Jon Burgess rode Steve Anderson’s Littlemak, by Starlights Gypsy, to a half-point win with a 219.5 in the John Deere Division of the Lucas Oil NCHA Super Stakes Sunday evening in Fort Worth. Greg Wright was the reserve champion on Star C Land & Cattle’s Aristocratic Star, by High Brow Cat.
Wright was last year’s John Deere Division champ on Stars Freckled Girl, while Burgess took the 2015 John Deere Division of the Super Stakes Classic on Gold From Home.
Littlemak was bred by Joann Parker out of Justa Swinging Gal, and the 4-year-old is a full brother to PKR Big Mac, an Open and Non-Pro limited age champion that has earned over $160,000 with Jon and Traci Burgess, and Steve Anderson.
He brought earnings of $6,108 to the Super Stakes.
Reserve champion Aristocratic Star was bred by Debbie Patterson out of Aristocratic Cookie, a mare she rode to the 2005 Super Stakes Non-Pro finals.
Greg Wright was an Open finalist with Aristocratic Star at the Cattlemen’s Derby and a Limited Open finalist at Arbuckle Mountain on his way to the Super Stakes.
The second round of the Open division of the Super Stakes concluded Sunday, with 60 horses scoring 431.5 or higher to advance to Friday’s semi-finals.
The top cumulative score, 445, was set by first-round winner Moms Stylish Player, by Lizzys Gotta Player, ridden by Kenny Platt for Robert Tregemba of Castle Rock, Colorado. Moms Stylish Player’s cumulative go-round score is believed to be a Super Stakes record.
Cromed Out Cat, a High Brow Cat mare ridden by Geoffrey Sheehan for Beechfork Ranch of Millington, Tennessee, had the next best cumulative score of 437.5, marking 216.5 and a second round high of 221.
Horses advancing to the semi-finals include:
- NCHA Futurity reserve champion Bet Shes Smooth (Smooth As A Cat),
- Bea Cats Cat (High Brow Cat), a full brother to 2012 NCHA Futurity champion He Bea Cat
- NCHA Futurity Non-Pro champion Watch Me Whip (Playgun)
- Abilene Spectacular and Cattlemen’s Derby Open champion Amandas CD (High Brow CD)
- Arbuckle Mountain Open champion The Reyl McCoy (Dual Rey)
- Bonanza Open champion Smooth Scooten (Smooth As A Cat)
- Ike Hamilton Futurity Open champion Metallic Rebel (Metallic Cat)
- Arbuckle Mountain and Bonanza Non-Pro champion Flash N Silver (Purdy Boy Flash)
- Ike Hamilton Futurity Non-Pro champion Velvets Revolver (WR This Cats Smart)
- West Texas Futurity Open champion Savannah Blue Rey (Dual Rey)
- Western States Fall Futurity Open champion Kittys Ruby (Dual Rey)
- NCHA Futurity Unlimited Amateur champion Smash Mouse (Cat A Rey)