HIGH SCORES DOMINATE CLASSIC/CHALLENGE FINALS
It was a hot time in cow town as sparks flew in the finals of the NCHA open Classic/ Challenge. Run after run, the 34 high-marking 5 & 6-year-old horses, vying for a $42,658 champion’s check, locked down tense and tight in serious runs-for-the-money. With the action fast and feisty to the very end, 11 horses marked scores of 220 or better
Little Belly Dancer owned by Lannie Mecom and shown by Loyd Cox set the stage for the cutting when, drawing 2nd in the first bunch, the pair marked the first 221 of the evening. That score and some less have won many a cutting in the past, but there would be 9 horses before the evening was over that tied Little Belly Dancer or scored better.
In fact, five horses later, Kobie Wood stepped up the pace when he and That Cool Cat, owned by Joe Montana scored 222.5. It was as if the high scores were addictive. Three horses later and in a 3-cow run that got better and better as it went, Desire Some Freckles, owned by Rockin 5 Ranch LLC and shown by Sam Shepherd tied that 222.5 score. Then Smart Like Tachita, owned by Tom and Nancy Loeffler and shown by Faron Hightower kept the dirt moving under him to mark a score of 224.5.
And those scores were just in the first bunch of cattle, with the show far from over. The 17 remaining horses proved to be just as talented as the first group. In the second group, Wood, riding another Montana-owned horse, Smart Little Jaebar, scored 221, while Austin Shepard, riding Dual Kual, owned and shown by Kenny and Jan McLean earned a 222. Still, the show still wasn’t over.
When Doug Jordan, working 7th in the 2nd bunch, cut his first cow on Smart Little Tee owned and shown by Shari and Kevin Mohl, the horse’s brightness and precision from the first move, indicated Smart Little Tee might send the scores soaring. Working only 2 cows during the entire 2 ˝ minutes, Smart Little Tee, stopped hard, turned quick, and controlled both cows in the middle of the arena, earning a score of 226.
Even though none of the remaining horses could top the run, the very last horse to work, past futurity champion Some Kinda Memories, owned by the Shrontz Family Ltd Partnership gave Smart Little Tee a run for her money. When the buzzer sounded, Some Kinda Memories, however, scored 224.5 tying Smart Like Tachita for the title of reserve champion.
The NCHA Open Classic-Challenge kicked off the 18-day NCHA Summer Spectacular now under way at the Fort Worth Will Rogers Coliseum. The first 5-year-old classic was born in 1981 as a place for competitors to exhibit 5-year-old horses. The 6-year-old Challenge followed in 1984. NCHA then combined the two divisions 5 years ago.
Other divisions still to compete during the Summer Spectacular include the 5 & 6-year-old non-pro and amateur competition, the 4-year-old open, non-pro and amateur competition, the Sooner Trailer/NCHA Day Workoff and the Sponsors Cutting. Daily go-rounds are free beginning each morning at 8:00 a.m. The ticketed finals performances on July 29 and July 30 are only $5.00 for general admission and $8.00 for reserved seating.
For more information on the NCHA and The Summer Spectacular, call (817) 244-6188 or visit the NCHA website at www.nchacutting.com.
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