Mike Wood finished first and second, while Guy Woods placed third, in Saturday’s $5,000 Novice finals at the 6666 Ranch NCHA Western National Championships in Denver.
Wood won the championship with 219 points on Scootin Solano, owned by Dan and Janice Eaton of Peachland, British Columbia.
He took the reserve championship with a 218.5 on This Cats Phat, owned by Butlin Ranches of Calgary, Alberta. Guy Woods placed third with a 216.5 on Miz Savanah Ichi, owned by EE Ranches of Whitesboro, Texas.
Scootin Solano is a 9-year-old gelding bred by Gentry & Running by Smart Lil Scoot out of Boon Glo Solano. In his limited age career, he was shown by Matt Miller as a finalist at the NCHA Futurity, Breeders Invitational, Brazos Bash and other shows. Janie Eaton picked up Non-Pro and Limited Non-Pro checks with him at the Waco Texas Futurity.
He’ll go over $160,000 in career earnings with his Western Nationals earnings.
Wood was reserve champion in both Novice classes at Denver on This Cats Phat, an 8-year-old gelding by WR This Cats Smart out of CC Topsy.
The Youth finals were also held Saturday. Garrett Hampton,16, of Rogersville, Missouri, marked 221.5 to win the Senior finals, riding Alexis Stephas’ Ima Little Ichi.
Ima Little Ichi was bred by Double Dove Ranch by Cat Ichi out of Pacific Coast Futurity champion Ms Bag Of Hope. Stephas has won Non-Pro and Limited Non-Pro titles on the 10-year-old gelding at The Non-Pro & The Open Cutting, and at the Congress Futurity Non-Pro Classic. Ima Little Ichi has earned more than $222,000.
Hampton won the $35,000 Non-Pro at last year’s The Non-Pro & The Open Cutting, and was Senior Youth champion at the 2014 NCHA Scholarship Cutting, riding C Spot Cut.
He was also third in the Senior Youth at this year’s 6666 Ranch NCHA Eastern National Championships.
Stephanie Croft, 16, of Cherokee, Oklahoma, won the reserve championship with a 221 on Metallic Moon Cat. Rick Croft was reserve champion at last year’s Western States Fall Derby on the 2011 gelding by Metallic Cat out of Little Moonpie.
Stephanie, who won last year’s West Texas Amateur Classic on Monopolie, was the Junior Youth reserve champion at the Western Nationals two years ago on Frosted Feathers.
Ryann Packard, 11, of Medicine Lodge, Kansas, marked 220 on MK Lollie Pop to win the Junior Youth championship at the Western Nationals.
MK Lollie Pop is a 6-year-old mare bred by the Gene McKown Living Trust by High Brow Cat out of NCHA Derby Open finalist MK Little Miss Trona.
Ryann, was a finalist at last summer’s NCHA Scholarship Cutting on MK Lollie Pop, and was a Western Nationals finalist two years ago on CDs Instant Alibi.
Gentry Gonsalves, 14, marked 219 on Dr Metallica for the reserve championship. The 6-year-old Metallic Cat x Nurse Gray gelding was bred by Sunrise Ranch and is owned by Larry and Alice Irvin.
Gentry placed fourth in this year’s NCHA Eastern Nationals on Rey Of Smarty, and is a two-time finalist in the NCHA Scholarship Cutting at the NCHA Summer Spectacular.