Fourteen-year-old Riley Hope Farris of Madisonville, Tex. and Baby Genius dominated the finals of the 6/7-year-old Intermediate Amateur division with a 223 at the Kit Kat Sugar NCHA Super Stakes in Fort Worth on April 14. June Roberts McGee of Granbury, Tex., on Sweet Toothe claimed the reserve championship with a 221.5, while Lindy Wells of Madisonville, Tex., was third with a 220.
Farris, the NCHA earner of $11,942, was a Limited Amateur finalist with Baby Genius earlier in the show. They also teamed up as Intermediate Amateur finalists at the Ike Hamilton Classic this spring. Riley also placed second in last year’s Junior Youth NCHA World Finals on Play Purr View RG LTE $55,380 and has shown that horse as a finalist in the NCHA Eastern National Championships the past two years.
Baby Genius LTE $10,307, was bred by Alvin and Becky Fults by Metallic Cat out of Sweet Shorty Lena LTE $110,484, who has produced earners of $1.5 million, including Spots Hot LTE $502,682, Innovation Time LTE $195,273, Slooow Ride LTE $190,675 and His Reyflection LTE $140,557.
June McGee, the NCHA earner of $63,163, notched up her first major win with Monkeys Formula back in 1990. At the Super Stakes, she and Sweet Toothe LTE $110,803 won the Senior and Gelding championships as well as the reserve title in the Intermediate Amateur.
Sweet Toothe, who won the Unlimited Amateur championship with the late John Rockey at the 2018 NCHA Futurity, was bred by Kelsey Johnson, by Kit Kat Sugar out of One Sweet Sis LTE $94,925, which Johnson showed to win the Amateur championship at the 2011 NCHA Futurity. The mare line continues back to 1978 NCHA Futurity Open champion, Lynx Melody.
McGee and Sweet Toothe have earned champion or reserve titles at The Ike, Arbuckle Mountain and The Cotton Stakes.
Lindy Wells, the NCHA earner of $87,933, made her first NCHA Triple Crown finals in 2015 with Bet Hesa Cats Choice LTE $63,706 in the Unlimited Amateur at the NCHA Futurity. Since then, she’s been a finalist at Southern Futurity, Cotton Stakes, Congress and the NCHA Denver National Championships.
Redhead From Denver LTE $74,073 was bred by Janice Little, by Metallic Cat out of Quejana Reeves LTE $123,230. Bradey Davis showed her to win the Open Derby at the All American Quarter Horse Congress in 2019, and in the Limited Open at The Ike last year.