Kevin Dukes Does it Again Winning Junior Pleasure Driving With Debut Performance on Regal Respect

By: Brittany Bevis

Kevin Dukes has done it again winning his second World Championship title of the 2014 AQHA World Show. This time, he was in the driver’s seat of Regal Respect in Junior Pleasure Driving for owners Frederick and Lori Bucholz.

After our interview with Dukes yesterday following his win in Senior Pleasure Driving with Ride The Blue Sky, we had to ask if he took his son Clay’s lucky rabbit’s foot along for the ride. As it turns out, there was still quite a bit of good mojo left in the lucky charm; Clay even purchased two extra, with his boot shining money, just to make sure his dad would have plenty of good luck for this evening’s performance.

“I actually won my first World Championship title the year Maddie was born [14 years ago],” Dukes says. “Then, three years later, I won again the year Clay was born. I’ve had them both ever since, and they’ve just been great luck!”

Dukes partner for the class this evening was a beautiful, 5-year-old, bay gelding named Regal Respect by Regal Lark and out of Tullebear. This was the horse’s debut performance at the World Show and only his sixth time in the show pen.

“Rick bought him as a yearling at the AQHA Convention from Carol Harris during one of the banquets,” Dukes says. “I had to crawl from table to table [to negotiate] and Rick ended up sending over a down payment of $1 for the horse. And here I was crawling around among the tables trying not to cause a commotion.”

Although “Buster” took a bit longer than most to get comfortable with his career as a show horse, it’s obvious he was well worth the wait.

“He is five now, and this is his first year to show,” Dukes says. “[Lori and Rick] asked me if I was going to show this sucker before they die. This was back in March. I said, ‘Just don’t ask me any questions about him, and pretend you don’t even know he is alive.’ I said if I didn’t have him qualified by the end of July, we would do something [else]. I called them at the end of July when we qualified him and they were so surprised. We didn’t expect something like this would happen!”

Junior Pleasure Driving-

1- Regal Respect/Kevin Dukes

2-Must Be A Hot One/Chuck Briggs

3-Stridin N Lucky Blue/Brian Holmes

4-Good Thing I’m Hot/Jerry Erickson

5-Investin A Goodbar/Mark Stevens

6-Lovin Honor/Lee Paul Shin