Biography
Kelby Phillips and Hickory Holly Time set what was then the highest composite score in World's Greatest Horseman history — 890.5 — in a 2018 championship performance that the Fort Worth crowd would not soon forget. The One Time Pepto stallion was electric across all four events, combining the precision required in rein work with the natural cattle ability that cow work and herd work demand, and the raw athleticism that steer stopping requires. Phillips delivered the kind of championship performance that redefines the standard of what excellence at the WGH level looks like.
One Time Pepto bloodlines had been reshaping the cutting horse world for years, and Hickory Holly Time brought that influence to the WGH stage with full force. The stallion's natural cow ability was extraordinary — the kind of instinct that cannot be trained into a horse, only developed and channeled by a horseman skilled enough to do it. Phillips' ability to harness that talent and present it in the structured demands of WGH competition reflected horsemanship of the highest caliber.
The 890.5 composite stood as the WGH scoring record until Shane Steffen and Gunna Be A Smartie broke it with their historic 894-point performance in 2021. Phillips' 2018 championship remains one of the most dominant single-year performances in the event's history — a title defined not just by the victory but by the margin and quality of performance that produced it.