Trevor Boatwright and Little Miss Metallic capped off a consistent week at the 2026 Old West World Championships in Amarillo, Texas, with a 229.22-point finals run to claim the Intermediate Pre-Futurity Heading title Oct. 17, earning $14,790.
The 24-year-old from Georgia rode the 4-year-old mare to an 899.44 on four head, finishing 4.06 points ahead of Culley Morgan and Vintage Roan, who took reserve with an 895.38 for $11,832. Colton McCarley and Seven S Huckleberry finished third with an 894.55 for $8,874.
Little Miss Metallic, by Metallic Malice out of Slidin To Chex, was bred by Amelia Hermann, is owned by Clay Franklin Dale and has been in Boatwright’s training program since August 2025, when the mare was 3.
“We got her last year as a 3-year-old about August, and we’ve just had her in training since,” Boatwright said. “She’s just been with us, and she’s a very gritty mare—she’s just been good.”
That grit carried the two of them through all four runs in Amarillo.
Boatwright and Little Miss Metallic opened the Pre-Futurity Heading with a 224.23 in Round 1, followed by a 224.47 in Round 2. Their 221.52 in the third round brought their three-head total to 670.22 heading into the Intermediate finals.
They didn’t cash a long round check, but three solid runs kept them in the hunt for the Intermediate title. Boatwright said the long rounds came down to good cattle and good starts.
“Kind of the same deal,” Boatwright said. “We just drew really good steers and got good starts on them—she was good all week.”
The finals were more of the same.
“It went really good today,” Boatwright said. “She was very good in the box, and I really drew a good steer and got a good start, and it all set up very well.”
That 229.22 was the mare’s best score of the week, and it was enough to win it.
When asked what makes her score well in a judged setting, Boatwright kept it short.
“I’m not really sure,” Boatwright said. “I guess that she stands in the corner very well, and she runs and rates. I mean, she just does all the aspects that you need to.”
Boatwright trains horses full time in Georgia, and he sees events like the Old West as a chance to measure his program against everybody else’s.
“It’s a great opportunity just to get to train horses back home and then come show them off and see how they’re doing and see what everybody thinks about it,” Boatwright said.