Laneys Gotta Player and Ben Roberson claim $25K Novice championship

Laneys Gotta Player LTE $53,970, owned by Kandace Stone, Dublin, Tex. and shown by Ben Roberson, scored 223 points to win the NCHA Eastern Nationals $25,000 Novice championship on Friday, March 5, in Jackson, Miss. Gettin Hott In Here LTE $40,149, owned and shown by Ryan Moore, Birch Tree, Mo., scored 221.5 points for the reserve championship. Third-place was a tie with 218 points earned by Thatz The Rumor LTE $15,415, shown by Bradey Davis for Kelli Burba, Altoona, Fla., and Superey LTE $103,009, shown by Matt Williams for Mark Simpson, Dry Ridge, Ky.

Eight-year-old Laneys Gotta Player won last year’s NCHA Eastern Nationals $50,000 Amateur championship and placed third in the $25,000 Novice Non-Pro with Kandace Stone. The Lizzys Gotta Player son also placed fifth last year in the Open and fifth in the $5,000 Novice under Ben Robison.

Bred by EE Ranches, Whitesboro, Tex., Laneys Gotta Player is out of the High Brow Cat daughter Catalaney LTE $11,126, a full sister to Cat Ichi LTE $238,691, among 17 NCHA earners of over $1.4 million out of Laney Doc LTE $221,332, by Doc Quixote.

Ben Roberson, the NCHA earner of $569,221, was also a $25K Novice finalist with 216 points aboard the Spots Hot daughter Hott Cat LTE $33,893, owned by Larry and Renee Sullivan, Poolville, Tex.

Gettin Hott In Here, a 7-year-old Hottish gelding, earned 221 points, the second-highest score in the go-round. He also earned money in five previous NCHA Eastern National finals, including last year as an Open and $25,000 Novice finalist. Ryan Moore, the NCHA earner of $391,620, also showed Im Not Blu LTE $47,810, owned by Shadow B Ranch, as a $25,000 Novice finalist on Friday.

Thatz The Rumor, a 5-year-old Sigala Rey gelding bred by Jose Sigala, was an NCHA Futurity Non-Pro semi-finalist with Paige Hadlock, and a 2020 Cotton Stakes Open Intermediate finalist under Bradey Davis, the NCHA earner of $388,073. Thatz The Rumor is the first money earner out of a daughter of Dual Peppy Kitty, who is the dam of earners of $236,604, and a half-sister to all-time leading sire High Brow Cat, among the earners of $308,573 out of Smart Little Kitty, by Smart Little Lena.

Bradey Davis also showed Metallicprisnvinegar LTE $23,350, owned by Terry and Julia Moore, as a $25,000 Novice finalist on Friday.

Superey, an 8-year-old Dual Rey gelding bred by Cross Timbers Cutting Horses, was shown as an Open and Non-Pro limited age event finalist by Wesley and Kristen Galyean, and also as an Amateur finalist for Von Sutten, who sold the gelding to Matt Williams in the 2019 NCHA Futurity Sales. Williams, the NCHA earner of $459,856, also showed Superey to place seventh in the 2020 NCHA Eastern Nationals $25,000 Novice finals.

The NCHA Eastern National Championships continue through March 13, 2021. To read more from Sally visit her blog at sallyharrison.com