Cross Saddlery Rookie Professional
classes. Rod Osborne and Kitten
Revolution won the Intermediate
Open, Kurt Melling and Predator
took the Intermediate Non Pro
buckle home to New Zealand and
Chris Gould on Malibu Lena was the
winner of the Rookie Professional
class.
The more mature riders came out
next for the Koyuga Electrics Prime
Time Non Pro, won by Kathleen
Murphy on Checkout Hollywood.
Experience was followed by youth.
Joey Reedy rode Princess to
victory in the Short Stirrup. Kasey
Bogie and Lyrics Custom Corey
picked up their second buckle in the
Youth 13 Years and Under while
Grace Christoffel and Lethal Katie
won the Youth 14 to 18 Years class.
The pinnacle of Friday’s program
and one of the highlights of the show
was the SnS Custom Floats Gold
Buckle Futurity. Craig Cowley
riding his own horse Time To
Shine won the Level 1 division of
the Futurity for riders just starting
out in NRHA events. The Limited
and Intermediate divisions of
the Futurity were won by Rodney
Peachey riding Peter Bartolo’s
entry Gunnerreload. Gunnerreload’s
score was also more than enough to
take home the biggest prize of the
show, the Open division of the Gold
Buckle Futurity. Wins in the three
divisions added the AQHA incentive
cheques to the pony’s take home pay.
In addition to buckles, trophies and
prize money, Gunnerreload brought
his owner a top-of-the-range horse
float sponsored and built by SnS
Custom Floats of Bundaberg in
Queensland.
Saturday morning saw a return to
less glamorous competition with
another big line-up for the Back on
Track Limited Open and Limited
Non Pro classes. This year’s tough
competition continued at the
Nationals with yet another run off
deciding the buckle for the Limited
Non Pro. Two young riders, Grace
Christoffel on Lethal Katie and
Mikayla Smith on Whimpys Little
Charlie, did their best with Grace
and Katie winning by a small margin.
A thrilled Josephine Hale and Whiz
Fizz topped the scores to take home
the buckle for the Limited Open.
A field of 20 horses and riders faced
the judges in the next class, the
Epiitalis Forte Non Pro Futurity.
Kayla Kington and Qmatch Cool
Jake scooped the pool with wins in
all three divisions of the Non Pro
Futurity. Their loot included buckles
and trophies plus three AQHA
incentive cheques and, last but not
least, a reining saddle sponsored by
Southern Cross Saddlery.
A display of precision riding from our
Youth members opened the Welcome
Ceremony. The winner of the trip
to Oklahoma for NRHA Futurity
was drawn (lucky Deb Versluis),
the great horse Tell Me A Story was
farewelled into retirement and the
spectators got comfortable in the
stands for the running of the 2017
National Derby.
Cameron Halliwell riding
Gottagetagunner won the Show
Me The Buckles Non Pro Derby
with runner-up Paul Barratt on
Hot Smokin Gun winning the
buckles for both the Intermediate
and Limited divisions of the Non
Pro Derby. Scott Hergest riding
Spinnin Whiz and Mick Taylor
on My Dads A Wimp shared the
champion’s position in the Show
Me The Buckles Open Derby. Scott
and Spinnin Whiz also claimed
the buckle for the Intermediate
division of the Open Derby while
Dennis Neylon on Wimpys Lil Miss
and Erin Neylon on Lil Miss Genius
kept it in the family as co-champions
in the Limited division of the Open
Derby.
Sharon Leddington-Hill and
Migs Shez Dynamite A2-2373 Lee Thomson riding Eskdale John Wicks rode Onya Shiney
West Judgement Day Q-60844 Nu Toy Q-81535 Cameron Halliwell and
Gottagetagunner
Anthony Ross and Einsteins
Revelation Q-77966 Yves Cousinard and Spin Me Chris Gould and Malibu Lena
Please Q-73223
Q-58873 Kathleen Murphy on
Checkout Hollywood
Q-75293
R
E
I
N
I
N
G
Above - Grace Christoffel on
Lethal Katie
Left - Rod Osborne and
Kitten Revolution Q-68452
Craig Cowley riding Time To
Shine Q-80001
Kayla Kington and Qmatch Cool Jake
Q-82064
November • December • 2017 • The Australian Quarter Horse Magazine • Page 31