A sunny, hot day brought even hotter competition as the Tom Powers Triple Challenge Futurity continued in Berrien Springs, Michigan on Friday. The day saw Longe Line, Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle champions named as well as a special No Bridle Western Pleasure benefit class and a hot pepper eating contest to end the day.
Super Sires Sees Growth
The Western Pleasure Super Sires saw its first class to be held at the 2018 Tom Powers Triple Challenge Futurity when the Super Sires Non-Pro Longe Line took place. The class was the first event of the day on Friday.
Father and daughter Stanley Scott and Nancy Ditty found themselves once again in a tie, with the tiebreaker earning Stanley and Comin At Ya Blue the first place prize and a $5,000 payout. Nancy earned the reserve prize and $4,056 with How Do U Figure.
“We doubled our entries in the Super Sires Longe Line class this year,” noted Steve Thompson. “We are looking at some exciting additions to the program next year. The growth we’ve seen has just been wonderful.
The Super Sires Three Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure and Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure classes will be held on Saturday.
Kathie Kennedy and How Do U Figure Win Open Yearling Western Longe Line
Kathie Kennedy showed How Do U Figure to win the Open Yearling Longe Line in a tough group of yearlings.
“This is such a nice horse,” Kathie said. “I showed her mother, Go Figure, and I see a lot of her in this filly. The Leemans raised her, and I brought her home from the Congress to winter in Florida. Stanley and Susan bought her just a few days ago.”
Hunter Champions Named
Judy Zeitler showed Al Night Longe for Anya Danielson to win the Three Year Old Novice Horse Hunter Under Saddle. “He’s by Allocate Your Assets,” Judy said. “He was just really good showing today.”
The win was the first time Anya had a horse at the Tom Powers. “We used to show paints, but we’ve been showing Quarter Horses for the past year or two,” Anya said. “We got Eli back in September, and it was a pretty eventful month. We live in Bradenton, we had to evacuate for the hurricane right after we looked at him, so it took a while for us to get back and buy him.
“He’s just a beautiful horse, and has great bloodlines, and we felt he could be competitive. He has a very special look.”
In the Two Year Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle, Tali Terlizzi showed Kruze Control to the win.
“We’ve had him since last February, and we got him from Stauffer Farms. He’s by The Krymsun Kruzer,” Tali said. “He’s so naturally good hocked and has a really good top line. Plus he’s pretty, and he has a really good demeanor.”
Tali plans to show her filly at the NSBA World Show, and then will hand over the reins to her trainer, Farley McLendon. “I’m five months pregnant, so the NSBA World Show will probably best the last time I’ll be in the saddle. Farley is working towards qualifying for the AQHA World Show in the Green Hunter Under Saddle, and we hope to compete at the Congress and the World Show.
Trainer Farley McLendon saw her own horse named a Tom Powers champion once again when Sleep Alilbit Longer won the Maturity Open Hunter Under Saddle. “He had a little bit of a break from September of last year until the Red Bud, but I started showing him again at the Red Bud,” Farley said.
“We picked right back up where we left off, because we got qualified for the AQHA World Show in that one show. He’s great.”
Western Winners
Caitlin Cochran pulled Certainlyiresistably out of the field this spring, and now they are Tom Powers Triple Challenge champions. “I’m with Jeff Cochran and Erin Leiurance, and I talked about getting a horse, so Jeff said what about this one?’” Caitlin noted.
“I have a phenomenal team with Jeff, Erin and Maggie Grandquist,” she said. “This mare has had a couple of babies, and she hadn’t been shown much. She’s got a cool, floaty feel and she feels really effortless.”
In the Two Year Old Limited Open Western Pleasure, Kaitlin Leblanc showed Lazy Way Around to the win for Barbie Williams-Sauerbier. “Her barn name is Ella Fitzgerald,” laughed Kaitlin. “Fritz Leeman raised her and owns the mare, and my boyfriend got confused and kept calling her that Fitzgerald guy’s horse, so it stuck. She’s by Lazy Loper.
“This was her first time to show. She’s really honest and she wants to be good. She’s the same all the time. I knew if I could get her going around good that she would do well. Barbie will be doing the Non-Pro with her either later this year or next year.”
Mallory Menard and Right Off The Batt won the Three Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure Sale Stakes class, and split the prizes with Chase Barnes and Touch Me Touch Me in the Open and Limited Open Sales Stakes Western Pleasure event after they tied to win under judges Steve Heckaman, Gigi Bailey, Jeff Greaves and Louis Hufnagel.
“She wasn’t quite ready to do the two year old class here at the Powers last year, so we held her back,” Mallory said. “She won the Congress sale slot class last fall. She’s so good minded. She never changes and loves to show. She has the best disposition – she’s always happy.” The filly is by Batt Man.
Chase Barnes and Touch Me Touch Me showed for owner Rebecca Smiecinski. The duo won the Open division of the Three Year Old Western Pleasure Sales Stakes, and took reserve in the Limited division of the class as part of the tie.
In the 50 & Over Non-Pro Western Pleasure, Marilyn Masterson showed KM Suddenlysoeasy to the win. Known as Penelope, the mare is one Marilyn hasn’t shown often.
“I think I showed her in the Three Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure at the Powers, and she’s five years old now,” Marilyn said. “She’s fun. Blair (Townsend) had her really well prepared for me.”
Remembering Rodney Miller: Special Award for Three Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure
A special award is presented annually to the winner of the Three Year Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure. It is a memorial traveling trophy presented in memory of Non-Pro and later Open exhibitor, Rodney Miller. The award has been presented annual since 1992, and contains a plaque for each class winner who has been named since its inception. The trophy is returned each year to the Tom Powers to be presented to the next class winner.
“Rodney Miller was a Non-Pro who did it all on his own,” noted Jon Barry. “He got help from me and from Doug Carpenter. He bought and sold a lot of horses, and he always showed in the three year old class. That’s why we present the award to the winner of the Three Year Old Non-Pro each year at the Tom Powers.”
Carl Yamber also remembers Rodney. “Rodney was won of the best horse traders there was, and one of the best horsemen, too,” he noted. “He won the Non-Pro Two Year Old Western Pleasure as well as the Limited at the Congress on a horse he bought from me, and he went pro the following year. He only got to be a trainer for about a year before he died in a truck and trailer accident.”
Kristen Galyean showed VS The First Lady to with the trophy, when she took the championship titles in both the Three Year Old Non-Pro and Three Year Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure classes. Known as Kennedy, the mare is by Kristen’s stallion, VS Code Red. The 2017 Congress Masters Western Pleasure champion had some time off following an injury, but has come back full force this year, winning the Madness prior to coming to the Tom Powers Triple Challenge.
“She was really good,” Kristen said. “In fact I had trouble keeping her going. All I had to do was sit there and keep pushing, and I like to do that. This is just my second time to show her, and I felt so much more comfortable with her than I did at the Madness. She’s so fun to show.”
Hotter Than A Pepper
Friday ended with a hot pepper eating contest organized by Dominique Powers. Twelve intrepid pepper eaters started the contest, but Sonnessa Gooding and Gary Leatherman were named co-champions after outlasting five progressively spicier peanuts and a bite from a pepper without giving in to the temptation to be rescued by ice cream.
The Tom Powers Triple Challenge Futurity continues through Sunday.
