Hal Keene, Weatherford, Tex., posted the 220-point high score on Wednesday, April 7, the last day of 5-Year-Old Amateur first go-round competition, in the NCHA Kit Kat Sugar Super Stakes. Keene and his Kit Kat Sugar gelding Kat Play topped 28 entries, with 214.5 points or higher, who qualified for the 5-Year–Old Amateur Intermediate Finals on Thursday, April 8.
Ten 5-Year-Old Limited riders with scores of 213.5 points or higher, including Hal Keene on Kat Play and led by Marcelle LeBlanc with 219 points on Martini In Style LTE $28,873, by Metallic Cat, will compete in the 5-Year-Old Limited Amateur Finals, also on Thursday, April 8.
Three of Wednesday’s riders, Debbie Day, Gary Reichart, and Stacie McDavid posted 219 points to tie previous days’ contenders, Bobby Hawkins, Dannica Percevich, and Stephanie Haymes, with the high score leading to the 5-Year-Old Amateur Finals on Friday, April 9.
Debbie Day, Reno, Nev., rode her homebred Hottish gelding Smart N Hottish LTE $16,934, who she most recently showed to place sixth in the 2021 Pacific Coast Spring Roundup. Day, the NCHA earner of $554,866, first showed as an NCHA Super Stakes finalist, when she placed with Jazz A Lee LTE $59,705 in the 2001 Amateur 4-Year-Old Finals. In 2017, Day was reserve champion of the Non-Pro 5/6 Limited on Moooy Bueno LTE $148,072, by Cats Moonshine, and also placed ninth aboard Ringtime Style LTE $77,832, by One Time Pepto.
Gary Reichart, Frankton, Ind., rode the Metallic Cat gelding Metallic Bonus LTE $45,352, who he showed as champion of the 2021 Cattlemen’s Derby 5/6 Amateur Unlimited. Reichart, the NCHA earner of $252,714, has placed as an NCHA Super Stakes Amateur finalist five times. Most recently, he showed the High Brow CD daughter Kual Lil CD LTE $33,333 in the 2015 Amateur and Amateur Unlimited 4-Year-Old divisions.
Stacie McDavid, Fort Worth, Tex., rode the homegrown Hottish daughter, DMAC Sweet N Sour LTE $75,069, a half-sister to DMAC Piccolo Pete LTE $193,330, by WR This Cats Smart. McDavid, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $1,123,098, won the 1997 Super Stakes 4-Year-Old Amateur championship on Smart Little Tex LTE $56,881, by Smart Little Lena. McDavid also placed as a Super Stakes Non-Pro 4-Year-Old finalist four times, as well as an Amateur Unlimited 4-Year-Old finalist three times, including in 2019, when she placed third aboard DMACs Pink Martini LTE $37,777, by Woody Be Tuff.
Hal Keene, the NCHA earner of $12,624, showed Kat Play LTE $59,316 as reserve champion of the 2020 PCCHA Futurity Amateur Intermediate and to place fourth in the 2020 Waco Texas Amateur Unlimited. Hayden Upton showed the Kit Kat Sugar gelding as 2020 PCCHA Futurity 4-year-old Open reserve champion, as well as to place third in the 2020 West Texas Open and Open Intermediate finals.
The 2021 NCHA Kit Kat Sugar Super Stakes continues through Saturday, April 17.