Katy Jo Zuidema and Martina Mickride won the Virginia Maiden Class over 21 other talented horses on Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, NC. They tied to win the class with Nothin But Nett, ridden by Rusty Green and owned by Susie Johns. As luck was on their side, the team won the tie-breaker and $10,000. Last year, Extra Dirty Martini, who is also by The Best Martini and owned by Jennifer Moreau and shown by Randy Wilson, won the class.
“Martina Mickride is pretty much an angel,” Katy Jo told us. “She is big and strong and slow legged and pretty much everything I like about a western pleasure horse. She matches front to back, hangs her head pretty and jogs a hole in the ground.”
Zuidema continues, “We started her last year and just took our time. Stephanie Armelini did almost all the heavy lifting on her. I took over the first of this year to finish her. I’m pretty excited about showing her the rest of the year. I think she will just settle in and hopefully get real easy once she figures out her job.”
Katy Jo bought her sight unseen as a late yearling from Debbi Trubee of North Farm, who stands The Best Martini along with Roger Landis. “I’m a pretty big The Best Martini fan, and I always told her if she comes across something she thought was special, and that was big and sound and not crazy money to let me know. So, she did, and she sent me a video and a picture, and we just pulled the trigger over the phone for Robert Roger, and his wife Marie Ellen from St Mathias, Quebec, Canada.”
Debbi Trubee talks more about the sale of this talented prospect as a yearling. “We called her Nikki when she was here,” Trubee recalls. “Nikki was bred by Rhonda Malone, who also owns The Best Martini. She was just the softest mover and would raise up and lope off like a big horse. Not all babies do that early on, but the ones that do are sure to be great ones. “
Trubee adds, “The Martin babies are just incredibly good minded and easy going just like he is. Katy Jo already was a fan of Martin’s babies with all the success they had with Best Brew At The Bar, I knew this filly would fit her perfectly. I sent Katy Jo a couple of clips and said, trust me, you will love everything about her when you get her home. It wasn’t a bit hard to stand behind this filly; she was a beauty, talent, and a fabulous brain all in the same package. We couldn’t be more proud of Martina Mickride and grateful for the care the Zuidema’s took in her training.”
The mare is out of Invited Forever, who is a Superior producer and had a substantial show record herself.
The Best Martini’s owner, Rhonda Malone, expressed her thoughts about her stallion. “The Martini babies are form to function and have minds that will train up and be exceptional individuals. Martin has a huge heart, and he is passing that onto his foals. I’m so humbly proud of what he has produced so far. I love that stallion more that I can express in written words.”
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