Mike Kunzler piloted the Woody Be Tuff son Celtic Tuff to his third major Intermediate heading title, while Logan Anseth jump-rode Royal Crown stallion Cashin N My Diamond by Time For The Diamond to the Intermediate heeling win this year at the Royal Crown in Buckeye, Arizona.
The Intermediate heading, held February 9, was the largest class of the weekend with 62 entries, while the heeling had 40 on February 10 at Buckeye Equestrian Center.
Celtic Tuff and Mike Kunzler
Celtic Tuff, who won the TX Best Futurity and the Royal Crown in Rock Springs in 2023, is out of the High Brow Cat daughter Sucha SmartLookn Cat. Before Buckeye, the 2018 gelding owned by Briena Nicole Wells, had $23,868 in earnings, and he picked up another $7,776 for the aggregate win plus $1,843 for the owners of Woody Be Tuff and $1,229 for the breeders at the Center Ranch. With Dakota Kirchenschlager on the back side, Kunzler and Celtic Tuff were 597.27 on four, a full 10 points ahead of the field, plus they won fourth in Round 1 worth another $500.
FULL ROYAL CROWN TEAM ROPING RESULTS
Cashing N My Diamond and Logan Anseth
Second callback Logan Anseth jump-rode the Andy-Holcomb-trained Royal Crown stallion Cashing N My Diamond to the Royal Crown Intermediate Heeling Title, with Holcomb on the head side. Cashing N My Diamond, by Time For The Diamond out of Aces N Hollywood by Aceenthehole, bested a tough field with a score of 593.49 on four head, worth $6,300 for owner Mark Beck, plus $1,440 for the stallion slot owner and $960 for Beck as the breeder.
Cashing N My Diamond’s Pre-Royal Crown QData Report
“Andy makes a horse very easy for different people to get on and ride them,” Anseth, 21, who works for Holcomb in Aromas, California. “And the way Andy can head and handle cattle makes it so much easier on my part.”
Holcomb swapped the horse to the heeling after Ken Wold showed him to $5,025 in reined cow horse earnings, and he won fifth in the Open and first in the Semi-Pro Sidepot in Rock Springs in 2023, too.
Anseth, originally from Oregon, has worked for Holcomb for about a year, and he first ran a few steers on the red dun stud early in his tenure there.
“When I roped on him last time, I I feel like I wasn’t at the stage I am now, and I didn’t really know how to ride a horse that was this quick-footed and could stop that hard,” Anseth admitted. “And so I just struggled getting timing with him. And this time, I’ve seen Andy ride him and heel hundreds of steers on him. So I kinda had a general idea of what I should do, and Andy just gave me a few little pointers and tips to help make it go a little smoother.”
While Anseth was nervous going into the short round, it wasn’t because he’s afraid of his boss’s reaction no matter how the roping ended up.
“Every day is a good day with Andy,” Anseth said. “Like, he never lets anything bother him, and he’s outstanding to work for. He’s always happy, and even if something bad happens, we always find something good to say about it.”
Cashing N My Diamond stands at Mark Beck Livestock, with a stud fee of $1,750 for 2024.
