NRCHA Derby


Champions Crowned Contributed Courtesy NRCHA,


NRCHA Derby Photography Primo courtesy of NRCHA


A thrilling day of reined cow horse action


on Saturday, June 16, wrapped up the main event at the National Reined Cow Horse Asso- ciation Derby in Paso Robles, California, with the finals for Open and Non Pro competitors. Champions were crowned in three Open and three Non Pro Derby divisions. The NRCHA Derby is one of the largest


and richest events for 4- and 5-year-old reined cow horses, with the total payout in 2018 ex- ceeding $300,000. Shown two-handed in a snaffle bit or a hackamore, horses are judged in three events: rein work, herd work and cow work.


Derby Open Champion Humble is not a word you would expect


to hear from a competitor with three horses qualified for the clean-slate finals of the Open Derby but, that is how Justin Wright described his week. The 2017 NRCHA Jack and Phoebe Cooke Memorial Derby Champion returned to the Heart Equestrian Center working towards another opportunity to win the coveted title, and that is exactly what he accomplished. “It was a very humbling week and it was


just fun,” Wright said. “Last year we had a great year, but this week has been so much fun, just enjoying doing good and enjoying the ride and the good horses.”


All eyes were on the Santa Maria, CA, horseman and Shiners Diamond Cat (WR This Cats Smart x Shiners Diamond Lady x Shining Spark) as they maintained a solid lead through- out the preliminary go-rounds with an over-


Dave Dillman & Playing With Rey


all score of 665.5. Come fi- nals time, the team seem ed to find a new level of perfor- m a nc e ,


marking an incredible 672 in the Derby Open Finals composite (225 herd / 221.5 rein / 225.5 cow).


“I knew I had to be big. I had to make something happen. My mare was great. She tried her guts out and I was just along for the ride. She handled every- thing,” Wright said.


Justin Wright & Shiners Diamond Cat


Mike and James Draper bought the 2014 mare from Rog- er and Cynthia Bias in her three- year-old year. The Drapers owned horses in the past, but they never made it to the show pen. “They are the greatest owners that you could ever ask for,” Wright said. “They are the nicest people.”


They say it takes a village, and that could


not be more true for Justin Wright Performance Horses. Wright thanked his team back home, his help here at the show, his herd help and his good friend/mentor, Clayton Edsall. “If it was not for them, I would not be here doing this,” he said. Wright, eager to praise Shiners Diamond


Cat said, “That’s what means the most to me about this show, is having her win it. It is all about her. She supposed to win those and I’m basically along for the ride.”


The Championship paid $30,989.19. The Other Derby Champions


To say Clayton Edsall, Oakdale, CA, is a


fierce competitor with horsepower underneath of him would be an understatement. The Cal- ifornia horseman piloted six horses to the In- termediate Open Finals and five horses to the Open Finals, collecting winnings that exceed


10 SouthWest Horse Trader July 2018


Clayton Edsall & Bet He Sparks


$92,000.


The 2018 NRCHA Jack and Phoebe Cooke Memorial Derby Intermediate Open Championship belonged to Clayton Edsall and Bet He Sparks (Bet Hesa Cat x Sparking Train x Shining Spark) owned by K & L Phillips, LLC. The pair scored a 219 in the herd, a 223 in the reining and a 228 down the fence for a composite of 670, giving them a first place fin- ish in the Intermediate and second place finish in the Open. Edsall said, “He’s a really good horse and he’s got a great personality. He stops hard and cows great. He’s easy.” “We needed a lot of cow and that’s what


we got,” Edsall said. “I put a lot of trust in him. The horse is pretty special, because I bought and started him. Then, I sold him to a great cus- tomer and friend and got to keep him.” Making the drive from Calhan, CO to


Paso Robles, CA was well worth it to the newly crowned NRCHA Derby Limited Open Cham- pion Dave Dillman. The NRCHA Professional piloted his


own horse, Playing With Rey (Play Dual Rey x Arc Holly Cee Lena x Smart Little Lena), to a combined score of 645.5. Dillman and his 2013 mare earned a 214 in the herd work, 215


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Primo


Primo


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