When This Isa Third won the $5,000 Novice division at the 7 Ranch NCHA World Finals on December 7, he gave trainer Mike Wood is sixth consecutive win in that event. This Isa Third earned $3,675 to win the 2019 edition of the event, followed by Kiss My Spot with $3,430 and Peptos Smart Mars with $2,481.
Wood shows This Isa Third for Christine King of Scottsdale, Arizona. The 7-year-old gelding was bred by Carl and Shawnea Smith by Third Cutting out of Cat Fancy This. He has earned more than $220,000, and he carried Christine King to second place in the $5,000 Novice Non-Pro World Finals this week, while finishing fourth in the World Standings for that event.
This Isa Third also easily took the World Championship with $45,341 in earnings for the year.
Wood has won the $5,000 Novice at the World Finals every year since 2014. riding Scoot Justa Lil, Clays Little Kit Cat, Buzzted, One Time At Night and Hesa Belle Cat. He also won the $25,000 Novice at the World Finals last year on Little Jackson Cat, and again this year on TRs Best Player.
In second in the World Finals, Kiss My Spot is shown by Mark Coie for Wiggins Quarter Horses of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The 6-year-old Spots Hot mare is out of Joanna Cat, a mare that Coie rode to win the $3,000 Novice at the NCHA Eastern Nationals in 2009.
PRF Smooth Cat Ruby earned the Reserve World Championship with earnings of $26,294 for the year. Monty Buntin rides the 7-year-old Smooth As A Cat x Ruby Tuesday DNA mare for Shelli Moreda of Woodland, California.
$50,000 Amateur
Mia Webster of Bend, Oregon, and What About Blue marked 224 to win the second round and the pencil finals to win the 2019 World Finals in the $50,000 Amateur with earnings of $2,756. Cindy Mann was second with $1,960 earned on MJ Magic Time.
Webster had twice placed second twice previously in the World Finals: with What About Blue in last year’s $50,000 Amateur, and with Lean This Rey in the 2017 $35,000 Non-Pro.
What About Blue is a 9-year-old gelding bred by Phil and Mary Ann Rapp by High Brow CD out of Swingin Star Pepto. He has earned more than $240,000.
Webster finished third in the year-end standings with earnings of $37,749.79.
Second place in the World Finals, Cindy Mann of Carey, Idaho, won her first major event in the Idaho Classic, riding Tivito Zappa in 2000. Her 2019 mount, MJ Magic Time, is a 10-year-old mare bred by Mary Jo Reno by One Time Pepto out of Shortys Magic. The mare has earned just shy of $100,000.
The $50,000 Amateur World Championship went to Corrie Rousey of Carlsbad, New Mexico. She eared $52,062 for the year, riding Swing Thru The Drive in the World Finals, as well as Dual Prime Time and Stop Toying With Me during the regular season. She earned checks at 74 shows prior to the World Finals.
The Reserve World Champion is David Harp of Rancho Murieta, California, with $37,749. He showed Acres In Autumn, Crafty With Cows, Kausac Kats, Spooked By A Cat and SVR Caught Ya Lookin during the year.
$25,000 Novice Non-Pro
German Lugo of Gainesville, Texas, split the win in the first round, then placed second in the second round and non-working finals to earn $3,828 and win the show championship in the $25,000 Novice Non-Pro.
He rode Too Hot To Copy, a 7-year-old son of Metallic Cat and Playgiarism bred by Mariposa Farms. With the World Finals, Playgiarism’s produce have earned $999,569. Matt Miller and Chris Hanson showed Too Hot To Copy in limited age finals at the NCHA Super Stakes, Bonanza, Cotton Stakes, and other major events.
Lugo rode in last year’s $50,000 Amateur and $25,000 Novice Non-Pro World Finals with This Chics Hot and Wild Starz, respectively. He’s won Amateur aged event championships at Breeders Invitational, West Texas, Cotton Stakes and Abilene.
The runaway World Champions, Mary Bradford on Dmac Wise Guy, marked 228 in the second round to win the cumulative score with a 448, and pick up $3,736 at the World Finals.
For the year, they earned $50,305. That’s the highest earnings for a Novice Non-Pro World Champion in more than 10 years.
Bradford, who has been an NCHA member since 1983, won the 2002 NCHA Non-Pro Classic Challenge on Quanahs Little Star. She has career earnings of more than $730,000, and was inducted into the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame in 2008.
Her highest previous year-end ranking was third in 2018 with Sancho Cat in the $5,000 Novice Non-Pro division.
Dmac Wise Guy is a 7-year-old gelding bred by David and Stacie McDavid by Hickorys Indian Pep out of Wise Little Miss, by Wise Play. He had a successful aged-event career with Clint Allen in the Open and Stacie McDavid in Non-Pro classes. Allen won the AQHA World Show Junior Cutting Level 3 with him in 2017.
Reserve World Champion Hal Raiser is owned and shown by Susan Dunne of Clinton, North Carolina. Bred by Linda Holmes, the 6-year-old mare is by Halreycious out of Buckaroo Boon, by Peptoboonsmal.
$15,000 Amateur
Benjamin James of Dalhart, Texas, won the second round and non-working finals to win the $15,000 Amateur World Finals with earnings of $2,444 on Lightsaber Dual. Makenzie Meehan placed second with $2,256 on I Like It This Rey.
The World Finals took James’ career earnings over the $15,000 mark. He showed Lightsaber Dual to win the Amateur Classic at last summer’s West Texas Futurity. He also picked up a World Finals check with Chain Reyaction in the $5,000 Novice Non-Pro class.
Lightsaber Dual was bred by Sandra McBride by Light N Lena out of Cecilia Dual. He has now earned more than $20,000.
Makenzie Meehan of San Miguel, California, and I Like It This Rey showed in the Junior Youth World Finals this year’s NCHA Summer Spectacular. I Like It This Rey is a 9-year-old Dual Rey gelding out of Roosters Chicaroo.
Raven Micah Benjamin of Hartsel, Colorado, won the World Championship. She earned $11,281 for the year, earning checks at 45 shows with Metallic SweetgirlRG and C Rio Cat.
The Reserve World Championship went to Erin Sullivan of Rancho Muieta, California, with $10,642 earned at 48 shows with Acres In Autumn, Kausac Kat, Spooked By A Cat, and her World Finals mount, Crafty With Cows.