NCHA News

 

Riding deep in the last set of the 20-day NCHA Metallic Cat Summer Spectacular, on Wednesday, July 29, Scotty Rice, Weatherford, Tex., scored 226 points on Champayne Dreams, by Metallic Cat, to win the NCHA Derby Non-Pro championship. Kyle Manion, Aubrey, Tex., claimed the reserve championship with 220.5 points aboard PRF Madera Model, by Smooth As A Cat, while Elizabeth Quirk, Denham Springs, La., riding Ireydescent, by Dual Rey, and Ty Moore, Madill, Okla., on Miss Blu Boon, by Once In A Blu Boon, tied with 219.5 points for third.

Champayne Dreams, owned by Scotty Rice and shown by his brother, Tag Rice, in Open competition, came through the 20-horse NCHA Derby Open Finals on Sunday, July 19, with third-place earnings of $19,336. But the Metallic Cat daughter left as the richest horse of the day, as winner of $100,000 from the $300,000 Metallic Cat Incentive. And the next morning, she was back in Will Rogers Coliseum with Tag to collect her first championship, as winner, with 225 points, of the NCHA Derby Open Intermediate Finals, as well as first-place earnings in the Novice division.

Scotty Rice, the NCHA earner of $489,000, collected $18,073 for his NCHA Non-Pro Derby win, in addition to the $20,000 winner's award from the $300,000 Metallic Cat Incentive. Altogether he realized a haul of $172,277 with Champayne Dreams, and earned another $8,359, as reserve champion of the Classic Challenge Non-Pro Limited on Parke That Kat LTE $13,752, by Kit Kat Sugar.

Bred by Alvin and Becky Fults, Amarillo, Tex., Champayne Dreams is out of the Dual Rey daughter Hoo Rey For Dreams LTE $173,678, dam of seven NCHA money earners, including Found My Dream LTE $34,169, by Smooth As A Cat.

 

Kyle Manion, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $1,836,555, placed fourth last year showing Smoothest Ride LTE $76,602, by Smooth As A Cat, in the NCHA Derby Non-Pro. He also won the 2011 NCHA Classic Challenge 5/6 Non-Pro with A Smooth Criminal LTE $137,656, by Smooth As A Cat, and earned his single biggest payout in the 2009 NCHA Futurity Non-Pro Finals on fourth-placed A Cool Smoothie LTE $86,904, by Smooth As A Cat.

Bred by Peter Deleeuw, Paige, Tex., PRF Madera Model, by Smooth As A Cat, claimed her first earnings under Manion, as 2020 NCHA Derby Non-Pro reserve champion.

Elizabeth Quirk, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $1,053,402, and 2018 NCHA Non-Pro World Champion, first showed Ireydescent as an NCHA Futurity Non-Pro Semi-Finalist, and Adan Banuelos rode the mare to win the Abilene Spectacular Open, as well as to place fourth in the NCHA Derby Open Finals.

Bred by Double Dove Ranch, Fort Worth, Tex., Ireydescent LTE $67,893, is out of Desires Katrina LTE $128,812, a full sister to Thundercat LTE $302,762, one of 30 NCHA money earners of over $1.5 million out of Desire Some Freckles LTE $188,990. 

Ty Moore, Madill, Okla., the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $1,177,297, placed third in last year’s NCHA Non-Pro Derby, riding the Metallic Cat daughter Scantily Clad LTE $113,634, who he also showed to win the Brazos Bash Derby. Miss Blu Boon LTE $25,772, his 2020 Derby mount, bred by Dan Churchill, Moline, Il., was an NCHA Futurity Open Limited finalist with Glynn Whitman, and was shown as an Open finalist by Lloyd Cox in the Abilene Spectacular, as well as at the Arbuckle Mountain and The Non-Pro Plus.

To read more from Sally Harrison, visit her blog at sallyharrison.com.