For Colby Lovell and Ty Arnold, winning $100,000 at the 2026 Riata Championships was about more than the check.
Lovell and Arnold won the Pro Futurity in Guthrie with a 34.82 on five head aboard Royal Underdog and Sugar Boom Boom, respectively, giving Lovell his third Riata Championship. But both horses carried a little extra meaning into the Lazy E: Royal Underdog came through Lovell’s own breeding program, while Arnold’s Sugar Boom Boom was raised by his longtime friend Justin Henson.
On this episode of The Score, Lovell talks about watching his breeding program come full circle and what it means to remember these horses from the day they were born. He also dives into the influence Metallic Payday has had on his program, what he looks for in a stallion and why great-minded horses with the ability to rise to the occasion have shaped the standard he tries to reproduce.
Arnold explains how Sugar Boom Boom came through Henson’s program before landing in his hands as a young horse, eventually becoming a horse he used every day and developed into the winner he rode at the Riata. He and Lovell also talk about their partnership at home, the importance of practicing against people who push you and the confidence that comes from knowing each man will handle his side of the run.
For Lovell, that trust showed up in the high call. Arnold said his only concern was doing his own job because he knew Lovell would give him the shot. Lovell echoed the same confidence from the other side: “If I do my job, Ty completes the course.”
The two East Texas cowboys break down the horses, the partnership and the years of breeding, training and preparation behind a Riata win that was anything but overnight.
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