She has earned 30 championship titles and 21 reserves in limited age competition. But Tuesday,  Bonnie Martin claimed her first winner’s trophy in Will Rogers Coliseum.

“We’re from the West Coast, so when we come here and compete against the best of the best, it’s really an honor to do well,” said Martin, who scored 221 points on Rubys Royal CD.

Martin, also won the Senior Non-Pro championship. Her husband, Frank Martin, a Las Vegas-based general contractor,  won the Derby Non-Pro Limited Senior title.

Chad Bushaw was reserve champion of the Classic Challenge Non-Pro with 220 points aboard Snow Rey.

Nelson Knight opened the finals with a 218-point performance on Candy Cat DNA, a score that held for third place. Martin, who scored 217 in both go-rounds, was the third rider to cut.

“This being the finals, I didn’t want to spend a lot of time sorting (through the cattle),” said Martin. “Fortunately, I had a good draw and my cattle were right on top, so we had a lot of good working time.”

Six-year-old Rubys Royal CD, by CD Royal, has earned nearly $250,000 for Martin and trainer Phil Hanson.

“She’s all heart,” said Martin of the mare, a gift at three from Frank. “When that first cow started to honor us, I knew I could use her, and when  I sent her, she kept the cow trapped in the middle — we never left the middle (of the pen).

Financier Chad Bushaw, Weatherford, TX, followed Martin in the working order with 210 points on Reylena Moon. But it was Snow Rey, next-to-last in the same set, that gave Bushaw a 220-point performance.

“Both of those horses have been really good to me,” said Bushaw, who has earned over $2.2 million in almost 20 years of competition.
“This was Snow Rey’s last show in Will Rogers, so I was trying to go out with a bit of a bang with him.

“I can’t remember the last time he’s missed a finals.”

Snow Rey, by Dual Rey, has earned over $225,000.