Jon Winkelried doubled his pleasure yesterday as winner of the Amateur Classic Challenge and recipient of the McDavid Double Down Bonus. Winkelried scored 219 points riding Cherry Chex Dually, by Hes A Peptospoonful, for $6,069 in NCHA earnings, an amount doubled by the McDavid Family, who guarantee the bonus to eligible offspring of their stallions Hes A Peptospoonful and Widows Freckles.
Laura Landers, the go-round winner with 219 points on Sweet Lil Scoot, was reserve champion with 217 points. Landers is the wife of Joe Landers, who operates Joe Landers Stallion Station in Weatherford, TX, breeding home to Hes A Peptospoonful and Widows Freckles.
“I’ve shown her three times now and each time I’ve gotten better because Roger Wagner’s teaching has helped me handle an open quality mare like her,”
said Winkelried, who hired Wagner, formerly of Rock Creek Ranch, as resident trainer for Marvine Ranch of Aledo, TX.
This was the first championship win in Will Rogers Coliseum for Winkelried, who won the 2007 Breeders Invitational Amateur title on Quintan Blue, also trained by Wagner.
Six-year-old Cherry Chex Dually was trained by Eddie Flynn, who has shown her to earn almost $200,000 in open competition. Next year, Cherry Chex Dually will join Marvine Ranch’s broodmare band, which includes the past leading competitors Quintan Blue; Dualin At Noon; I Sho Spensive; Sues Barn Cat; and Miss Martini Play.
Winkelried, who also owns Marvine Ranch in Meeker, CO, retired as copresident of Goldman Sachs in February 2009. His wife Abby is also an amateur
cutting competitor.
Open 1st go-round
A Smooth Criminal and Matt Gaines topped the first day of Open go-round competition with 219 points; Spooked By A Cat and Grant Setnicka scored
218.5. A Smooth Criminal, sired by Smooth As A Cat and owned by Roxanne Koepsell, was destined for reined cowhorse competition, until trainer Todd Bergen called Gaines and told him, “I think he needs to be a cutting horse.”
Since then, Gaines has shown the stallion as a finalist in six major cutting events to earn close to $50,000. A Smooth Criminal is the first cutting
horse for Koepsell, who is known for her top-ranked reining, as well as reined cowhorse, competitors.