Austin Shepard

Sam Shepard

Riding Playin At The Mall, Austin marked a 222.5 that earned first place in the Open for the horse’s owner, Buster Quirk, Denham Springs, La. Sam finished Reserve on Dees Mr Charles with a 221, bringing home a consecutive Eastern Nationals honor for the gelding’s owners, Edley and Sue Hixson, Deridder, La.

Playin At The Mall (Playdox x Poosmal x Peptoboonsmal), the Open Champion, is a 2004 gelding who arrived at the Eastern Nationals with $272,133 on his record. He was bred by Missourian James Vangilder, who also showed the horse in his early years in limited-age competition. The two started out by making the Non-Pro finals at the 2007 NCHA Futurity. Roger Wagner, who trained Playin At Mall, teamed up with Vangilder, and the two rode Playin At The Mall to $157,899 in 2008. In June of the next year, James and Gail Hooper purchased the horse, and Playin At The Mall won $28,617 during the 2009 season.

In January 2010, Quirk purchased the gelding, and it was to Austin’s barn he went. They competed at weekend events while also making the Open finals at a number of major limited-age events, along with showing with members of the Quirk family. During the 2010 season, the consistent Playin At The Mall added another $71,406 to his earnings record.

Austin, who has $4.3 million in cutting earnings, also rode the 5-year-old Bet Hesa Cat (High Brow Cat x Bet Yer Blue Boons x Freckles Playboy) to the Open finals in Jackson, finishing 12th overall. They also tied for fourth in the $10,000 Novice and $3,000 Novice divisions. Bet Hesa Cat is owned by the Bet Hesa Cat Syndicate and has lifetime earnings close to $120,000.

Dees Mr Charles (Its Just About Me x Dees Dually x Dual Pep), a 6-year-old gelding, made it happen two years in a row at the Eastern Nationals. Last year, he and Sam Shepard finished first in the $10,000 Novice, and this time, the pair claimed Reserve in the Open division. This added nicely to an earnings record that stood at $105,875 at the end of February. At the 2011 Augusta Futurity at the end of January, this pair marked a 228 for the 5/6-Year-Old Classic Championship.

Dees Mr Charles was bred by Earl Driggers, Blyth, Ga. The horse sold in December of his third year to Louis Noto, who is the official NCHA show videographer. The horse really hit his stride during 2009, making the finals at the NCHA Super Stakes, where he won the Open Gelding division, and NCHA Derby, plus cutting in the finals at a number of major limited-age events. The Hixons purchased the gelding in September 2009.

From the looks of things, 228 was Sam’s lucky number considering that earlier in the week he rode Playin Witha Cat (High Brow Cat x Playgiarism x Freckles Playboy) to a 228 for the $3,000 Novice win. Plus, they also finished third in the Open division. This 6-year-old stallion is owned by Mississippian Arthur Noble, who also owned High Brow CD at the time that stallion won the 2007 NCHA Futurity with Austin. Coming into the show at Jackson, Playin Witha Cat, who was bred by Meredith McCullar, Memphis, Tenn., had $59,533 on his earnings record, including a trip to the Open semifinals at the 2008 NCHA Futurity with Austin.

And speaking of Austin, he rounded out a great Eastern Nationals with a win in the $10,000 Novice division aboard NQH Tom Cat (High Brow Cat x Spooky Lucy x Grays Starlight). This 6-year-old gelding, owned by Todd Quirk, Denham Springs, La., worked his way to a 225 for the win. NQH Tom Cat was bred by Jerry Nye, Hillsboro, Ore., and he arrived at the Eastern Nationals with $92,132 on his earnings record, one with a trip to the 2008 NCHA Futurity where with T.J. Good he made the Open semifinals and finished ninth in the John Deere Open division.

Check out the full results