Every year at the AQHA World Championship Show winners have great stories on how they got to the top, and this year is no exception. Here are some of the The American Quarter Horse Journal’swinning run interviews:
• Repeat champs: Charlie Cole and Hot Ones Only defended their world championship title in junior pleasure driving. Also, Bill Ellis and On Record made a repeat win in senior hunter hack and David Connors showed On Record to a repeat win in senior working hunter. Boyd Rice and Sophisticated Catt found themselves at the top of senior cutting for the third year in a row.
• First time world champion:Clay Farrell celebrated his first win after 25 years of showing American Quarter Horses. He rode You’ve Got A Prince in junior hunter hack to both of their first world championships.
• Breeding success: Rita Crundwell of Dixon, Illinois has won six world championships during FedEx Open Week. Her stallion, Execute, took home the gold in performance halter stallions and his get won in weanling stallions, weanling mares and 2-year-old mares.
• Barn success: From Highpoint Performance Horses, Jason Martin riding HRZ Make Mine Gold captured first while Charlie Cole aboard Cool Krymsun Lady took home second in junior western riding. Jay McLaughlin won junior reining with Carol Rose’s A Shiner Named Sioux and the junior working cow horse with Genuine Masterpiece owned by Wagonhound Land & Livestock.
• Driving on: Lori Bucholz’s Larks Happy Days and Kevin Dukes drove to a first, while Good Lukin Lark piloted by Melissa Dukes placed third in senior pleasure driving. Then in junior pleasure driving, Kevin Dukes and Too Rainy To Sleep worked their way to a reserve.
