Lucas Oil AQHA World Championship Show Wrap-Up
Photos by Shane Rux
More than 4,000 entries converged at the OKC Fairgrounds to vie for the AQHA’s coveted golden globes and nearly $2 million in purse and prizes.
That’s a wrap on the 2019 Lucas Oil AQHA World Championship Show! Amateur and open exhibitors from the United States, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom competed for 99 world championships and 90 Adequan® (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan) Level 2 Championships champion titles.
More than 1,700 horses and 1,200 exhibitors competed in western, English and halter events, with more than 4,000 entries in these events. View the official results and all score sheets at www.aqha.com/worldshow.
In addition to Level 3 and Adequan® Level 2 classes, the Lucas Oil AQHA Superhorse, AQHA All-Around Amateur, OKC Leading Owner, The American Quarter Horse Journal Reserve Leading Owner and the top AQHA Ranching Heritage-bred horses in both the amateur and open divisions were recognized at the show. Read more below under Special Awards.
The show also featured the second annual Pleasure Versatility Challenge, presented by Terry Bradshaw Quarter Horses. Five Level 1 (horse) stakes classes were offered, with $1,000 added money in each, plus 70 percent of the entry fees. The Level 1 classes were well supported with 235 total entries.
Again this year, more than $150,000 was added to the halter prize money thanks to the generosity of 10-year cumulative breeders Steve and Kathy Headley of Bloomington, Indiana; 30-year cumulative breeder Linda Gordon of Fossil Gate Farms, Roanoke, Texas; and 30-year cumulative breeders Terry and Tammy Bradshaw of Thackerville, Oklahoma. The halter bonanza also recognized the top Adequan® Level 2 exhibitors in both the open and amateur divisions, splitting $10,000 between them.
AQHA member Taylor Sheridan was presented the AQHA Spirit Award November 9. Sheridan’s work with “Yellowstone” and “The Last Cowboy” has put American Quarter Horses on millions of television screens around the world.
If you were unable to join us in Oklahoma City, or missed the free live webcast, be sure to check out the results at www.aqha.com/worldshow. You can also watch The American Quarter Horse Journal’s “Journal Winning Run” interviews with each world champion, starring the best riders and horses in the world.
One of the highlights of the many special events at the Lucas Oil World was the Lucas Oil World Match Roping. Roping fans filled the stands for the star-studded event featuring Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association team roping champions Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison versus father-son duo J.D. and Trey Yates as they battled it out for $10,000 in prize money, as well as the top overall title of Lucas Oil World match team roping champions. In the end, Masters and Harrison rode off as the champions.
AQHA Professional Horsemen volunteered their time to give free Ride the Pattern clinics, presented by Nutrena. These clinics gave exhibitors and spectators the perfect opportunity to learn how AQHA Professional Horsemen would approach a specific 2019 Lucas Oil World class or pattern. Thanks in part to Nutrena’s generosity to match the amount donated at the Ride the Pattern clinics, the Professional Horsemen Crisis Fund raised more than $9,000. The AQHA Professional Horsemen also hosted an online auction, which featured items from the George and Carol Collins Collection, and raised more than $35,000 for the Professional Horsemen Crisis Fund.
Once again, AQHA retained the services of speed-event ground expert John Laws to ensure the Association provided top ground conditions for the Lucas Oil World exhibitors and horses competing in speed events at the show. The speed events were also scheduled at the beginning of the show to ensure that the ground could be monitored without having to work the arena for different disciplines in between these classes.
Blue Kahlua wins the AQHA Super Horse Award for the second year in a row.
Special Awards
The Lucas Oil Superhorse title is awarded to the horse that earns the most points in three or more Level 3 open events in three categories during the show. This year, 20 contenders competed to take home this prestigious award. Blue Kahlua, owned by Montlake Farms LLC of Seattle, was crowned the 2019 Lucas Oil Superhorse for the second consecutive year. The 2013 brown gelding by Chocolua and out of Exotic And Blue was bred by Alyse Roberts of Tuttle, Oklahoma. Blue Kahlua was shown by AQHA Professional Horsemen Chuck Briggs of Azle, Texas. The team earned 32 points by earning the world championship title in senior pleasure driving and reserve world champion titles in senior hunter hack and senior working hunter. Read more about the top five 2019 Lucas Oil Superhorse winners.
The AQHA All-Around Amateur Award is presented to the exhibitor and horse team that earned the most points in three or more Level 3 amateur events in three categories during the show. This year, 16 contenders qualified to compete for the title. Angela Fox of Frisco, Texas, earned the title of 2019 AQHA All-Around Amateur for the second consecutive year. Fox showed her American Quarter Horse, HP The Rusty Fox. The 2015 sorrel gelding, who is by Mechanic and out of Sheza Pleasure by Nite Chip, was bred by Mariann Harrington and Joe Prause of Cabot, Arkansas. Fox and HP The Rusty Fox earned 48.5 points. They placed third in horsemanship, fourth in amateur performance halter geldings and showmanship, fifth in hunter under saddle and seventh in hunt seat equitation. Fox received the use of a Sundowner trailer for one year and an original Lisa Perry bronze. Read more about the top five AQHA All-Around Amateur exhibitors.
The Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau Leading Owner is awarded to the owner who has the highest number of points accumulated for their horses entered at the Lucas Oil World in both Level 3 and Adequan® Level 2 classes across the amateur and open divisions. The owner must have three horses entered at the show to be eligible. This year’s Oklahoma City Leading Owner was Amy Jo Erhardt of Oxford, Ohio. Erhardt earned 102 points with seven American Quarter Horses during the show. The American Quarter Horse Journal Reserve Leading Owner was awarded to Warren English Jr. of Sturgis, Michigan, who earned 70 points with his three American Quarter Horses.
For the amateur and open divisions, the owners and breeders of the top placing AQHA Ranching Heritage-bred horses each received $250. The owners also received a specially designed trophy. In the amateur division, Trackapepto, a 2009 red roan gelding by Peptoboonsmal and out ofLove Tracker by DJ Tracker, was the highest-placing RHB. He is owned by Katie Lesh of Stillwater, Oklahoma, and was bred by Cowan Select Horses of Havre, Montana. In the open division, Shawn Hays of Nocona, Texas, rode the 2014 bay gelding Moonshineandtwoadvil (Metallic Cat-Little Short Stuff by Shorty Lena), owned by Angela Massey of Aloca, Tennessee, and bred by Wichita Ranch of Brenham, Texas. There were 208 horses bred by AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeders that competed in Level 3 and Adequan® Level 2 classes at this year’s Lucas Oil World.
About the Lucas Oil World
The Lucas Oil World is the premier event in the equine industry. The show brings together exhibitors, owners, breeders and fans of the American Quarter Horse from around the world for two weeks of exciting competition, educational opportunities and a bountiful trade show. The Trade Show features more than 100 vendors from across the United States, selling home décor, jewelry, tack, western attire, trailers and more.
Lucas Oil is proud to be the title sponsor of the Lucas Oil AQHA World Championship Show. Other show and event sponsors include Adequan®, Bank of America, Boehringer Ingelheim, Curt and Luverne, Ford, John Deere, Justin Boots, Markel Insurance Co., Nutrena, QStallions, SmartPak, Sundowner Trailers and Wrangler.
For more information on the Lucas Oil World, visit www.aqha.com/worldshow.
AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHAnews on Twitter and visit www.aqha.com/news.
