Ocala, FL – The penultimate day of the Orange Blossom Classic featured a full slate of highlight classes, including the $50,000 NSBA Maiden 3-Year-Old & Over Open & Limited Open Western Pleasure, $10,000 NSBA Senior Ranch Riding, $5,000 NSBA Junior Open & Limited Trail, $5,000 NSBA Amateur Non-Pro & Limited Trail, $5,000 NSBA Select Non-Pro & Limited Trail, $4,000 NSBA Amateur Ranch Riding and the $4,000 NSBA Select Ranch Riding.
Competition at the Orange Blossom Classic continues through Sunday, April 20. A Sudden Impulse kicks off Tuesday, April 22, and runs through Saturday, April 26 at WEC – Ocala.
On Saturday night under the lights of the WEC Grand Arena, the $50,000 NSBA Maiden 3-Year-Old & Over Open & Limited Open Western Pleasure took center stage, with Katie Green and All Nett (Nothin But Nett x Just Cool Movin) earning top honors.
Owned by Susan K. Johns, the 2022 gelding stood out in a competitive field of 12 entries. “He’s just such an exotic, cool-moving horse,” Green shared. “He sweeps across the ground so effortlessly, and he’s absolutely beautiful. I really just try to stay out of his way and let him do his thing.”
Looking ahead, Green said, “We’re planning to show him throughout the year to get him really seasoned. Next year, he’ll likely head to Arizona to begin his all-around career. I have no doubt he’s going to be exceptional—he’s truly the coolest horse ever. I’m really proud of him tonight.”
Reflecting on the experience, Green added, “You never really know how a horse will react until you’re in that arena, so it’s definitely a bit nerve-wracking. Honestly, I was probably more nervous than he was! There are so many great places to show, but nothing compares to this venue. You always want to bring your best when you come here.”
Christopher Holbin and Angela Wade’s Lady Mamalade, a 2022 mare by The Lopin Machine x My Mama Said So, claimed second place in the class.
Shannon Curl-Holbin also had a standout day, taking third with Crawford Quarter Horses LLC’s Saltt Life, a 2022 gelding by Machine Made x Krymsun Annie Mation. Their third-place finish secured the pair a spot in the NSBA’s Quarter Million Dollar Club.
Katie Cochran piloted Miss Goodlookin to the win in the $5,000 NSBA Maiden 3-Year-Old Limited Open Western Pleasure, claiming the Limited title aboard the 2022 mare by Hay Goodlookn x Missy Machine, owned by Anthony Leier.
$50,000 NSBA Maiden 3-Year-Old & Over Open Western Pleasure Top Three Results:
1 All Nett, Katie Green, Susan Johns
2 Lady Mamalade, Christopher Holbin, Angela Wade
3 Saltt Life, Shannon Curl-Holbin, Crawford Quarter Horses LLC
The $10,000 NSBA Senior Ranch Riding was secured by Bud Lyon aboard Alpha Black (Wimpy Chic x Chexanicki), owned by Circle Y Ranch.The pair earned a winning score of 237.50.
Although new to Ranch Riding, the 2017 stallion is already making an impression.“Alpha Black has had a very successful career as a reining horse up until the beginning of this year, when they sent him to me to transition into the ranch classes,” Lyon explained. “He’s relatively new to the discipline, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Compared to some of the more seasoned horses in that class – he handled the pattern really well and he’s such a good-minded horse.”
Lyon experienced great success at WEC – Ocala last September at The Championship Show 2024, and seems to be picking up right where he left off. “We’re so thankful for this facility—the weather is fantastic—and having the chance to take home some hardware and a bit of prize money is icing on the cake!”
$10,000 NSBA Senior Ranch Riding Top Three Results:
1 Alpha Black, Bud Lyon, Circle Y Ranch
2 Winn Like Flinn, Logan Pluhar, Lane Kail
3 SS Wrecking Ball, Elizabeth Yoder, Alexius Dorsey
Twenty-six entries came forward for the $5,000 NSBA Junior Open & Limited Trail on Saturday in UF Health Indoor Arena 2. Anthony Montes piloted Whiskey Made Me to the top with a winning combined score of 238. The five-year-old gelding, sired by Machine Made and out of Easy To Be Super, is owned by Lauren Graves.
In the Limited class, Carli Jerrell claimed top honors aboard The Cookie Club, a 2021 gelding by Lazy Loper x A Good Cookie, owned by Jackie Adams. The pair secured the win with a 16.5-point lead and a final score of 233.
$5,000 NSBA Junior Open Trail Top Three Results
1 Whiskey Made Me, Anthony Montes, Lauren Graves
2 Dark Ladie, Blake Weis, Mary Alice Nielson
3 Cool Sultry Lady, Blake Weis, Shannon Walker
The $5,000 NSBA Amateur Non-Pro & Limited Trail was won by Caroline Cavallo and her partner, Hot Lopin Lily (RL Best Of Sudden x A Krymsun Babe). The 2019 gelding, owned by the Cavallo Family Trust, topped a competitive field of 21 entries with an impressive score of 240.50, earning both the overall and Limited titles.
$5,000 NSBA Amateur Non-Pro & Limited Trail Top Three Results:
1 Hot Lopin Lily, Caroline Cavallo, Cavallo Family Trust
2 Hand Made Machine, Grant Mastin, Melissa Armstrong
3 KM Flat Out The Best, Jeffrey Johns, Susan Johns
Lauren Stopperich of Venetia, PA, rode her own Showin My Ace to victory in the $5,000 NSBA Select Non-Pro & Limited Trail, earning a total score of 238. Aboard the 2013 gelding by Lazy Loper x Potential Advantage, Stopperich topped a competitive field of 16 and also claimed the Limited title.
$5,000 NSBA Select Non-Pro Trail Top Three Results:
1 Showin My Ace, Lauren Stopperich, Lauren Stopperich
2 IB Real Lazy, Katherine Tobin, Katherine Tobin
3 Wine After Whiskey, Laina Banks, Laina and Kenneth Banks
In the $4,000 NSBA Amatuer Ranch Riding, Tianna Cooper loped to the win aboard Suzanne Cooper’s Good Gravy, a five-year-old gelding by SG Frozen Enterprize x Smart Oaklynn. The pair was awarded a combined score of 230.50, earning them the winning title with a nine-and-a-half point lead.
$4,000 NSBA Amateur Ranch Riding Top Three Results
1 Good Gravy, Tianna Cooper, Suzanne Cooper
2 First Clazz Seat, Laura Bracken, Laura Bracken
3 Magnums Chic Dun It, Lisa Winburn, Lisa Winburn
Kara Ann Bennett of Erie, Pennsylvania, claimed the top spot in the $4,000 NSBA Select Ranch Riding aboard her own The Half Time Show and also finished third with her other mount, Seven S Crossfire. Bennett and The Half Time Show, a 2018 gelding by Yellow Jersey x Hang With Juice, led the field of seven competitors with a winning score of 228.50. Her third-place ride, Seven S Crossfire, a 2019 gelding by Stevie Rey Von x Seven Pepto Whiz, earned a score of 223.
$4,000 NSBA Select Ranch Riding Top Three Results:
1 The Half Time Show, Kara Ann Bennett, Kara Ann Bennett
2 Clooney, Carol A Dewrell, Carol A Dewrell
3 Seven S Crossfire, Kara Ann Bennett, Kara Ann Bennett