payout Blu Genes will see in his career, the victory provided valuable mileage in the same arena that will soon host the National Reined Cow Horse Association’s Celebration of Champions, which begins Feb. 14.
Owned by a partnership between Taylor Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch and Kit Moncrief, Blu Genes has been under Rice’s program since his 3-year-old year.
“I showed him at the Snaffle Bit Futurity when he was a 3-year-old,” Rice said. “He’s been a good horse the whole time.”
The stallion’s path to this point has included several interruptions, with Rice noting a series of physical setbacks earlier in his career—including a throat procedure and other soundness concerns—that are now behind him.
“Now we’ve got him healthy and he’s rocking and rolling,” Rice said.
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First Show in the Bridle
The Fort Worth Invitational Fence Challenge also marked Blu Genes’ first time competing in the bridle and romal setup in the show pen, something Rice had prepared for extensively at home.
“I’d rode that horse in the bridle a lot and he took it good,” Rice said. “When I put that bit in his mouth getting ready for that fence challenge, he just took right to it.”
Rice explained that the transition itself wasn’t the challenge—rather, adapting to the romal reins takes time for most horses.
“The bit isn’t the problem,” Rice said. “It’s the romals where you’ve got a fist around the reins… it just takes them a while to get used to that neck rein.”
Despite still developing full refinement in the bridle, Blu Genes’ natural cow sense carried the pair through the fence work.
“He’s so hooked to that cow and the fence work that I didn’t have to do much,” Rice said. “As soon as that box was over and I rode around that corner, he pretty much knows where to get and got it on right there.”
Building Confidence Ahead of “The Celebration”
The Invitational Fence Challenge provided Rice with a valuable opportunity to give Blu Genes another competitive trip inside the John Justin Arena ahead of the NRCHA World Finals.
Rice said his approach in the cow work remains simple.
“Every time they let the cow in, you can’t really have a plan,” Rice said. “I try to keep myself amped down… and after I got that first turn, I just went and worked it.”
Blu Genes’ strongest attribute, according to Rice, is his ability to drive up the fence and circle cattle with minimal guidance.
“He’ll run up there fast and circle them tight—and he’ll do it on a loose rein,” Rice said.
The pair will return to Fort Worth for the Celebration of Champions, where Blu Genes is entered in the Open Hackamore after qualifying last season.