NCHA News

Morgan Cromer, who won the 2016 NCHA Super Stakes Classic Open championship aboard Maid Of Metal, topped the first day of first go-round competition for the 2017 NCHA Super Stakes Classic Open on Friday, March 24, in Fort Worth. Riding What Daddy Don Know for Monte and Catherine Lamb, San Miguel, Calif., Cromer scored 220.5 points.

Hes A Smart Guy, with 219.5 points under Chris Hanson, claimed the day’s second-highest score, while four horses tied with 219 points: Lion Down with T.J. Good; Rissy Cat with Bill Riddle; Magistic Moon with Beau Galyean; and CR Tuff Lucy with John Mitchell. Mitchell and CR Tuff Lucy, owned by Slate River Ranch, Weatherford, Tex., were reserve champions of the 2016 NCHA Super Stakes Classic.

What Daddy Don Know LTE $40,791, by WR This Cats Smart, just won the Pacific Coast Winter Roundup 5/6 Open with Cromer, and the 2016 Pacific Coast Derby Amateur Unlimited Novice with Monte Lamb. The 5-year-old gelding is the first money earner out of a Peptoboonsmal with no NCHA earnings.

Tomorrow, the second day of go-round competition, Cromer, an NCHA Hall of Fame Rider with career earnings of $2.1 million, will show Dis Cats Dynamite as the second horse in the first set, as well as 2016 champion Maid Of Metal LTE $139,636, as the second horse in the fourth set, and Stylish Look Bella late in the sixth set.

Chris Hanson on Hes A Smart Guy.

Hes A Smart Guy LTE $43,451 is owned by his breeder, Charles Burger, Chatsworth, Ga., who also owns his sire, My Guy Rey. The 5-year-old gelding was an open finalist this year with Hanson in the Bonanza 5/6 division and the Arbuckle Mountain 5/6 Open Gelding division. Hes A Smart Guy’s dam, the unshown Smart Little Lena daughter Roses To Rubies, is a full sister to Smart Mate, a leading NCHA sire of the earners of $7.8 million.

Chris Hanson also rode Fancy Rey, owned by Charles Burger, to score 215 points on Friday, and is slated to show One Stylish Doll as the first rider in tomorrow’s third set.

CR Tuff Lucy LTE $302,785, by Woody Be Tuff, has been an open finalist in 18 major events,  including the 2014 NCHA Futurity, where she placed fourth with Tarin Rice, who also showed her as 2015 NCHA Derby reserve champion for her breeder, Center Ranch. Mitchell who took up her reins for Slate River Ranch in 2016, has shown her to earn three reserve championships, including the 2017 Ike Hamilton Futurity 5/6 Classic.

Five-year-old High Brow Cat daughter Rissy Cat LTE $14,911, owned by John and Lora Lavelle, New Marshfield, Oh., was bred by Slate River Ranch out of Play Miss LTE $180,165, the 2007 NCHA Derby Open reserve champion with John Mitchell. Rissy Cat is a three-quarter sister to Flash About LTE $235,167.

Magistic Moon LTE $106,217 is owned by Jimmie Miller Smith, Geary, Okla., and was trained by Beau Galyean, who showed her to win the 2015 Arbuckle Mountain Futurity. Earlier this year, Smith’s son, Wade Smith, showed the 6-year-old Metallic Cat daughter to win the Bonanza 5/6 Amateur Unlimited.

Five-year-old Lion Down LTE $79,657 has been an open, open gelding, or novice finalist with T.J. Good in 19 limited age events, with four championship wins and two reserves. Owned by JLC Performance Horses, and sired by Metallic Cat, Lion Down is a full brother to Stunned LTE $111,797, out of Absolutely Stunning LTE $106,787, whose dam, Autumn Boon LTE $244,470, has produced earners of $1.7 million, and whose second dam, Royal Blue Boon LTE $224,685, is the leading producer of earners of $2.5 million.