Halter Titans Battle It Out For Historic Achievement at 2014 APHA World Show

By: Brittany Bevis

Despite chilly fall temperatures outside, the Watt Arena heated up this afternoon as a group of halter titans battled it out to obtain the top spots in Open Gelding and Stallion classes.

Taylor Luneack scored another big win for the Olin Parker team with CL Im So Awesome in Weanling Geldings. The Reserve Champion was Linda Pigg with Predestined A Phoenix. JT Mitchell continued his barn’s winning streak from yesterday by achieving a World Champion finish with Hes That Cool in Yearling Geldings. The Reserve Champion was Floyd Danley with Thats Redemption.

Another familiar face from yesterday’s competition, Olin Parker, found his way to the winner’s circle once again at the lead of A World Class Storm in the 2-Year-Old Geldings class. Coming in Reserve was Jodi Finkenbinder with Intriguing Clue. Later in the day, Parker led Mr Swartznager to a win in Aged Geldings with Sidney Thomas and A Secret Addiction coming in Reserve.

Tim Finkenbinder led I M That Cool to a win in Weanling Stallions. The Reserve Champion was Olin Parker with Mr Star Kid. JT Mitchell was at the lead of Cool Addiction to win the Yearling Stallions class. The Reserve Champion was Jason Smith with Grandslam Kid. Fred Tabor led the beautiful colt named Brookstone to a win in 2-Year-Old Stallions. The Reserve Champion in the class was Tim Finkenbinder with Transcendence. Mitch Leonarski was at the lead of the white wonder, Painted Gunslinger, to achieve the first place spot in 3-Year-Old Stallions. Tim Finkenbinder was Reserve once again with Aenchanted Kid.

Finally, a historic achievement took place when Tim Finkenbinder and Intensions were crowned the World Champions in Aged Stallions. Many of our readers will remember our story from the 2013 APHA World Show when Intensions became the winningest consecutive APHA Halter stallion at the hands of his then owner, Mark Voegele. This year, the stallion brought his new owners, Billy and Suzonne Franks of Three Nails Ranch, to the winner’s circle by claiming a World Champion title in Amateur Aged Stallions and then Open Aged Stallions today with Tim Finkenbinder at the lead, which resulted in another incredible achievement…

Intensions, aka “Rolly,” is a 2010 red roan overo stallion by My Intention [QH] and out of Barlinkislebeastar, a multiple World Champion producing mare. Scroll below to take a look at his impressive show career.

• 2010 APHA World Show- Open Weanling Stallions- Champion
• 2011 APHA World Show- Amateur Yearling Stallions- Reserve
• 2011 APHA World Show- Open Yearling Stallions- Champion
• 2012 APHA World Show- Amateur 2-Year-Old Stallions- Champion
• 2012 APHA World Show- Open 2-Year-Old Stallions- Champion
• 2013 APHA World Show- Amateur 3-Year-Old Stallions- Champion
• 2013 APHA World Show- Open 3-Year-old Stallions- Champion
• 2014 APHA World Show- Amateur Aged Stallions- Champion
• 2014 APHA World Show- Open Aged Stallions- Champion

We were able to chat briefly with longtime trainer, Kelley Stone, to find out more about this incredible animal.

“We pulled him out of his mother, and, when he hit the ground, he was one of those baby colts that just took your breath away,” Kelley Stone says. “The coolest part about this horse is that I’ve never been involved with an individual who’s had as few bad days as this one. He’s been a great one from the day he was born, and we’ve been privileged and honored to be a part of his unbelievable success for all these years. He’s touched every person on my staff, and he’s touched my heart. He’s probably one of the greatest minded individuals, stud, mare, or gelding, that I’ve ever been around.”

“Not only has he won the most consecutive years, but in the open division, he is unanimous in the most consecutive years. He’s never had a second place in the open in now five World Shows as a weanling, yearling, two-year-old, three-year-old, and aged gelding. That’s five World Shows with five judges, which is 25 World Show judges and 25 first places.”

In a word, Stone describes today’s accomplishment as “surreal.”

“It’s hard to explain,” she says. “It’s a dream that you’ve realized but couldn’t have imagined it would come true. Then, when it does, you know you’ve been some small part of history. The good Lord has blessed us.”

Following this APHA World Show, Intensions will be retired from the show pen and head to the breeding shed at Three Nails Ranch in Cisco, Texas. Trainer Jarrell Jackson is excited to be a part of this promising sire’s future.

“Three Nails Ranch is going to go on and stand him next year,” Stone says. “Jarrell Jackson, Trisha Shorten-Armstrong, and myself are all here to help promote the horse’s breeding future, and Jarrell will have him there at their really select breeding ranch.”

The first time Jackson saw Intensions, he knew this would be the perfect addition to the breeding program at Three Nails Ranch.

“We had an opportunity to make an offer on him when we were in Iowa, and we said it was a no brainer for us, especially with the color he is going to throw.”

Scroll below to view a recap of results from this afternoon’s Halter classes at the 2014 APHA World Show.

Weanling Geldings–

1-Cl Im So Awesome/Taylor Luneack

2-Predestined A Phoenix/Linda Pigg

3-Magnificent Ikon/Olin Parker

4-Covert Operations/Richard Price

5- Securitee Clearance/Ray Barton

Yearling Geldings–

1- Hes That Cool/JT Mitchell

2- Thats Redemption/Floyd Danley

3- Ill Be Awesome/Leon Borcherding

2-Year-Old Geldings–

1-A World Class Storm/Olin Parker

2-Intriguing Clue/Jodi Finkenbinder

3-Dunn With Style/Rick McLain

4-Hez A CK Kid/Jason Smith

5-No Chance Of Reign/Matthew Henderson

Aged Geldings–

1-Mr Swartznager/Olin Parker

2-A Secret Addiction/Sidney Thomas

3-RH CK Kid/Fred Cole

4-Heeza Lees Delight/Richard Price

5-Artistic Reflection/Vanessa Cole

Weanling Stallions-

1- I M That Cool/Tim Finkenbinder

2-Mr Star Kid/Olin Parker

3- Creatted/Jason Smith

4-Virtuous/Taylor Luneack

5- Ls Hezasoutherndesign/Jerm Christensen

Yearling Stallions–

1-Cool Addiction/JT Mitchell

2-Grandslam Kid/Jason Smith

3-Wr Game Day/Tim Finkenbinder

4-Financial Securitee/Ray Barton

5-Hez Undisputed/Terry Sartain

2-Year-Old Stallions-

1-Brookstone/Fred Tabor

2-Transcendence/Tim Finkenbinder

3-Exact/Jason Smith

4-Coercion/Trisha Shorten-Armstrong

3-Year-Old Stallions–

1-Painted Gunslinger/Mitch Leonarski

2-Aenchanted Kid/Tim Finkenbinder

3-MV Legendary/Matthew Henderson

4-CNC Giovonni/Kerry Aycock

Aged Stallions–

1-Intensions/Tim Finkenbinder

2-Lopin Lazy/JT Mitchell

3-I Got Em Talkin/Mason Lyon

4-Rolex Bar Twister/Rodger Montgomery

5-QTS Cajun Club/Jack Wright