Little Lenas Cat and Kenny Platt won the
Open finals. Ted Petit photo.

NCHA Riders’ Hall of Fame member Kenny Platt set a high bar in the inaugural NCHA Denver Nationals. On Sunday, June 25, Platt won the Open Finals with 222 points on Little Lenas Cat, claimed the reserve championship with 217.5 points aboard Win A Kitty, and placed eighth on Moms Stylish Player. Lawson Hadlock placed third with 217 points on Coooter Brown.

Earlier on Sunday, Platt had scored 225 points on Moms Stylish Player to win the Open go-round, as well as 222 points and 219 points, the second and fourth highest scores, on Little Lenas Cat and Win A Kitty, respectively. While on Saturday, June 24, he won the $5,000 Novice Finals riding Dualin Smooth Legacy and claimed reserve in the $25,000 Novice with Cats Out Of The Bag.

Little Lenas Cat LTE $96,861, by Smart Little Lena, is owned by Valerie Gove, Tijeras, NM. The 8-year-old gelding, a half-brother to Hes A Hot Cat LTE $161,269, was shown by Platt as $15,000 Novice Champion in last year’s NCHA Western Nationals. Platt trained and showed Little Lenas Cat for former owner Robert Tregemba, who showed the gelding successfully as a limited age event amateur contestant. Tregemba also owns 5-year-old Moms Stylish Player LTE $275,265 and 4-year-old Dualin Smooth Legacy LTE $10,669.

Win A Kitty LTE $152,223 is owned by Harry Perrin, Houston, Tex. The 2006 daughter of High Brow Cat carried Perrin’s daughter, Harrison, to win the 2011 Augusta Futurity 5/6 Amateur championship, as well to the amateur and non-pro finals of 13 other major events.

Coooter Brown LTE $45,332, by Dualin Puddy Tap, is owned by Denise Cox, Ogden, Utah. The 5-year-old gelding won the 2016 Utah Futurity 4-Year-Old Open with Hadlock and was a 2016 NCHA Derby Novice finalist under Phil Rapp.