Mary Jo Milner, who won her first World Championship before half of her 2019 World Finals rivals were born, marked 225.5 on Little Pepto Cat to win the third round of the 7 Ranch NCHA Non-Pro World Finals in Fort Worth’s Watt Arena on December 5.

Milner, who has a record 8 Non-Pro World Championships to her credit, edged out first-round winner Caitlin Rice (223.5) and Blakley Colgrove (223) in the third round.

Mary Jo Milner of Southlake, Texas, is in the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame with career earnings of $2.7 million. She was World Champion in 1981 and 1986 and then climbed back in the saddle to win the 2000 title when her grandchildren started competing. She won subsequent World Championships in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2013.

She was inducted into the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame in 1980, and into the Member Hall of Fame in 2012.

Little Pepto Cat was bred by the late Bob Kingsley, by High Brow Cat out of 2002 Horse of the Year Little Pepto Gal. Little Pepto Cat has earned more than $612,000.

Fun Fact: Mary Jo Milner is the only cutter to have shown three individual horses with career earnings of more than $600,000: Red White And Boon, Smooth Asa Zee and Little Pepto Cat.

Blakley Colgrove and Cat Man Blue hold a half-point lead over Caitlin Rice and Metallika in the cumulative score, 667 to 666.5.

Colgrove has marked 222 / 222 / 223 through the first three rounds, while Rice has scores of 226 / 217 / 223.5.

The fourth round and non-working finals will be determined Saturday, December 7.