Monday, June 9 at the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association (PCCHA) Reyzin The Cash Derby was all about Kenny Platt and his team of horses, who swept both the Open Derby and Classic/Challenge with scores of 225 and 227, earning a combined total of $28,000.
The horses that rose to the occasion were 6-year-old mare Cat, owned by Linda Holmes, and 4-year-old gelding Tsuenami, owned by Jesse Kennon.
2026 PCCHA Open Classic/Challenge Champion: Cat
Posting a score of 227, High Brow Cat mare simply registered as “Cat,” added $13,000 to her ledger with Platt aboard.
According to Platt, he’s been training her since the beginning of her 2-year-old year, but the two of them never clicked on a level that yielded results at the top limited-age event shows.
“She’s been a little more inconsistent than what I would like, ” Platt said. “And she’s always been a horse that I’ve had a catch rider on at the Fort Worth events. Monty Buntin made the Futurity finals on her, and I really like her. I just have never been able to make her my horse. I’m just glad to win on her finally.”
When it came to the competition Platt and Cat faced inside the South Point arena, he noted the cattle and his peers didn’t make winning easy.
“I just had the chance to cut three really good cows and in a good spot,” Platt said. “I just kept it really simple with her, and she just tried her [butt] off and it made it really easy to show her. This was kind of one of those runs that everything fit like it’s supposed to when it’s supposed to.”
With this win on their side, Platt is looking forward to the NCHA Summer Spectacular—the next major show on the schedule—with hopes Cat can continue to add to her lifetime earnings.
2026 PCCHA Open Derby Champion: Tsuenami
The PCCHA Open Derby Championship went to gelding Tsunami, earning $15,000 for the score of 225.
“Tsuenami has always been such a good horse and I’ve gotten into a good groove with him,” Platt said. “I won the novice on him at the Breeder’s Invitational a few weeks ago. And it’s the same [deal as Cat], I didn’t get to show him at the Futurity. I had a catch rider show him a Futurity and Super Stakes. Now, I kind of found a happy spot with him and gotten some consistency. He’s just such a cool little horse and has a cool style.”
Platt said their run came together as he was able to pick three “good” cows out and cut right in the middle of the area. He’s hoping the team can ride the figurative wave into the derby classes at the Summer Spectacular.