Reystylin Smooth
Todd Quirk on Reystylin Smooth. Suzanne Sylvester photo.

Todd Quirk of Denham Springs, La., scored 223 on Reystylin Smooth to win the 6/7-Year-Old Non-Pro championship at the Kit Kat Sugar NCHA Super Stakes on Friday, April 16, earning $20,902. Chad Bushaw of Weatherford, Tex. took the reserve championship, worth $18,602, with a 222 on Bittersweet. Third place went to Kylie Rice of Weatherford, Tex. with a 220 on Crey Zee, earning $16,302.

Quirk, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $731,266, won his first NCHA championship more than 20 years ago, with Poison Oak Smarts LTE $45,224 in the $2,000 Limited Rider division of the NCHA Eastern National Championships. He picked up his first win in Will Rogers Coliseum in 2010 in the Limited Non-Pro at the 2010 Super Stakes Classic, riding NQH Tom Cat LTE $150,638. He’s also won Non-Pro titles at the Southern Classic and Cotton Stakes. He and Reystylin Smooth won at both the Bonanza and the Ike Hamilton Classic last year.

Earlier on Friday, Quirk placed in the 4-year-old Non-Pro finals, riding Casino Bosses LTE $38,830. His wife, Elizabeth, tied for fourth in the 6/7-year-old finals on Catillac Reys LTE $250,303, and 13th on CD Super Freak LTE $63,897.

Reystylin Smooth LTE $313,176, was bred by Eddie and Barbara Young by Smooth As A Cat out of Rey N Style LTE $102,608. The 7-year-old gelding has won Open championships with Adan Banuelos at the Brazos Bash and West Texas Classic. Elizabeth Quirk also showed him to win two divisions of the Way Out West Series last year.

Chad Bushaw, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $3,667,943, is a three-time Super Stakes champion. He won in 2008 on Cats Ruby LTE $143.998, in 2018 on Bittersweet LTE $216,645 and in 2019 on Rey Banz Gal LTE $49,064. He’s also a two-time NCHA Futurity champ, with Jerryoes LTE $252,780 in 2001 and Bittersweet in 2017.

Bittersweet was bred by Marilyn Jo Franz and purchased by Bushaw for $39,000 at the 2015 Western Bloodstock NCHA Futurity Sales. The 7-year-old mare is by Metallic Cat out of Miss Sea Rey, by Dual Rey. She was the NCHA Non-Pro Horse of the Year in 2018.

In addition to her NCHA Futurity and Super Stakes championships, she and Bushaw won the Breeders Invitational. Bushaw’s son, Charles Russell Bushaw, won the Amateur West Texas Derby on the mare in 2018.

Kylie Rice is the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $625,803. She was a Super Stakes or Classic finalist twice before, in 2018 on Fadie Lou LTE $73,812, and in 2019 on Reyhannon LTE $66,742. She added five more finals to that list this year, qualifying Super Fein in the 4-year-old, Sly Criminal and Jae Zee in the 5-year-old, and Crey Zee and Miss Kitty Russel in the 6/7-year-old divisions.

Crey Zee LTE $388,194 is bred and owned by Rice’s parents, Kevin and Sydney Knight. The 6-year-old mare is by Dual Rey out of Eazee E, by High Brow Cat. Eazee E LTE $211,145 was Reserve World Champion of 2017 and has produced earners of $579,861, including Jae Zee LTE $122,496 and Double Zee LTE $69,170.

Crey Zee was the 2019 Open Horse of the year with Tatum Rice, winner of the 2018 NCHA Futurity, and the 2019 Bonanza and Ike Hamilton Derby.