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Open World Champion

Dec 6, 2020, 14:24 PM by Sally Harrison

The Open World title was claimed by Little Jackson Cat and Wood

Double victory for Little Jackson Cat

Little Jackson Cat, ridden by Mike Wood. Seth Petit photo.

Winning the NCHA Open World Finals presented by 7 Ranch in Fort Worth on December 5 catapulted Little Jackson Cat from second place in the standings to the World Championship.

Ridden by Mike Wood for Dawn Chapman of Chandler, Ariz., Little Jackson Cat is a 10-year-old mare bred by Kenneth Jackson. She’s by High Brow Cat out of Rey To Play, a Dual Rey mare that was an NCHA Futurity and Super Stakes finalist under Lloyd Cox.

This was actually Little Jackson Cat’s third World Finals win. She won the $25,000 Novice titles in 2017, ridden by Les Bates, and the following year with Wood. Wood also showed her to the 2018 World Championship in that class.

Wood and Chapman also teamed up for wins in year’s $5,000 Novice and $5,000 Novice Non-Pro World Finals with Crispy Kreme.

In her 2020 World Finals runs, Little Jackson Cat posted scores of 225 / 219 / 220 / 231 / 895 for earnings of $17,139. That took her career earnings over $310,000. She earned $52,464 for the World Championship, after earning checks at 47 shows during the regular season.

Wood, a Hall of Fame Rider with earnings over $2.3 million, has won multiple Novice World Championships, but this was his first Open World title. He was previously Reserve World Champion in 2015 with Smart Stingrey.

First-round winner Mamas Stylish Sophie, by Dual Rey, ridden by Chris Hanson for German Lugo of Gainesville, Tex., placed second in the World Finals with earnings of $14,966.

Pedel To The Metall, ridden by Hall of Famer Ascencion Banuelos for Faith Mountain Ranch of Houston, is the 2020 Reserve World Champion with earnings of $48,321. The Metallic Cat gelding was bred by Double Dove Ranch, out of million-dollar producer Twice As Reycy.

Adan Banuelos, Cookie Banuelos and R.L. Chartier also took turns in the saddle on Pedel To The Metall during the point year.

To read more from Sally Harrison, visit sallyharrison.com.