Christopher Little of Lula, Georgia and Sheridan Clark of Weatherford, Texas, won the Senior and Junior Youth titles, respectively, Sunday at the 6666 Ranch NCHA Eastern National Championships in Jackson, Mississippi.
Little marked 222 on Ima Little Ichi for a three-point win over Kolby Don Moore and Smart Little Cranbar in the Senior finals.
Ima Little Ichi, by Cat Ichi, is an 8-year-old gelding bred by Double Dove Ranch out of Ms Bag Of Hope, a Pacific Coast Futurity champion under Lloyd Cox.
He is owned by Alexis Stephas, who rode him to the Senior Youth finals at the Eastern Nationals two years ago. He was also John Tolbert’s mount in the prestigious NCHA Futurity Champions Cup in 2011.
In the Junior Youth finals, Sheridan Clark marked 224 on Wood Ya Wanna for a four-point win over Cade Shepard on Pepto Stylish Babe.
Wood Ya Wanna was bred by former NCHA President Dick Gaines by Zack T Wood out of Curly Gray Hair. He carried Julie Wrigley to her NCHA Futurity Amateur championship in 2003 and has earned nearly $300,000.
Clark, and her parents, Jason and Becky, share a rare distinction in that all three of them have won championships in NCHA Triple Crown events in Will Rogers Coliseum. Clark joined the list with her win in the 2013 NCHA Futurity Limited Non-Pro finals on Meradas Puddy Cat.
Clark also took a reserve title in the Junior Youth Scholarship cutting at last year’s NCHA Summer Spectacular on Special Nu Kitty, and finished fourth in the Grace Ranch NYCHA World Finals on Wood Ya Wanna.