In its inaugural year, the Non Pro Cutting Challenge brought together 15 of the top non-pro cutters in the industry, but Debbie Day and Kat Play (Kit Kat Sugar x NQH Shadow Play) rose to the occasion when it mattered most. The pair marked a massive 229 at South Point Arena on Thursday, Aug. 13, during Cutting Horse Night, to win the championship by 2.5 points and take home $27,500.
Let the Horse Work
Day and “Kip” entered the cutting pen as the ninth draw and went straight to work. For Day, the key was trusting her seasoned gelding to do the job he knows so well.
“You have to let him do his thing and only help if you have to help,” she said. “But otherwise when his elevator goes down to work, I have to get down, stay down. You let him do it and stay out of his way.”
That trust paid off when the pair cut their second cow from the herd. Kip locked onto the cow and held it for nearly 30 seconds, bringing the South Point Arena crowd to its feet and creating one of the most electric moments of the evening.
For Day, though, there was only one thing on her mind: keeping the cow.
“I can’t lose that cow, I can’t lose that cow,” she said. “It kept pushing harder and harder on us and I thought, ‘oh my goodness, do I have to go to the buzzer on this cow? Is it ever going to turn away?’”
Kip never gave up, staying with the cow through the end of the run and helping Day put a 229 on the board—a score no one else could catch.
A Partnership Built on Trust
Day purchased Kat Play in 2022 after hauling with Monty Buntin. The decision came quickly.
“We went to Texas and tried him out,” she said. “He [Monty] worked him on a cow and I worked him on one cow and went ‘okay, that’s it.’ I love this horse.”
The partnership started strong, with Day taking Kip to the World Finals while Buntin continued showing him in aged events. But in 2023, Day underwent hip replacement surgery and stepped away from riding.
For the next three years, Buntin kept Kat Play in work and campaigned him across the country, adding open titles to the gelding’s already impressive résumé.
By the time Day climbed back into the saddle in 2026, Kat Play had earned more than $545,000 and had already experienced the bright lights of The Run For A Million. Buntin rode him to ninth in the 2023 Cutting Challenge for $7,000 before the pair returned in 2024 to finish second and earn $35,000.
Kat Play was inducted into the NCHA Hall of Fame in 2024, further cementing his status as one of the sport’s standout horses. These days, though, some of his favorite moments may be a little quieter — including Bemer sessions and treats from Day.
Back in the Saddle
In 2026, Day, also an NCHA Hall of Fame inductee, decided it was time to return to competition.
“This year I went, ‘Okay, Monty, I want my horse back,’” she joked. “He’s been very supportive and it’s worked very well all year.”
The combination of a seasoned trainer, an accomplished horse and the partnership Day had built with Kip made the transition back into the show pen easier. Still, Day knew she had to keep her nerves in check.
“I kept telling myself, ‘You can’t be nervous. You can’t be nervous. You just go in and do your job,’” she said. “And it works. I don’t get nervous on that horse. He’s one in a million. It’s a privilege to own him. I just have to keep doing my job on him.”
For Day, simply qualifying for The Run For A Million was already an accomplishment. She and Kip earned their spot at The Winter Bash, held Jan. 23-Feb. 6 at Bosque Ranch in Weatherford, Texas, winning the 7Up Non Pro with a 224 and taking home more than $20,000.
“What a thrill to be qualified,” she said. “The big job was getting here.”
Once she arrived in Las Vegas, Day found herself among a field filled with accomplished riders, including several million-dollar non-pros.
“I’m overwhelmed that I was in that group because there’s some fabulous riders and horses tonight that competed,” she said.
Instead of simply holding her own, Day and Kip walked away as the first champions of the Non Pro Cutting Challenge.
Day entered the event with more than $923,000 in lifetime earnings. The $27,500 championship check pushed her career earnings past the $950,000 mark.