Tite Fittin Genes, shown by Bill Pierce for J3 Cutting Horses, Kentwood, La., scored 220 points on Wednesday to lead a field of 18 qualifiers for Thursday’s 6666 Ranch NCHA Eastern National Open Finals. Ichi La Roo, with Guys Woods for EE Ranches, Whitesboro, Tex., and Christy Hughes, owned and shown by Austin Shepard, Summerdale, Ala., tied with 219 points, the second-highest score from the go-round, where horses with scores of 215 points advanced.
Tight Fittin Genes, a 6-year-old Smooth As A Cat daughter, came into the 2018 NCHA Eastern National Championships following a finals performance with Pierce in the Ike Hamilton Futurity 5/6 Classic. She was a 2017 NCHA Eastern Nationals $5,000 Novice finalist; earned the 5/6 reserve title in the 2017 Congress Futurity 5/6 Open; and placed as a finalist in the Southern Futurity 5/6 Open.
Ten-year-old Ichi La Roo, sired by Cat Ichi and bred by EE Ranches, is a former NCHA Eastern Nationals champion and a 12-time NCHA Eastern and Western Nationals finalist. He won the 2014 $3,000 Novice championship and was an Eastern Nationals Open finalist in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, as well as a 2014 Western Nationals Open finalist. Rider Guy Woods also placed third in Tuesday’s $25,000 Novice Finals aboard Laneys Gotta Player, owned by EE Ranches, while Ichin In The Reyn, by Cat Ichi, placed as reserve champion for EE Ranches in the $5,000 Novice on Wednesday, under Dusty Nelsen for EE Ranches.
Christy Hughes and Austin Shepard won the $25,000 Novice championship on Tuesday with 224 points, after also topping the go-round. Bred and owned by Shepard and his wife Stacy, 6-year-old Christy Hughes, a three-quarter sister to Bamacat LTE $351,360. She is by Thomas Hughes and out of MH San Tules Dually LTE $330,220.
Thomas E Hughes LTE $393,045 was trained by Sam Shepard and shown by Stacy as champion of the 2007 Cotton Stakes 4-Year-Old Non-Pro and reserve champion of the 2007 Southern Futurity. Austin was aboard Thomas E Hughes for championship wins in the 2008 Cotton Stakes 5/6 Classic Open and the 2009 NCHA Classic Challenge 5/6 Open. Altogether, the stallion won or placed in 23 open or non-pro events.
Stacy Shepard won the 2008 MillionHeir 5/6 Non-Pro Classic on MH San Tules Dually, who throughout her career was shown by both Austin and Stacy, while Christy Hughes has earned most of her money under their son Cade, 16, who most recently won the 2018 Ike Hamilton 5/6 Classic Non-Pro and Augusta Futurity 5/6 Classic Non-Pro on her.