Holly Muench of Marietta, Oklahoma and CD Pretty Cat marked 222 for a four-point win in the Non-Pro finals on May 6 at the 6666 Ranch NCHA Western National Championships in Denver.
CD Pretty Cat is an 8-year-old gelding bred by M.R. Austin by Pretty Boy Cat out of Katie May CD, by CD Olena. He brought earning of more than $25,000 to the Western Nationals.
Muench, whose previous biggest win was in the 2005 West Texas Futurity with Pretty Little Weed, was a Non-Pro finalist at the NCHA Eastern Nationals last year on CD Pretty Cat. She was also a finalist in both Novice Non-Pro classes with the gelding at the Western Nationals the year before that. She has career earnings of more than $60,000.
Heidi Evans of Ogden, Utah, marked 218 on Sues Last Time for the reserve championship. Sues Last Time, an earner of more than $105,000, is a 6-year-old gelding by One Time Pepto out of three-time World Champion Meradas Little Sue.
Jody Radomske of Weatherford, Texas, and Shesa Spoonful A Fun marked 220.5 to win the $15,000 Novice Non-Pro finals.
The 7-year-old homebred mare is by Hes A Peptospoonful out of Opus Cat, a 2003 NCHA Futurity finalist with Tim Smith.
Shesa Spoonful A Fun won the Unlimited Amateur at last year’s Cattlemen’s Classic with Jody, and was an NCHA Super Stakes Limited Non-Pro finalist in 2013 with Jody’s husband, Harland. The mare has earned more than $45,000.
Prior to her wins with Shesa Spoonful A Fun, Jody’s biggest win was in the 2004 IDaho Classic on another homebred mare, Miss Smoke Travels.
Alexis Stephas of Chattanooga, Tennessee took the reserve championship with a 218.5 on Once You Go Black, the son of Hydrive Cat that won the Open finals with Cullen Chartier earlier in the show. One You Go Black has now earned more than $160,000.
Scott Chartier marked 219.5 to win the $5,000 Novice Non-Pro finals on Halreyzn Swinger.
Chartier was the Non-Pro champion this spring at the NCHA Eastern Nationals on Halreyzn Swinger, as well as being a $5,000 Novice Non-Pro finalist at that show.
Halreyzn Swinger was bred by Iron Rose Ranch by Halreycious out of One Smart Swinger, by Smart Little Lena. The 5-year-old mare’s second dam was $323,000 earner Swinging Little Gal.
This is the fourth National Championship for Chartier. He also won the $5,000 Novice Non-Pro at the Eastern Nationals with Rumble Bee Time in 2013, and the $2,000 Limited Rider with Wild Start at the Eastern Nationals in 2010.
There were co-reserve champions in the $5,000 Novice Non-Pro in Denver. Jody Radomske on Shesa Spoonful A Fun and Christine King on her TR Misty Smooth, by Smooth Stoppen Dualy, both marked 218.