Brittany Bevis and Suddenlee Single and Katie Johnson and Touched Softly Both Unanimous in Western Pleasure Super Sires 3-Year-Old Non Pro Event

September 8, 2013 | Filed under: Club & Show News | Posted by:

One of the most highly anticipated events of the 2013 Reichert Celebration took place this evening in spectacular fashion. With nearly $100,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs in the inaugural Western Pleasure Super Sires 3-Year-Old Non Pro event, security was of utmost importance. That’s why two policemen stood guard in the center of the arena during the class to keep an eye on a clear box that contained the entire purse for the evening.

In order to be eligible to compete in the class tonight, all of the horses must have been sired by one of the Western Pleasure Super Sires: A Sudden Holiday, How Bout This Cowboy, A Touch of Sudden, Hubba Hubba Huntin, Blazing Hot, Nite Moves, Diesel Only, One Hot Invitation, Extremely Hot Chips, One N Only, Gettin Impulsive, Presidential Order, Good I Will Be, Too Sleepy To Zip, Hotroddin Zippo, and VS Code Blue.

The first class to take place was the Super Sires 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Limited Division with nine entries. Taking home $11,024 in cold hard cash, a beautiful Dale Chavez buckle, NSBA bronze, Super Sires medallion and neck ribbon was Brittany Bevis aboard Suddenlee Single, a bay mare by A Touch of Sudden and out of Potential Advantage. The pair was the unanimous choice of judges Nancy Sue Ryan, Sara Simons, Tim Finkenbinder, and Kim Myers.

Caption: Brittany Bevis and Suddenlee Single

The Reserve Champion in the class was Michelle Brickham aboard Willybuptonogood. Rounding out the top three was Rebekah Kazakevicius and Huntin My Zipper.

Bevis and “Sissy” have been a pair since the 2012 Quarter Horse Congress where they placed fifth in the 2-Year-Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure. Here at the Reichert, they were the unanimous circuit champions in Novice Amateur Western Pleasure and the second place finishers in Amateur Western Pleasure.

“Sissy is a very special horse to us because she was bred and raised by my trainer Troy Oakley,” Bevis says. “I watched her grow up in our barn, and I wanted her since I first set eyes on her as a yearling. I’ve been blessed to have had the opportunity to own and ride many talented horses over the years, but she is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime kind of horse.”

“I really want to thank God, my family, Troy, Carrie, Tate, Joan, Liz, Courtney, Kelsey, and all of my friends who have been so supportive as I’ve embarked on this new journey into a different area of the horse industry. None of this would’ve been possible without their help and guidance.”

When it came time for the Non-Pro Open division of the class, another mare by A Touch of Sudden was named the unanimous winner. Katie Johnson rode Touched Softly to the win and received a $13,632 payday, a pair of Rod Patrick boots, NSBA bronze, neck ribbon, Dale Chavez buckle, and Super Sires medallion.

The Reserve Champion in this class was Breanna Porter and Hubbout Forever. Rounding out the top three was Kelly Birkenholtz and Suddenly So Shameles.

Johnson and “Georgia” have had quite the successful run thus far this year with multiple wins at the recent Tom Powers Futurity. She currently competes under the guidance of EH Pait.

“She’s great,” Johnson says. “She’s been a lot of fun. We bought her last fall, showed her at the Congress and have been showing her at futurities this year. At the Tom Powers, we won the 3-Year-Old Limited Non Pro and 3-Year-Old Novice Novice. Here at the Reichert, we won the 3-Year-Old Limited Non Pro.”

Caption: Katie Johnson and Touched Softly

“[I have] never won this much [money] before. I’m in shock. I have no idea [what I’m going to do with it all.]”

Although it’s been a long week for the pair, Johnson was extremely pleased with her mare’s performance tonight and has several people she would like to thank.

“She was really good tonight,” Johnson says. “She stayed in between my legs, and I was really pleased with her. I want to thank all of the stallion owners and JR for putting this on here. It’s a great event. I also want to thank my family, my horse trainer, and my boyfriend Kyle.”