The first champion of the 2016 NCHA Summer Spectacular, presented by Great American Insurance, was crowned Wednesday as Grant Simon and Elite Cat marked 222 to win the John Deere Division of the Classic Challenge. Walt Erwin took the reserve championship with a 219 on Rosie Boon San.
Elite Cat is bred and owned by Jerry Durant of Weatherford, Texas, who was inducted into the NCHA Members Hall of Fame a few weeks before the Summer Spectacular got underway.
The 6-year-old mare is by High Brow Cat out of Little Swiss Miss, by Haidas Little Pep. She’s a full sister to Swiss Cat, a mare that produced $165,000 earner and NCHA Derby and Classic Challenge finalist Swiss Cat Pepto, as well as Little Swiss Desire, the mare that Ken Sitton rode to the Limited Non-Pro championship at the NCHA Super Stakes Classic last spring.
Elite Cat had only earned about $5,000 before the Summer Spectacular.
“She’s unbelievable,” Simon said. “She should have won $130,000. I started her in a hackamore in March and she just let down and it was like the light bulb came on.”
The mare steadily improved through weekend shows at Simon’s base at Silverado, and then marked 218.5 / 216.5 in the Classic Challenge go-rounds.
“I came in here with a lot of confidence, and she marked a 218.5 in the first go and she was good, but not as good as I thought she could be, like tonight,” Simon said. “She had a fast second go. I just wanted to go home and work her really slow and correct.
“We got a good draw in the finals and we cut some good cows, and she was just dead-on where whe needed to be.
“She’s really smart on a cow and hit that stop good. She was perfect tonight.”
Simon, an Australian who came to the USA in the late 1990s and worked for Hall of Famer John Mitchell for seven years, won the John Deere Division of the 2005 NCHA Super Stakes on Decimate.
Walt Erwin and Rosie Boon San won last year’s John Deere Division of the NCHA Derby before taking the reserve championship in this year’s Classic Challenge.
Bred by Alice Walton’s Rocking W Ranch and owned by Kelly Gates of Martinez, Georgia, Rosie Boon San is by Boon San out of Stylish Rosie, a Docs Stylish Oak mare that was reserve champion of the 2001 NCHA Derby with Eddie Flynn.
In Non-Pro competition, Lindy Ashlock and Little Miss One Time held on to the lead with their 222 as the first round of the Classic Challenge concluded. Kyle Manion moved into second place in the first round with a 220.5 on Smooth Two Tapper, by Smooth As A Cat out of Hold On Loosely.
Judy Rogers and Dualin Cat Lena led the Limited Non-Pro with a 218.5, ahead of Jackie Davison on Cajun Grace. Nine contestants marked 215 or better to advance to Thursday’s Limited Non-Pro finals.