First Champions Crowned at AQHA World Show

The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA)/Lucas Oil World Championship Show kicked off on Nov. 2, and the cutting finals were the first to take place in Oklahoma City. In the Senior Cutting, it was Equi-Stat Elite $5 Million Rider Kobie Wood and his homebred Donas Suen Boon who went home with the title.

In the prelim round, the 8-year-old mare (Boon Too Suen x Donas Cool Cat x High Brow Cat), who Wood owns with his wife, Paula, marked a 219.5 to finish second. The duo was second to go in the 16-horse finals, and their score of 222 gave them the edge to win the World Championship.

Donas Suen Boon has seen plenty of success in the show pen already. In 2012, Paula piloted Donas Suen Boon to the Non-Pro Championship at the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity, where she also finished seventh in the Open finals with Wood. When she arrived in Oklahoma, she had an Equi-Stat record was less than $500 away from the $400,000 mark.

QB Cat (High Brow Cat x Quintan Blue x Mecom Blue) and Clint Allen took home the Reserve World Championship with a score of 221.

Junior Cutting

Equi-Stat Elite $4 Million Rider Clint Allen had a strong appearance at the AQHA World Show during the Junior Cutting. 

On David and Stacie McDavid’s 5-year-old sorrel gelding, Allen put together a solid 220 to claim the Championship as the 11th draw of 13.

The gelding had an Equi-Stat record of nearly $75,000 before the AQHA World Show, which included checks from many of the cutting “majors,” like the NCHA Futurity, NCHA Super Stakes and NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular. 

Bar RR Ranches’ 4-year-old stallion Big Shoes To Phil (High Brow Cat x Tapt Twice x Dual Pep) and Clint McDaniel marked a 219 to earn the Reserve Championship.

Amateur Cutting

Kristen Galyean and her gelding Harley (Spots Hot x Cattilion x High Brow Cat) hit the ground running at the AQHA World Show. In the Amateur Cutting prelims, they put together a 219 to top the round, and they kept that momentum going in the finals. As the 10th draw in the 15-horse finals, the pair earned a 218.5 which held up for the Championship.

With more than $200,000 in lifetime earnings, the 2006 Tim Barry-bred gelding has spent plenty of time in the cutting pen. His very first check posted to Equi-Stat came from the 2009 NCHA Futurity, where he made the finals with Equi-Stat Elite $3 Million Rider Wes Galyean to earn $31,033. His success didn’t stop there.

In 2010, Kristen and Harley topped the NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular Derby Non-Pro, and the duo has consistently had strong performances since then.

QB Cat also clinched the Junior Cutting Reserve World Championship, this time with owner Stacie McDavid after marking a 218.

For complete coverage of the AQHA/Lucas Oil World Championship Show, subscribe to Quarter Horse News.