Louisville - Thursday Morning
Friday, August 22, 2014
One wonders if Kenny Wheeler and Brad Noel would be great as a team in anything else. Would they be a great tennis doubles team? Ok probably not. Maybe a bowling league. Or golf! Golf sounds like something they would excel at, though their buddy David Rudder would smoke them in a match with one hand tied behind his back. But as far as leading colts goes? These guys are a deadly combination. They were covered ad nauseam in 2008, when they swept Thursday mornings ASR Amateur In Hand Kentucky Futurity classes, winning all three with Walterway’s Watch Me, Diamonds And Orchids, and Showsteeler. They got the band back together once again today, winning two of the three, giving somebody else a turn by having no entries to show in the two-year-old class.
The boys started out with a win in the weanling futurity, coming in as the morning line favorite after their huge black filly’s win in the open futurity on Sunday night. They did not disappoint, as Whassup? was once again a winner. Kenny owns this one himself with wife Ceil. This has a nouveau old-timey feel about the breeding, as it’s a classic tale of great friends, one with a stallion and one with a mare. Larry Hartsock is the great friend, and he has the gorgeous Exalted Effect as his in house stallion. Whassup is out of Kenny’s own show mare, CH Pucker Up. She herself is a giant individual by CH The Talk Of The Town and out of the Broodmare Hall of Fame mare One Parting Kiss. The placings held from the open class, as Lady Elizabeth Coal was reserve here as well, once again shown by Bobby Dunn for Cavitts Creek. It was a good day for the black stallions, as Coal was the sire of record here. Lady Elizabeth is out of Lady Of War, by CH War Whoop Two. She had to try hard to be the chestnut that she is, as she has Night Prowler on both her top and bottom lines and another grand black harness horse, CH Captive Spirit, on her bottom line. Sue Worzalla had the popular Just Once up for third, assisted by daughter Sarah Luft for stallion Arrowhead’s Once In A Lifetime. Dance Lady and Jeff Ramey, another good hand on the lead, were fourth for Jan Lukens. That one is by Undulata’s Nutcracker.
Perhaps the idea of having Kenny and Brad sit out the two-year-old class was to let them catch their breath between the first and last classes of the morning. They are six years older now than in 2008 when they made their trifecta sweep after all. It certainly worked well, as they took the solid black colt Walterway’s Think Big to the top spot in the ASR Amateur Yearling Kentucky Futurity. Here was yet another black horse winning in hand this week and another by Exalted Effect. Larry Hartsock produces high style futurity babies, and Smith Lilly prepares them to perfection. Kenny and Brad come in and reap the rewards. Think Big is out of a black mare, Think Mink, by Preferred Property. She is a full sister to CH Preferred Prince. His second dam is the Reserve World’s Champion CH Whisperwind’s Endless Love. He was reserve in the open futurity on Sunday night. Twice finishing in the top three this week already, Elegantly Beautiful moved up to claim a world title as the Reserve World’s Champion here with Brian Chappell and Marie Bouvet. Sired by Charmed And Bewitched, she is out of Attache’s Born Beautiful, by Attache’s Born Believer. Born Beautiful is a half sister to the World’s Champion walk-trot horse Made Ya Look. This filly is owned by Julie Behrend Jones. Jeff Ramey was in the money once again for Jan Lukens. He led Miss Ravena to a good third for sire Undulata’s Nutcracker. MBA’s Silver Sapphire and Todd Valentine were fourth for MBA Equestrians. This one is second generation MBA, by MBA’s Sir William Blue and out of Alicia Silverstone.
Jeff Ramey had his name listed atop the ASR Amateur Two-Year-Old In Hand Kentucky Futurity with Nuttin’ But Elegant. Another from Lukens Stables, Nuttin’ But Elegant is owned by Lisa DeNuzzo, who knew full well that her grand horse, Reserve World’s Champion Make Mine Black, was looking down and smiling. Hopefully this will ease some of the pain of the last month for the DeNuzzo family. Here is another one by Undulata’s Nutcracker, seemingly the only horse in the Lukens Stables breeding program! The chestnut filly is out of CH Heads Will Turn a good ribbon winner here in Country Pleasure Driving with Nutcracker’s owner, Kris Swanson. Heads Will Turn is by Catalyst. Bobby Dunn had another successful entry and another Reserve World’s Champion in Supremacy’s Lady Grace. Also out of Lady Of War, Lady Grace is by Supremacy’s High Time. She too is an entry of Cavitts Creek Inc.
In his first heat of the day, Thunder Up scored his first World’s Championship with Caroline Rainbolt Forbes. This was Caroline’s first Louisville win and her first class ever in this division in Freedom Hall. It was a great start for the DeLovely team for Rainbow Princess Farms. Slick Guy and Brandon Hubbard were Reserve World’s Champions for Steve Crabtree. Steve is always lurking with a good road horse. These two won the amateur class at Brown County Charity earlier this year.
CH Pure Country continued a storied career as an under saddle pony, winning the Road Pony Under Saddle World’s Champion of Champions title for the second time ever, both coming with Lexie Flint for Majestic Oaks. An entry of Dr. Robert and Melissa Flint, Pure Country is by Vindicator and out of Pure Rhythm, by Rhythm’s Spirit. As fine a pony as you will ever see, Pure Country scores his big points with a picture perfect shape to his head and neck. Sallie Mason Wheeler earned her second reserve win of the week with A Dazzling Diva. This was the second year in a row for these two to win the Reserve World’s Champion of Champions title for Maureen Campbell. Dazzling Diva is by Dun-Haven’s Celebrity and out of Image’s Ballerina, by Apollo’s Image. Champions at the Royal last year, they also scored wins in this season at Bonnie Blue and Blue Ridge. Remi Adams continued her transition season in high style with Drum Beat in third, while Perfect Offering and Madison Pope were a good fourth.
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