Six-year-old Sir Longs Legs looked the champion on Tuesday, March 5, as NCHA Hall of Fame rider Austin Shepard dropped his hand on his first cow, a testy sidewinder, and the High Brow Cat son, draw number 23 in the 25-horse field, met the challenge to score 225 points and win the $25,000 Novice Finals, in the NCHA Eastern National Championships.

Last year, Sir Longs Legs, reserve champion of the 2016 NCHA Futurity and 2017 NCHA Derby champion under Shepard, was the $25,000 Novice reserve champion to Christy Hughes $177,834, also shown by Shepard, who won the 2017 championship, as well, with 228 points on Deluxe Checks $283,156.

Sir Longs Legs, also recently Open reserve champion of the Arbuckle Mountain Classic, is owned by Lew Hall, Lakeland, Fla.

High Brow Playmaker, shown by Brett Davis for Jeffrey Fuquay, Jefferson, Tex., scored 218 points to earn the NCHA Eastern $25,000 Novice reserve champion title, while Chrome Catillac, with Gabe Reynolds for Ellen Ganey, Ashewille, N.C., placed third with 217.5 points.

Seven-year-old High Brow Playmaker $28,922, by High Brow CD, placed third in the 2016 Augusta Futurity Open and was a Classic finalist in the 2017 the Augusta Futurity. Brett Davis, the NCHA Hall of Fame earner of $1,949,174, has a solid record at the Nationals in Jackson, with Open wins in 2001 and 2010, on Son Of Olena and A Track Runs Thru It, respectively, as well as Novice wins in 2003, under Prince Is My Name, and in 2006, with Lil Lady Playmaker $74,267, the dam of High Brow Playmaker.

Seven-year-old Chrome Catillac $95,352, by Metallic Cat, was a successful 4-year-old limited age event finalist with Beau Galyean, as well as at 5 and 6 with Jessie Pritchard. He also carried owner Ellen Ganey, as a finalist last year, in the NCHA Eastern $35,000 Non-Pro.

Gabe Reynolds, the NCHA earner of $605,670, showed Ettafied, by High Brow CD, to win last year’s Eastern Nationals $5,000 Novice championship.

The NCHA Eastern National Championships continue on Wednesday, March 6 with the first go-round of Open competition, followed by the $5,000 Novice Finals.