NCHA News

Joel Colgrove and Preycious Gem won the Super Stakes Classic Amateur
in a 4-way work-off. Hart Photography.

Joel Colgrove, Boligee, Ala., won the Rios of Mercedes Classic Amateur championship at the Lucas Oil NCHA Super Stakes with 220 points, in a work-off, after he, Jimmy Baros, Katherine Vanboekel and Kenneth Warner tied with 217 points in the 33-horse finals. Co-reserve champions Baros, Vanboekel and Warner split second through fourth-place money.

Colgrove, with NCHA earnings of $75,043, showed 5-year-old Preycious Gem LTE $16,306, by Halreycious, for the win and also placed as a finalist on Reyl Smart Dot. Preycious Gem and Colgrove were finalists in the Super Stakes Classic Unlimited Amateur division, as well. Reyl Smart Dot, by Dual Rey, had been a 2016 NCHA Super Stakes Open finalist under Tarin Rice.

Winner of the 2014 NCHA Futurity Unlimited Amateur championship on One Catty Cupid, Colgrove came into the 2017 Super Stakes off of dual 2017 Ike Hamilton Futurity Amateur wins – in the 4-year-old division on Tank Tallic LTE $12,374, by Metallic Cat, and on WSR Dunnit With Jose LTE $30,131, by Pale Face Jose, in the 5-year-old division.

Jimmy Baros on 
Two Time Dual.

Jimmy Baros, Blanco, Tex., and his gelding, Two Time Dual, came into Wednesday’s Classic Amateur Finals after winning the Classic Unlimited Amateur championship with 220 points the night before. Two Time Dual LTE $64,184, by Dual Rey, earned his biggest check as sixth-place open finalist in the 2016 NCHA Derby under Grant Setnicka, but also collected earnings in open and amateur divisions of  17 other major 2016 events.

Two Time Dual is out of Lil Lena Long Legs LTE $189,672, the 2006 NCHA Super Stakes Open reserve champion with Shannon Hall. He is also half-brother to Sir Long Legs LTE $206,080, reserve open champion of the 2016 NCHA Futurity, and Cat Belue LTE $189,189, both sired by High Brow Cat.

Kenneth Warner on 
That Kotn Pikn Pepto.

Kenneth Warner, Clover, S.C., and That Kotn Pikn Pepto LTE $31,431, by One Time Pepto, warmed up just weeks before the 2017 Super Stakes with a championship win in the NCHA Eastern Nationals $50,000 Amateur. The 6-year-old mare had previously earned money as an open and open limited finalist in six 2015 limited age events, including a championship win in the Southern Futurity Open Limited with Cory Deel. Warner, with NCHA earnings of $6,295, also showed That Kotn Pikn Pepto as a 4-year-old finalist in the Non-Pro Limited and Amateur divisions of the 2015 Southern Futurity.

Katherine Vanboekel on 
Sweet EE Motions.

Katherine Vanboekel, Ontario, Can., rode 6-year-old Sweet EE Motion, by Cat Ichi, who she also showed to split 15/18 in the Super Stakes Classic Unlimited Amateur, and also as a 2017 finalist in the Arbuckle Mountain and the Ike Hamilton Futurity 5/6 Amateur divisions.

Vanboekel, with NCHA earnings of $51,181, previously claimed her biggest check as reserve champion of the 2016 West Texas 5/6-Year-Old Futurity. She also won the 2015 Cotton Stakes 5/6 Amateur championship on SDP Johnny Cash, by TR Dual Rey, and was reserve champion of the 2015 Cattlemen’s Derby Amateur Gelding division with Total Reycall, by Dual Rey.