“I’ve been in the finals every time that I’ve been here and it has never worked,” said Kenny Ingalls. “But that mare had her day today.

“It was the best set of cattle that I’ve been in all week.”

Ms Travalin Mylena, owned by Mike and Brenda Ferrel, Chadron, NE,  is the mare that Ingalls rode to score 220 points and win the 2009 NCHA Western Nationals Open championship.

Explicit Lyrics, owned by Daniel Jaeggi of Switzerland and ridden by Chubby Turner was reserve champion with 218 points.

Ingalls drew first in the second set  of the 28-horse finals.

“I was a little slow cutting my third cow,” he said. “I knew I had a nice run and I didn’t want to screw it up. I thought somebody would move the 220, but the cattle got tough there at the end and wouldn’t let those guys show their horses.”

Six-year-old Ms Travalin Mylena, by Mylanta Lena, had earned $9,000 before the finals.

“She’s always been talented, but just had hard luck — eveything wrong with her you can imagine,” said Ingalls, who has had the mare since she was four.

Mike Ferrel owns a masonry business in Chadron, where he also raises cattle and horses on a small scale.

Explicit Lyrics, by CD Olena, was the second horse to cut in the first set of the finals.

“I was fortunate to be second,” said Turner, current president of NCHA “I cut the cows that I wanted. But the second one didn’t turn out as good as I thought it would be and I overrode her a little and caused a miss.

Turner and Explicit Lyrics were also finalists in the $10,000 and $3,000 Novice divisions.

The 6-year-old mare, a full sister to CD Hombre (($215,570) and Opus Ex ($189,902), was reserve champion of the 2009 Brazos Bash Amateur, as well as a finalist in the 2010 NCHA Super Stakes Amateur division under Constance Jaeggi.

Constance, daughter of Daniel Jaeggi, is a freshman at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and will show Explicit Lyrics in the Non-Pro divisions this week.

The Jaeggis recently purchased Dual R Smokin from Black Rock Ranch. The 5-year-old stallion scored 228 points in the Wildcard round of the NCHA Super Stakes and was an Open finalist under Grant Setnicka.

Senior Youth

Wyatt Nuttall, 17, and his sister, Fallon, 19, have been competing against each other and cheering for each other all of their lives.

Fallon won the Senior Youth Western Nationals in 2007 and, yesterday, Wyatt captured the 2009 title with Fallon as reserve champion.

“We’re always head-to-head, but this was one of the few times I’ve beaten her,” said Wyatt, who earned 218 points on Attractive Wipeout, by CD Olena, owned by Richard Neustraeder.

Fallon, who immediately followed Wyatt to the herd, scored 216 aboard Shortys Royal Blue, by Bet On Me 498, owned by her father, trainer Will Nuttall.

“I was rooting for my brother, to be honest,” said Fallon. “It was his year to win it.”

Junior Youth

Carly Christianson, 12, Alberta, Canada, has been showing for just a year, but as the daughter of trainer Loren Christianson, she grew up with horses.

Carly score 217 points as the first rider to the herd and the winner of the Junior Youth championship. She rode 7-year-old Bob Playin, by Bobs Freckles, a 2008 Big Sky Classic finalist under her father.

Gracie Paul, 11, Wilbur, WA, placed as reserve champion with 215 points on 9-year-old Somebodys Cupcake, by Somebody Smart.

“It was exciting and nerve wracking, but as soon as I got in the herd, I settled right down,” said Gracie.