Smooth Metallica and Rebelious Lil Sister Lead the Open Divisions at the 2026 Augusta Futurity 

James Bradley Mitchell Cashes in with Smooth Metallica in the 4-Year-Old Open

NCHA $3 Million Rider James Bradley Mitchell guided Smooth Metallica (Smooth Talkin Style x Metallic Alley) to the top of the 4-Year-Old Open leaderboard at the 2026 Augusta Futurity, securing the championship with a score of 222. In a tightly contested class where scores stayed close throughout the finals, the pair’s run proved decisive, earning more than $47,000 in class earnings and incentives for owners Brad and Anna Mitchell.

The win marked a major early-season highlight for the 2022 red roan gelding, who continues to build on a strong foundation laid in his 3-year-old year. Just weeks earlier, Mitchell and Smooth Metallica competed at the 2025 NCHA Futurity, finishing 17th, where their score of 210 added more than $36,000 to the gelding’s earnings.

Gavin Callahan and Rebelious Lil Sister Return to the Top in the 5/6-Year-Old Open

The Augusta Futurity has proven to be familiar territory for Gavin Callahan and Rebelious Lil Sister (Metallic Rebel x Catscratch Sister), and 2026 was no exception. After capturing the 4-Year-Old Open Championship at Augusta in 2025, the pair returned this year to claim the 5/6-Year-Old Open title, adding another chapter to an already impressive résumé.

The 2021 red roan mare, known as ‘Aubrey,’ delivered a standout performance in the finals, posting a commanding 225. That score put Callahan comfortably ahead of the field by six points and earned more than $22,000 in class earnings and incentives for owner C4 Cutting Horses LLC of Rocky Point, North Carolina.

Results

4-Year-Old

5/6-Year-Old