Tauna Alcorn double-dipped on her 7-year-old mare SJR Diamond Metalica to win first and fourth in the Riata #12.5, banking $172,000 between herself and partners Mike Bacon and Miles Baker from first and 30th callback Sept. 26 at the Lazy E in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

New Mexico’s Alcorn was 33.65 on four with Oklahoma’s Bacon, who rode 5-year-old Play Like Boon to also win the futurity incentive for an extra $8,000. She was 36.68 on four from last call with Texas’s Baker, who rode the Kaleb Terlip/Relentless Remuda/Solo Select-owned stallion Pride And Joyy.

Perfect Strangers

Before arriving at the Lazy E in Guthrie, New Mexico’s Alcorn and Oklahoma’s Bacon had never met. 

“I had never met Mike before yesterday,” Alcorn said. “He came up and introduced himself, but we’ve known each other. We have a lot of mutual friends, so I called him up. It was more like, oh my gosh somebody can rope behind me?”

“That’s ridiculous, right? She makes it easy,” Bacon said. “It was easy to rope behind her. We’re going to do it more often now I bet.”

Marepower

Alcorn made eight runs on the 7-year-old mare SJR Diamond Metalica in the #12.5 earning $86,000 total for her share. 

“She’s not a stranger to pressure,” Alcorn said. “I’ve kind of put it (pressure) on her. My husband took her to the Snaffle Bit Futurity when she was three and then I ran barrels on her, her five year old futurity year. Then we went straight to the rope horse futurities. So, she’s solid.”

The setup at the Lazy E was perfect for the 7-year-old mare. 

“This is just her thing,” Alcorn said. “She likes the smaller cattle. She’s not a huge horse so if I get into the lower numbered ropings with her, she does struggle a little bit. In the higher numbered ropings, she’s quick footed. I’ve never had to worry about the start with her. She’s short, compact and quick footed. 

Bacon struck gold when he started Play Like Boon in 2023. 

“This is my first Once In A Blu Boon,” Bacon said. “My buddy, Brad Spann raises them and that’s his horse. I started her in February 2023 and went to heeling on her in March. Then I took her to Vegas that December. She was just easy to train, you know.”

“She was started as a cutter but they said she was just too big to cut,” Bacon said. “She’s been really easy. She went right to work, really. I mean I put her in the World Series roping, just threw her in there and she went to doing it.”

Related:

• Switchender: Colby Lovell’s and Kory Koontz’s Abby
• SJR Diamond Bond and Rhen Richard Win Second Consecutive Royal Crown 4-&-Under of 2022
• SJR Diamond Billy & Billie Jack Saebens Get 6-&-Under *Heading* Win for $39K at First Gold Buckle Futurity
• Richard and SJR Diamond Bond, Rice and First Class Vintage Claim Royal 4-Year-Old Titles in Buckeye
• NOPE, Different Buckskin: Cody Snow to Debut Southern Ranches’ Futurity Standout SJR Diamond Billy at Bob Feist Invitational

The Riata Buckle has been full of winning mare power this week. 

“Every good horse I can think of has been a mare,” Alcorn said. “I don’t know if it’s just ‘bad luck’ that I always end up with mares, but I’ve never had them turn their nose up at me. So I’ve put up with the little silly quirks. This mare, she acts like a gelding, so I’ve been lucky on that part.”

“I’ve had a couple of good ones (mares),” Bacon said. “They’re just gritty. You can ride them every day if you want to, there’s no quit. I mean, they’re mean, mines mean. She kicks stuff standing in a stall, kicking the stalls. They’re all good, though. I like that stuff, I guess, because all my horses are good.”

#12.5 All – Total Payoff – $792,000