Thursday’s futurity focus at The Premier AQHA and NSBA show was on Trail classes, with inclement and stormy weather forcing the move of several futurity classes that had been scheduled for the afternoon to Friday morning.
The competition was hot in the Kentucky Horse Park’s Covered Arena, with dueling Trail patterns showing at opposite ends of the pen. Three Premier Sires Futurity Trail classes saw their conclusion on Thursday morning.
Premier Sires Open Four and Five Year Old Trail
Ima Southern Loper and Brynne Bassler, showing for Julie and John Parson, topped the scores in the Premier Sires Open Four and Five Year Old Trail. They earned $1,100 for the win. The duo edged out Michael Colvin and Sleepininthestands by a half point, scoring 233. The 232.5 score earned $845 for owner Gillian Chant.
“We just got her a couple of months ago,” Brynne noted. “She’s five years old, and by Its A Southern Thing and out of Ima Diamond Loper. She’s so kind, and she tries so hard. Becky George had started her, and she’s been shown in Trail since she was three years old.
“Today’s pattern rode great. A little bit later in the preparation, they added an additional pole that was double-blocked, so keeping that clean was probably the hardest part of the class.”
The gray mare is also Julie Parson’s show partner in Non-Pro events. “It was a great way to start out the morning with Brynne winning the class, but now the pressure is on me,” Julie laughed.
Premier Sires Level 2 Horse Trail Sweepstakes
"Rudy" might be known as a winning football player from Notre Dame and title subject in a movie, but in the Premier Sires Level 2 Horse Trail Sweepstakes, he’s also a futurity champion. Better known as Im Hott Youre Nott, Rudy the gelding took trainer Anthony Montes through the pattern to a 232 score for owner Ingrid Miller, earning first place and a $1,725 paycheck.
“He’s by VS Code Red, and he’s been doing Trail all of his life,” Anthony said of the six year old sorrel gelding. “In fact, the higher the poles, the more he attacks them.
“I love how crafty he is and how good his footwork is. He’s fun to show.”
Open/Non-Pro Trail Challenge Takes Teamwork
Trainers and their Non-Pro clients had to team up to win a portion of the purse in the Premier Sires Open/Non-Pro Trail Challenge. Trainers participated in the Open go round on Wednesday night, and Non-Pros competed on Thursday morning on the same horses, with the combined scores for both gos added to determine the winners.
Jennifer Paul had the winning touch, helping two clients claim the first and second place prize money. She and Emma Gore teamed up on KM Geniunely Best to earn the first place check of $1,750. Jennifer and Sabrina Janis showed Cruize to second place and $1,200. Ryan Cottingim and Grant Mastin combined their talents aboard Hand Made Machine to claim the third place paycheck, earning $950. Grant also won the random drawing for a Premier Sires corn hole game.
AQHA Trail, Hunter Under Saddle and Hunt Seat Equitation classes rounded out the day on Thursday. Friday’s schedule will be a busy one, which will start with the futurity classes that were originally scheduled for Thursday, beginning at 7:00 a.m. in the outdoor arena. The Three Year Old Intermediate Open Hunter Under Saddle, Breeders Open Western Longe Line and Color Breed Open Western Longe Line, Breeders Four Year Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure, Breeders Open Hunter Longe Line and Color Breed Open Hunter Longe Line, and the Premier Sires Three Year Old Limited Horse Limited Rider Western Pleasure.
Following the rescheduled classes from Thursday, those already on the docket for Friday include the Premier Magazine Non-Pro Horsemanship, Non-Pro Hunter Longe Line and Color Breed Non-Pro Hunter Longe Line, Breeders Three Year Old Open Western Pleasure and Open Color Breed Western Pleasure, Premier Sires Three Year Old Limited Horse Limited Rider Hunter Under Saddle, Breeders Intermediate Three Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure, and Premier Magazine Level 1 Western Riding. In addition, AQHA classes including Horsemanship, Western Pleasure, Ranch Riding, Reining, Western Riding classes and over fences classes will also take place.
The Premier AQHA and NSBA show will continue through Sunday, June 6. To view complete show results, please visit the Horse Show Tracker app, and to learn more about Premier Sires, please visit premiersires.com.
