Bret Parrish and KM One Hot Number Win Green Western Pleasure and $10,000 Limited Horse Open Maturity on Owner’s 76th Birthday

By: Brittany Bevis

Bret Parrish and the stunning bay mare named KM Hot Number went two for two today at the 2013 Congress winning the $10,000  Limited Horse Maturity Open Western Pleasure Stakes and the Green Western Pleasure. With only a class’s rest in between, Parrish and the five-year-old mare returned to win the Green Western Pleasure out of six tough splits.

For horse owners, Sonny and Alice Douglas, today’s wins are even more special because October 17th is Alice’s birthday. Talk about an incredible birthday present!

“I can tell you [how old I am,] because I’ve earned every one of them,” Alice says. “I’m 76. This is the most wonderful birthday. It’s the best yet.”

Alice’s devoted husband, Sonny, is quick to add that the couple celebrated another milestone this week.

“On the 14th of October, it will be 60 years since I had my first date with Alice,” he says. “Now, we’ve been married for 57 years.
That’s the thing I’m more proud of than anything else.”

The Douglas’s have a family connection with this particular horse as well. They were the previous owners of RL Best of Sudden. KM Hot Number was purchased from Masterson Farms when she was just two months old.

“She is five this year,” Bret Parrish says. “This is the first year I’ve shown her. She is by RL Best of Sudden and out of Carrie Chown’s old mare, She’s Sultry Hot. I think it’s a very good combination of both. I think she’s got the strengths of both horses. I knew the mother a little bit, and I knew the dad real well. I think they complimented each other very well.”

Alice definitely sees some similarities between this young mare and her sire, citing their eye-catching looks, correct conformation, and agile movement.

“We did own RL,” she says. “We have seen several of his babies that we’ve liked at the different shows.”

Parrish is very proud of this mare’s performance today, but he is even more excited to deliver such a memorable birthday present to Mrs. Alice. This is her first Congress Championship win.

“They hadn’t watched me show one of their horses in four or five years,” Parrish says. “So, that was a big thing that they did come up and watch her show. She’s in a few other things. I made the Open Maturity Finals, and I’m in the Junior, but I’m going to wait and see how she’s doing the rest of the week.”

“There were six splits today and 24 horses in the finals. That was a very full pen of horses and a very competitive pen.”

A big congratulations to Bret and Candy Parrish and Sonny and Alice Douglas on both of their Congress Championship titles today. Happy Birthday!

NSBA Maturity $10,000 Limited Horse Open Western Pleasure Stakes-

1-KM Hot Number/Bret Parrish

2-The Best Sign Yet/Katie Green

3-Dressed To Party/Casey Willis

4-Pleasurin/Charlie Cole

5 -A Good N Hot Machine/Dave Archer

Green Western Pleasure-

1-KM Hot Number/Bret Parrish

2-Hot Lopin Goodbar/Brian Rastall

3-The Best Martini/Brian Cox

4-Hot Precious Lexus/Tate Oakley

5-With Only A Touch/Dave Archer