Quirk, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $731,266, won his first NCHA championship more than 20 years ago, with Poison Oak Smarts LTE $45,224 in the $2,000 Limited Rider division of the NCHA Eastern National Championships. He picked up his first win in Will Rogers Coliseum in 2010 in the Limited Non-Pro at the 2010 Super Stakes Classic, riding NQH Tom Cat LTE $150,638. He’s also won Non-Pro titles at the Southern Classic and Cotton Stakes. He and Reystylin Smooth won at both the Bonanza and the Ike Hamilton Classic last year.
Earlier on Friday, Quirk placed in the 4-year-old Non-Pro finals, riding Casino Bosses LTE $38,830. His wife, Elizabeth, tied for fourth in the 6/7-year-old finals on Catillac Reys LTE $250,303, and 13th on CD Super Freak LTE $63,897.
Reystylin Smooth LTE $313,176, was bred by Eddie and Barbara Young by Smooth As A Cat out of Rey N Style LTE $102,608. The 7-year-old gelding has won Open championships with Adan Banuelos at the Brazos Bash and West Texas Classic. Elizabeth Quirk also showed him to win two divisions of the Way Out West Series last year.
Chad Bushaw, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $3,667,943, is a three-time Super Stakes champion. He won in 2008 on Cats Ruby LTE $143.998, in 2018 on Bittersweet LTE $216,645 and in 2019 on Rey Banz Gal LTE $49,064. He’s also a two-time NCHA Futurity champ, with Jerryoes LTE $252,780 in 2001 and Bittersweet in 2017.
Bittersweet was bred by Marilyn Jo Franz and purchased by Bushaw for $39,000 at the 2015 Western Bloodstock NCHA Futurity Sales. The 7-year-old mare is by Metallic Cat out of Miss Sea Rey, by Dual Rey. She was the NCHA Non-Pro Horse of the Year in 2018.
In addition to her NCHA Futurity and Super Stakes championships, she and Bushaw won the Breeders Invitational. Bushaw’s son, Charles Russell Bushaw, won the Amateur West Texas Derby on the mare in 2018.
Kylie Rice is the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $625,803. She was a Super Stakes or Classic finalist twice before, in 2018 on Fadie Lou LTE $73,812, and in 2019 on Reyhannon LTE $66,742. She added five more finals to that list this year, qualifying Super Fein in the 4-year-old, Sly Criminal and Jae Zee in the 5-year-old, and Crey Zee and Miss Kitty Russel in the 6/7-year-old divisions.
Crey Zee LTE $388,194 is bred and owned by Rice’s parents, Kevin and Sydney Knight. The 6-year-old mare is by Dual Rey out of Eazee E, by High Brow Cat. Eazee E LTE $211,145 was Reserve World Champion of 2017 and has produced earners of $579,861, including Jae Zee LTE $122,496 and Double Zee LTE $69,170.
Crey Zee was the 2019 Open Horse of the year with Tatum Rice, winner of the 2018 NCHA Futurity, and the 2019 Bonanza and Ike Hamilton Derby.

John Kratzer on Babes Smart Cat

John Kratzer wins 5-Year-Old Non-Pro championship
John Kratzer, Weatherford, Tex., scored 225 points on Babes Smart Cat, by WR This Cats Smart, to win $40,851 as the 2021 NCHA Kit Kat Sugar Super Stakes 5-Year-Old Non-Pro champion. Sheridan Clark, Weatherford, Tex., posted 223 points on Shorty Katz, by High Brow Cat, for $36,467 and the reserve championship, while Missy Etheridge, Corinth, Miss., scored 220.5 points aboard Boondexterous, by Once In A Blu Boon, to place third and earn $32,083.
In addition to their Non-Pro championship win on Friday, April 16, John Kratzer and Babes Smart Cat also claimed the Amateur 5-Year-Old Classic reserve championship on Thursday, April 15.
Prior to the 2021 NCHA Super Stakes, Kratzer, the NCHA earner of $334,139, realized his biggest wins west of Texas, including the 2017 PCCHA Futurity Non-Pro Classic on Smooth Play Kit LTE $100,537, by Smooth As A Cat; the 2012 South Point Non-Pro Classic with My Lizzy Babe LTE $163,653, by Lizzys Gotta Player; and the 2007 PCCHA Limited Non-Pro Classic with Frecklesareinstyle LTE $184,444, by Docs Stylish Oak.
Bred by Wagonhound Land & Livestock and owned by Cows & Horses Etc, Weatherford, Tex., Babes Smart Cat LTE $90,224 has been shown in Open competition by Tatum Rice, who rode her as reserve champion of the Cattlemen’s Open Classic earlier this year, and as an NCHA Derby Open finalist in 2020. Babes Smart Cat’s dam, Just U Babe, by Lizzys Gotta Player, is a full sister to Moms Stylish Player LTE $411,889, among 12 money earners out of Moms Stylish Babe LTE $37,565.
Sheridan Clark, the NCHA earner of $276,189, won the 2015 NCHA Super Stakes Classic Limited Non-Pro on Meradas Puddy Cat LTE $115,631, by Athena Puddy Cat, and was 4-Year-Old Limited Super Stakes Non-Pro reserve champion and placed fourth in the Non-Pro that same year on DB Little Cat LTE $72,506, by Metallic Cat. Clark, when she was 14 years old, also showed Meradas Puddy Cat as 2013 NCHA Futurity Limited Non-Pro champion and 2014 NCHA Derby Limited Non-Pro champion,.
Shorty Katz, bred by Glenn and Debbie Drake, Napa, Calif., is a full brother to Cat Atat Cat LTE $276,155, out of the Peptoboonsmal daughter Miss Stylish Pepto LTE $216,005. In addition to her 2021 NCHA Super Stakes Non-Pro championship earnings, Sheridan Clark also claimed a first-place payout of $2,673 with Shorty Katz in the Non-Pro Gelding division.
Missy Etheridge, in addition to her third-place finish on Boondexterous in the 5-Year-Old Non-Pro, also collected $16,466 as a 2021 NCHA Super Stakes 4-Year-Old Non-Pro finalist aboard Deputy Droopy LTE $105,211, who earned $2,941 second-place money for her in the Non-Pro Gelding division, as well.
Boondexterous LTE $126,360 has carried Missy Etheridge, the NCHA earner of $534,095, as a finalist in seven limited age event finals, including as reserve champion of the of the Cotton Stakes Non-Pro and champion of the Intermediate Non-Pro division.
Deputy Droppy, by Once In A Blu Boon, also carried Vick Etheridge, Missy’s husband, to place fifth and earn $11,344 in the 4-Year-Old Amateur Finals, as well as to earn additional money as an Intermediate Amateur finalist, and in Amateur Senior, Amateur Gelding, and Intermediate Amateur Gelding 4-Year-Old divisions.
Altogether, Deputy Droopy earned $53,258 under both Missy and Vick Etheridge during the 2021 NCHA Super Stakes, and together the Etheridges earned $88,795 riding Boondexterous, Deputy Droopy, and Spoonin N Backseat.

Brandon Westfall on Fiddle And Steel

Brandon Westfall claims 4-Year-Old Non-Pro championship
Reigning NCHA Futurity Non-Pro champion Brandon Westfall scored 225.5 points aboard Fiddle And Steel on Friday, April 16, to win $40,200 and claim the 4-Year-Old Super Stakes Non-Pro championship and is on track for a possible Non-Pro Triple Crown sweep with the 2021 NCHA Derby.
Elizabeth Quirk, Denham Spring, La., posted 224 points to earn the reserve championship and $35,330, on Cinca Cat, while Verlie Doing, Jacksboro, Tex., placed third for $30,460, riding Reydneck Woman.
Brandon Westfall, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame earner of $704,166, also showed Fiddle And Steel LTE $85,838, by Metallic Cat, earlier this year as Non-Pro Champion of the Cattlemen’s Derby and as an Open finalist in the Arbuckle Mountain Futurity.
Bred and owned by his parents, Russ and Janet Westfall, Granbury, Tex., Fiddle And Steel is from a long line of Westfall-bred champions. His dam Lil Bit Reckless LTE $231,124, shown by both Russ Westfall, in Open competition, and Janet Westfall, in Non-Pro, is by CD Royal, who Janet showed as reserve champion of the 2000 NCHA Non-Pro Futurity, the same year that Brandon was born. CD Royal has gone on to produce earners of over $3.7 million and build a dynasty of winners for the Westfall family.
Although this Is Brandon Westfall’s first Super Stakes win, he claimed the Non-Pro Super Stakes reserve championship in 2017 aboard the CD Royal daughter Laguna Girl LTE $110,428, who he also showed to place third in the 2018 Super Stakes Non-Pro Classic. In addition, Brandon Westfall is one of just three riders to have won back-to-back NCHA Futurity Non-Pro championships.  He rode I Reckon So LTE $81,799, by Kit Kat Sugar out of the CD Royal daughter Just As Reckless LTE $184,285 to win the 2019 NCHA Non-Pro Futurity and Fiddle And Steel in 2020.
Elizabeth Quirk, the NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Famer earner of $1,172,279, is also a two-time NCHA Non-Pro World Champion and an NCHA Non-Pro World Finals champion.
In addition to their Super Stakes Non-Pro reserve championship earnings, Quirk and Cinca Cat also earned first-place payout in the Non-Pro Novice division.  Bred by Rocking P Ranch, High Brow Cat daughter Cinca Cat LTE $46,982 is the first money earner out of of Cinca Im Hot LTE $259,169, by Spots Hot.
Verlie Doing, the NCHA earner of $60,661, claimed three payouts with Reydneck Woman during the 2021 NCHA Super Stakes. In addition to $30,460 for third place in the Non-Pro Finals, Doing also placed third for $8,540 in the Intermediate Non-Pro Finals and collected $3,288 for second in the Non-Pro Novice division.
Last year, Verlie Doing won the Southern Futurity 4-Year-Old Non-Pro championship on Candy Man LTE $76,604, by Kit Kat Sugar, and in 2019 won the Brazos Bash 4-Year-Old Limited Non-Pro on Secreytariat LTE $96,747, by Sigala Rey.
Reydneck Woman LTE $49,306, by Reyzin The Cash, was bred by Skip and Elizabeth Queen out of Xquizit Cat LTE $13,434, the dam of Redneck Creyzy LTE $148,192, NCHA Unlimited Amateur champion of the 2017 NCHA Futurity and the 2018 NCHA Super Stakes under Rocky Davis.
To read more from Sally Harrison, visit sallyharrison.com.

By NCHA Press Release