Keith Crawford and his daughter, Whitney, had many reasons to celebrate as they took home a trailer load of awesome prizes from the 1999 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity.
CF Ticket To Ride (Red Ant Rey x Pines Black Ant x Great Pine) carried Crawford, of Howell, Michigan, to his second NRHA Futurity Non-Pro Championship. He also rode Rowdy Yankee (Smart Chic Olena x Nita Chex x Ready Chex) to the win in 1997. It was not an easy victory, as every couple hours during the week, Crawford treated his 3-year-old with Vick’s 44 cough medicine for a chronic cough that showed up soon after they arrived in Oklahoma City.
Crawford brought Rowdy Yankee to the 1999 show also, and the pair claimed the NRHA Saddlesmith Non-Pro Championship, as well as the year-end Saddlesmith Series Non-Pro title.
But the Crawford family was not through for the week. Whitney, at 12 years old, spent her fair share of time in the winner’s circle, too. She rode one of her father’s former reiners, Dancin Chic Olena (Smart Chic Olena x Just A Hummin Honey x Just A Freckle), to win the Saddlesmith Youth 13 & Under Reining Championship and the year-end Saddlesmith Series Youth 13 & Under.
Crawford, who at the time was semi-retired from training and racing Standardbred horses, was as excited, if not more so, about his daughter’s success at the show as he was his own.
“She was tickled to death and all because she had never won a saddle before,” Crawford said during an interview following his Futurity Non-Pro victory.
