2017 NCHA Eastern National Championships – March 11, 2018 – Jackson, Miss.

After nailing down reserve in the Junior Youth Finals on Sunday, Charles Russell Bushaw, Weatherford, Tex., came into Monday’s competition and scored 220 points to win the $35,000 Non-Pro championship. He rode  Peptotoodie, by Peptotime, in both events.

Tyler Delange, Fort Gratiot, Mich., scored 218.5 points on Louis The Cat for the reserve championship, and Melinda Polk, Edwards, Miss., placed third with 215.5 points on Dual Smart Dee Jay.

Charles Russell showed Peptotoodie to win last year’s NCHA Eastern Nationals Junior Youth championship, as well. He also place second in the 2017 NCHA World Finals Junior Youth and was a 2017 NCHA Futurity Unlimited Amateur finalist riding Snappcat. Nine-year-old Peptotoodie, trained and shown in open competition by James Payne, has earned over $160,000 in more than 40 limited age event open, non-pro and amateur finals.

Tyler Delange won the NCHA $25,000 Non-Pro World Championship last year with $45,259 aboard Louis The Cat, while trainer Casey Crouch showed the High Brow Cat son to win $59,843 and the $25,000 Novice World Championship. In addition, Delange and Louis The Cat won last year’s NCHA Eastern Nationals $35,000 Non-Pro championship.

Melinda Polk was a 2013 NCHA Eastern Nationals $15,000 Amateur finalist riding Tuckers Play Cat, who she also showed to place in the NCHA $5,000 Novice Non-Pro World standings for 2015. Six-year-old Dual Smart Dee Jay, by Dual Smart Rey, won the 2015 Brazos Bash 3-Year-Old Futurity Non-Pro with Gayle Karanges and the 2015 Waco Texas Open Futurity and Non-Pro Futurity with Cullen Chartier and Gayle Karanges. Polk showed Dual Smart Dee Jay to place fifth in the 2017 Southern Futurity 5/6 Amateur finals.

NCHA Eastern National Championships action continues through Friday, March 16. For complete results: http://www.nchacutting.com/events/national_championships/eastern/schedule