Hit The Lights Carries Dell Hendricks to 5th NRBC Open Championship

Hit The Lights + Dell Hendricks
2005 NRBC Champions
Photo by Waltenberry

The National Reining Breeders Classic celebrated its first event in 1998. Dell Hendricks won that inaugural show and returned this year to take home an unprecedented fifth NRBC Open Championship, this time riding Hit The Lights (Grays Starlight x Playboys Promise) owned by Adair Reiners LLC.

Dell’s title was especially sweet this year for many reasons. Just two days ago, the talented trainer from Tioga, Texas, was honored as the National Reining Horse Association’s sixth rider to pass the million-dollar mark. And, at the NRHA Futurity last year, Dell spoke with Doug Adair and the gentlemen decided Hit The Lights should be retired and not shown this year. The 6-year-old stallion had made the finals at every major event that Dell took him to but just never stepped up to win a championship. Dell thought the stallion should be retired and his foals could take over where he left off.

“I got home after the Futurity and kind of looked around and I didn’t have a lot to show so I just entered him and I didn’t tell Doug,” Dell said. “So he got his bill for the entry fee and calledf me and said, ‘I thought we retired that horse.’ And I said, ‘I changed my mind!’ I said, ‘Doug, if he ever has that trip, he’s going to win a major event and it might be this year.’ ”

Hit The Light’s trip was near perfection with a 227.5 in the pattern. He was the 22nd horse to run out of 25 Open Finalists in the evening performance and needed a 225.5 to at least tie for Reserve. Everything in Dell’s run was right on, from extremely quick circles to perfect lead changes. Big, powerful stops capped off the run and Dell finally witnessed the performance he knew the stallion was capable of.

“He’s awesome and he’s been that way for so long and no one’s believed in him, including myself,” Dell commented. With one last chance to prove himself, Hit The Lights entered the arena with full force and showed that he is worthy of a championship title.

“I was trotting around with Duane Latimer in the warm-up pen and I said, ‘Duane, they’re ready to mark somebody and I’m going to go for it.’ I told everybody this horse can do it; I know he can do it,” he said.

Dell’s title with Hit The Lights added another $60,000 to the trainer’s lifetime earnings. The pair is headed to the NRHA Derby next month in search of another championship.

Easy Otie Whiz + Matt Mills
2005 NRBC Int Open Champions
Photo by Waltenberry

Intermediate Open
Scottsdale Arizona trainer Matt Mills, qualified two horses for the finals, one in the Intermediate Open and one in both the Open and Intermediate. He ended up earning the Intermediate Open Championship aboard Bobbie J. Cook’s Easy Otie Whiz (Topsail Whiz x Miss Poco Easy), which also finished ninth in the Open, and then earned a fourth-place Intermediate Open finish with Miss HD Rosalie (Hollywood Dun It x Rosalie Dillon) owned by Steve and Lea Ann Hungate. Matt’s NRBC Finals earnings for all three placings totaled $58,742.

This was Matt’s first Open finals in a major event and he looked to Dell for advice. He actually worked for Dell for four years and knew he could count on his mentor for advice on controlling nerves and adrenaline.

“I learned so much there and I have so much respect for both Dell and his program,” Matt said. “I got back there on a regular basis to spend time with him and ride and it’s so nice because he shares everything with me. He lets me know what I need to do to step up to the next level.”

Dell’s good advice led to an amazing NRBC experience for the young trainer who achieved his goal of winning the Intermediate Open and finishing in the Open top 10.

Limited Open
Shane Kelley, resident trainer for 6k Ranch in Elbert, Colorado had a great NRBC show as well. Kelley won the Limited Open Championship on Gail Klapper's bright sorrel stallion, RS La Rooso.

Sired by Gallo Del Cielo and out of Sola Gun, RS La Rooso marked a 216 in the finals to earn $10,080 for the Championship. The duo also secured a finals slot in the Intermediate Open Finals.

Shane also made all 3 Open finals on his other mount, Holymasterwhiz, owned by Debra Smith of Colorado.

Non Pro Action
The 2005 National Reining Breeders Classic welcomed a hundred Non Pro competitors to compete for the coveted NRBC Non Pro Classic Championship. Those hopefuls were reduced to 55 finalists in four divisions with Wendy Latimer, of Marietta, Oklahoma, walking away with both the Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro titles during the Non Pro Finals competition Friday, April 22. Wendy earned a combined $39,931 for the two titles.

Wendy, who is married to NRHA Million Dollar rider Duane Latimer, just started riding reiners consistently three years ago. Her Non Pro Champion is Diamonds For Chic, a 5-year-old mare by Hickory Chic Olena and out of Sailwin Sally. Wendy and Diamond marked a 217.5 in Tuesday’s Non Pro Preliminaries and then drew up first in the Non Pro Finals to set the winning pace with a 220.5.

“I was nervous, very nervous,” Wendy said of her number one draw. “But I thought there’s no bad draw in the finals; you just go with what you’ve got. That’s the way I thought, to just go out and ride her the way I thought I should and it worked out.”

Wendy and Duane bought Diamond as a coming 3-year-old. Duane trained the mare and then handed her over to his wife to show at the 2003 NRHA Futurity where they made the finals.

“She’s super talented and she’s a sweetheart,” Wendy said of her mare. “Duane helped out quite a bit at this show and rode her quite a bit. If he hadn’t have done that, I don’t know how I would have done. You know Duane; he’s good!”

This was Wendy’s first major win and she’s looking forward to showing Diamond at the NRHA Derby next month.

Limited Non Pro
Nicole Dryden traveled from Minnesota to compete at her first NRBC and earned the Limited Non Pro Championship aboard Hangin With The Doc, a 6-year-gelding by Hangten Peppy and out of Docs Lady Taylor. The pair marked a 210.5 in the preliminaries and then a 216 for the Championship title and $4,983.

Nicole grew up barrel racing and now trains with Brian Wellman. It was Brian that found Hangin With The Doc for the young rider.
“He knows how to find them and get the good deals,” she said of Brian. She ended up getting the horse sight unseen. “Brian rode him a couple of times and we traded a mare for him and I said, ‘If you think it’s right then we’ll do it.’ ”

Hangin With The Doc, or Eddie, and Nicole drew up sixth in the finals, which meant there were several Limited Non Pros still waiting to compete. She was forced to sit back and wait to see if her score would stick. It did, and Nicole earned her first major win.

Nicole and Eddie are qualified for the American Quarter Horse Association World Show in Amateur Reining. She also has a 3-year-old in training with Brian and plans to show at the 2005 NRHA Futurity. She is a 20-year-old student at Anoka Ramsey and is studying to be a registered nurse.

Prime Time Non Pro
Dr. James Morgan was instrumental in the creation of the Prime Time division so it’s only fitting that this accomplished horseman won the NRBC Prime Time Non Pro title. Jim rode his homebred, raised and trained gelding, Hesa Friendly, to a 216 in the Finals for the win. The pair also tied for sixth in the Non Pro division and took home a total of $10,831.

“He is two for two in the Prime Time division because he won the Prime Time at the NRHA Futurity,” Jim said of his horse. “I’ve only shown him twice – at the Futurity and here.”

Jim’s stallion, Hesa Smart Chic, sired Hesa Friendly and the 4-year-old gelding is out of Seduction. Friendly has a full brother and sister waiting in the wings but he will always stand out as a special horse.

“One of the most amazing facts that there is, is that this is the only 3-year-old in the world by Hesa Smart Chic,” he explained. “When you take those odds, he wasn’t one of 100; he was one of one! That is really saying something.”

Jim, one of the leading all time Non Pro riders, and Friendly marked a 216 in the preliminaries for an invitation to both the Non Pro and Prime Time Non Pro Finals. He then drew up 10th to mark his winning Finals run.

“When you bring that horse to a horse show, it doesn’t really matter how you do because you are going to think the same of him no matter what he does,” Jim said of Friendly, “He’s just easy to be around and fun to take to the horse show. There are no surprises; he goes out there and shows.”

For more information about the NRBC, please visit their website at www.NRBC.com.