The Championship Show 2026 & APHA Zone 9 Fall Cash Classic: Friday, September 18 Featured Class Highlights

Ocala, FL – Friday brought another full day of competition to World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC), with featured classes taking place across The Championship Show, APHA Zone 9 Fall Cash Classic, and The Spotted Cash Classic Appaloosa Show.

Trail competition took center stage throughout the day, highlighted by the $50,000 All-Age Non-Pro Trail and $100,000 NSBA All-Age Limited Open Trail in the WEC Grand Arena. Additional featured classes included WEC $20,000 Open All-Age Trail, WEC $10,000 Green Trail, WEC $5,000 Amateur Trail, $15,000 NSBA Maturity Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle, $35,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro & Intermediate Non-Pro Western Pleasure, $5,000 NSBA 4-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure, $35,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro & Intermediate Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle, and $25,000 NSBA Open & Limited Junior Trail & AQHA.

APHA ZONE 9 FALL CASH CLASSIC

WEC $10,000 Green Trail

Friday’s APHA Zone 9 Fall Cash Classic featured significant Trail competition in Arena 2, beginning with the WEC $10,000 Green Trail. Julie Schmidt and Dawn Parker’s six-year-old gelding Well Made (Dont Be Lazy x Machine Made) took home first place with a combined score of 455.

Although the six-year-old gelding is still relatively new to Trail, Schmidt’s shared that he has quickly taken to his newest discipline. “He just started doing Trail around four months ago,” she said. Friday’s class marked another step forward for Well Made as he continues to gain experience in the Trail pen.

Schmidt enjoyed the opportunity to showcase Well Made over the course at WEC – Ocala. “It was just fun to show on a course like that. We don’t get to do that a lot, so it’s so much fun,” she shared. She felt the gelding particularly excelled through his lope work and backed well through the course.

For Schmidt, Well Made’s easygoing personality has made the transition into Trail especially enjoyable. “He’s very curious, but also very chill at the same time, so he’s just a sweetheart,” she said.

Competing at the APHA Zone 9 Fall Cash Classic for the first time made Friday’s victory even more meaningful. “I think it’s awesome. It’s so generous to put up the money that they have for us,” she shared.

Top Three Results:

1. Well Made, Julie Schmidt, Dawn Parker – 455.00
2. Mc No Apologies, Jake Hartman, Randi Davis – 434.50
3. Heartbreakin Machine, TW Grose, Merry Sharp – 434.00

WEC $20,000 Open All-Age Trail

The WEC $20,000 Open All-Age Trail took center stage in the WEC Grand Arena on Friday afternoon, welcoming 27 entries to contest the course. Blake Weis dominated the top of the leaderboard, securing both first and second place aboard full siblings Hot Lopin Lily and Hes N Like Flynn.

Weis piloted the Cavallo Family Trust’s 2017 mare Hot Lopin Lily (RL Best Of Sudden x Shes A Lopin Machine) to the win with an impressive combined score of 504. He followed closely behind aboard Megan Gieringer’s Hes N Like Flynn (RL Best Of Sudden x Shes A Lopin Machine), earning second with a combined score of 477. Torey Roderick and MaryKate Mahassel’s Uptown Never Sleeps (Too Sleepy To Zip x ZF Uptown Girl) rounded out the top three with a combined score of 474.

Top Three Results:

1. Hot Lopin Lily, Blake Weis, Cavallo Family Trust – 504
2. Hes N Like Flynn, Blake Weis, Megan Gieringer – 477
3. Uptown Never Sleeps, Torey Roderick, MaryKate Mahassel – 474

THE CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW

$15,000 NSBA Maturity Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle

The Championship Show kicked off Friday morning in Indoor Arena 1 with the $15,000 NSBA Maturity Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle, where Ryan Painter, piloted Laurel A. Champlin Family Trust’s seven-year-old mare CoolKrymsunLadyLike (Vs Code Red x Cool Krymsun Lady) to top honors.

Painter has only shown the mare twice, but her experience and consistency have made the partnership an easy one. “She’s a great horse. She’s won a whole lot. She makes my job very easy,”  Painter shared. 

Despite being a relatively new partnership, Painter and CoolKrymsunLadyLike have quickly found their rhythm in the show pen. “She always shows well. She’s happy to do it,” Painter shared. Her experience and consistency were evident throughout Friday’s class, helping the pair put together another successful trip in just their second time showing together.

For Painter, competing at World Equestrian Center – Ocala is especially meaningful. Now an Ocala resident, he shared that the opportunity to show regularly at the venue was part of what drew him to the area. “I just love it. Everything’s clean and nice. The grounds are great, and it’s just our favorite place to show. That’s why we moved here.”

Top Three Results:

1. CoolKrymsunLadyLike, Ryan Painter, Laurel A. Champlin Family Trust’s 
2. Al Be Bleu, Tali Terlizzi, Tali Terlizzi
3. The Irons Hot, Lori Augsburger, Cheyenne Augsburger

$35,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro & Intermediate Non-Pro Western Pleasure

The $35,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro Western Pleasure saw Nancy Wilkerson Ditty of Ocala, Florida, and the five-year-old gelding Forever Twisted (Gone Viral x Forever Kool) take the champion prize.

Known as ‘Pretzel,’ Forever Twisted holds a special place in Ditty’s heart. “He’s a very special horse to me,” she shared. “He’s a wonder pony who loves to show, and he keeps doing his job over and over again.” Their longtime partnership was evident in Friday’s class, as Ditty described the pair as simply fitting together. “We’re just so in sync together,” she said. “He’s a naturally great mover. He’s easy to present, and he’s easy to show.”

Beyond his ability in the show pen, Ditty loves Pretzel’s one-of-a-kind personality most. “They don’t make another one like Pretzel,” she laughed. “To know him is to love him.”

Friday’s victory also served as valuable preparation for the pair’s next stop, the Congress. Ditty and Forever Twisted will return as defending champions after earning the 2025 Amateur Western Pleasure title together last year. “I’m excited to go back and be able to show again,” Ditty shared.

$35,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro Western Pleasure Top Three Results:

1. Forever Twisted, Nancy Wilkerson Ditty, Ditty Up LLC
2. Despurado, Kenneth Banks, Laina Banks
3. This Cowboys Mine, Alicia Matthies, Alicia Matthies

Kenneth Banks and Laina P. Banks’ Despurado (Extremely Hot Chips x Stawberri Wine) claimed the NSBA Maturity Intermediate Non-Pro Western Pleasure title.

$5,000 NSBA 4-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure

The $5,000 NSBA 4-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure welcomed five entries to Indoor Arena 1, with Casey Willis guiding MNM Stoneridge LLC’s four-year-old mare Feeling Groovey (HayGoodlookn x Forever N Ever) to the win. 

Willis has been part of Feeling Groovey’s journey since the mare was two years old and has watched her continue to develop with age. “I’ve had her in my program since she was two.” Willis shared. “I sold her to Michelle when we moved to Pennsylvania two years ago.” 

For Willis, Feeling Groovey’s presence and way of going are what make her stand out in the show pen. “She’s so big and soft, and hangs her neck good, jogs and does the things we all want,” he said.

Top Three Results:

1. Casey Willis, Feeling Groovey, MNM Stoneridge LLC
2. Ten Kinda Southern, Shannon Curl-Holbin, Gumz Farm Quarter Horses LLC
3. All Nett, Rusty Green, Ditty Up LLC

$35,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro & Intermediate Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle

Hunter Under Saddle competition returned to the spotlight with the $35,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle, where Madeleine Bayless and her own four-year-old gelding, R C Kola (Its A Southern Thing x Its Al Over), continued their winning streak.

Bayless reflected on a standout week at WEC – Ocala, saying, “It has been a crazy show! He felt especially perfect today in that ride. He just was on. We had a really nice ride yesterday, but he couldn’t have felt better and I am really proud of that ride today.”

The win was also a testament to the partnership behind R C Kola. “Keith Miller has put his heart and soul into this guy,” Bayless continued. “The fact that he paired us up and created this partnership, I am just super grateful.”

$35,000 NSBA Maturity Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle Top Three Results:

1. R C Kola, Madeleine Bayless, Madeleine Bayless
2. Al Be Bleu, Tali Terlizzi, Tali Terlizzi 
3. The Irons Hot, Cheyenne Augsburger, Cheyenne Augsburger

Cheyenne Augsburger and her own eight-year-old gelding, The Irons Hot (One Hot Chocolate x Duplicated Irons), claimed the Intermediate Non-Pro title.

$25,000 NSBA Open & Limited Junior Trail & AQHA

Indoor Arena 4 hosted the $25,000 NSBA Open Junior Trail, where 21 horse -and-rider combinations tackled Friday’s pattern. Blake Weis piloted Meaghan Pye’s four-year-old mare Hoop Here She Is (Nothin But Nett x Hereicomagain) to the top of the leaderboard with a winning score of 235.

Nick Mayabb and Kelly Summer’s Dive Bars (Best Brew At The Bar x Certainly A Good Bar) followed with a score of 229.00 to earn second-place honors, while Mayabb returned aboard Kathrine Tobin’s Stuck On Georgia Time (Florida Georgia Line x Hereicomeagain) to round out the top three with a 228.50.

$25,000 NSBA Open Junior Junior Trail Top Three Results:

1. Blake Weis, Hoop Here She Is, Meaghan Pye – 235.00
2. Nick Mayabb, Dive Bars, Kelly Summers – 229.00
3. Nick Mayabb, Stuck On Georgia Time, Kathrine Tobin – 228.50

In the Limited Junior Trail, Heather Lange piloted Amanda Ringer’s Double My Lazy to the win with a score of 227.

Still to Come from Friday at The Championship Show

The day isn’t over yet. Stay tuned for full coverage of Friday’s marquee event in the WEC Grand Arena: the $100,000 NSBA All-Age Limited Open Trail Presented by Marsh McLennan Agency LLC.

Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes!