Paul Pietz, Lakefield, Minn., won the NCHA Denver Nationals $15,000 Amateur championship Monday with 218, aboard Highrey Cat. Dannica Percevich, Belle Fourche, S.D., claimed the reserve title with 216.5 points on Imasmoothlittlecat, and Renee Sullivan, Poolville, Tex. placed third with 214 points, riding Peptos Olenas Cheri.

Pietz and Ryleigh Ferrier riding Ichi City Lights tied with 215 points to top the $15,000 Amateur go-round, where Pietz also qualified for the finals with Rey Cool Supercat. It was Rey Cool Supercat LTE $52,522, by Dual Rey, who carried Pietz as a finalist in the 2016 NCHA Western Nationals $15,000 Amateur and $35,000 Non-Pro divisions. However, Shady Lil Kitty launched Pietz into NCHA Western Nationals competition with a third-place finish in the Western Nationals $2,000 Limited Rider division in 2014.

Eight-year-old Highrey Cat LTE $123,683, by Dual Rey, made his career debut as a finalist under James Payne in the 2012 NCHA Open Futurity, and was a finalist with Payne in five major 4-year-old events. In 2015, Logan Ginkens showed Highrey Cat to place third in the Iowa Futurity 5/6-Year-Old Open, and yesterday, June 25, placed sixth with him in the Denver Nationals Open Finals.

Dannica Percevich and Imasmoothlittlecat LTE $31,318 came into the NCHA Denver Nationals off a sixth-place finish in the $35,000 Non-Pro division of last month’s NCHA Scottsdale Nationals, where Todd Adolf showed Imasmoothlittlecat  to place eleventh in the $25,000 Novice Finals. Adolph and the 8-year-old Smooth As A Cat daughter also placed seventh last week in the NCHA Denver Nationals $25,000 Novice Finals.

Renee Sullivan made her first mark in NCHA Nationals competition as a finalist in the $2,000 Limited Rider Finals of the 2011 NCHA Eastern Nationals riding Fancy Rio Hickory. Earlier this year, Sullivan and Peptos Olenas Cheri placed tenth in the NCHA Eastern Nationals $15,000 Amateur Finals and ninth in the same division of the NCHA Scottsdale Nationals.

Peptos Olenas Cheri LTE $9,426, an 11-year-old daughter of Peptos Stylish Oak and out of Lenas Cheri who is a full sister to Lenas Telesis LTE $142,430, the sire of earners of $3.2 million.