Macie Rae Warken made it two in a row at the ARHFA Old West Futurity, doubling down in 2025 with a $78,550 day winning the Futurity Breakaway and Open Breakaway titles June 17.

The 17-year-old from Coronach, Saskatchewan, won the 6-&-Under Futurity Breakaway aboard SLR Twenty Twenty for $25,000, followed by another $25,000 for the Open Breakaway on FQH Chili Cat. Warken won another $4,000 between the rounds, $16,400 for second in the Open aggregate on SLR Twenty Twenty and $10,000 in the 19-&-Under Incentive. To win the roping two years in a row and pocket over $70,000 left Warken nearly speechless.

“Honestly, it’s so special,” Warken said. “I’m just so fortunate that I won it last year and then to come back and win it again, it’s just special. It’s so good. They put on such good production, and they’re trying to make the industry better, they’re putting up the money and it’s just so good. Even the calves are all good and everything.”

SLR Twenty Twenty

Though SLR Twenty Twenty finished the day first in the average with a 697.49 on three head, the 5-year-old gelding by Bet Hesa Cat out of Little O Lady by Smart Little Lena started the 6-&-Under Futurity Breakaway feeling green.

“He’s actually a really watchy horse, and so usually when I go somewhere, the first one he is a little green,” Warken explained. “And then he kind of starts to get locked on more, and he just matures more as we go on with the roping.”

Warken was right. With a 461.93 on two, Warken and SLR Twenty Twenty were high call, and they sealed the deal on the aggregate with a 235.56 in the short round.

“My heart was pumping going in at the high call,” Warken said with a smile. “I have this thing where I’ll swallow, and I’ll be like, ‘OK Macie, you still got to work for it. You still got to work for it on this run, you still got to be humble—anything can happen. You still got to go and catch this calf.’ When I back in there, I just try to make not as many moves, I guess, or make as subtle of moves as possible, just so then it’s so black and white that when I drop my hand, they can just leave and there’s nothing else going on, I’m not moving and everything’s kind of just calm in there.”

SLR Twenty Twenty came to the Warken Ranch as a 2-year-old from the Stump Lake Ranch in Canada. Kyle Wilson rode him as a 2-year-old and 3-year-old, then he found his way into Warken’s hands where he’s excelled as a calf horse.

“They heeled on him one day, took him ranching and stuff, and then he kind of just needed something to do, so it was like, well, let’s start breakawaying him,” Warken said. “So it give him something to do. He was too small to heel on and stuff, so then we started breakawaying on him, and he did good. I took him to the futurities last year, and he was a little green, but I was fortunate enough to win some money on him still. Then this year, he has just really stepped it up, and I mean, he’s been so good. Actually, he surprised me as how far he’s come.”

FQH Chili Cat

Warken’s main mount FQH Chili Cat kept Warken’s momentum rolling, winning Round 1 of the all-ages Open Breakaway with a 237.69.

Warken and the 7-year-old gelding by Secrets Smart Cat out of HR B Acre Smoke by MR Smoky Lena came back high call with a 472.47 on two, followed by SLR Twenty Twenty at second call. Juggling multiple horses all day, but especially in the short rounds, took clear focus.

“I was focused on getting my start, running in the middle of the calf and roping around the neck,” Warken said. “I mean, it seems like in the short rounds or whatever, it’s just roping them around the neck and I mean, let the judges do whatever they think is right.”

While the short round started slow, things heated up leading up to Warken. Boons Red Feather and 23-time World Champ Jackie Crawford were a 235.81 at sixth call, followed by 4-time NFR/NFBR qualifier Taylor Hanchey and Ohh Its A Boon with a 236.69. But the pressure was no big deal to Warken, posting a 235.01 on SLR Twenty Twenty and a 237.78 on FQH Chili Cat for first and second in the average.

“I mean, to win the 6-&-Under was just so good, and I’m so grateful,” Warken said. “And then to come back and be able to win some more, I’m just very grateful.”

The Warken family bought FQH Chili Cat as a 4-year-old, and Warken began showing him on the Canadian scene. Getting him to be a winner was a challenge, though.

“I never did any good on him in Canada, and then I took him to Gold Buckle Futurity the first year they had it in Belton and he did really good there,” Warken said. “That’s actually the time when I started getting along with him. I didn’t get along with him much for a year and a half riding him. He was just tough; he still likes to be tough, too. You can never be like, ‘Oh, you’re such a good boy.’ You got to make sure that he still knows that he’s got to do something.”