Deluxe Checks and Austin Shepard. • Photo by Molly Montag

Deluxe Checks Reigns Supreme in NCHA World Finals

Deluxe Checks and Austin Shepard hit the road hard in 2017 in pursuit of a National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) World Championship. Their hard work paid off Saturday night with three championship trophies. 

The mare’s connections – Shepard, and owners Amanda and Rhein Standish – received trophies at the NCHA World Finals Party on Saturday night for the NCHA Open World Championship, NCHA Open World Finals Show Championship and for being the World Champion Mare in the Open.

“I’m just so proud of her, and I’m so happy to do it for her owners,” said Shepard, an Equi-Stat Elite $7 Million Rider. “It’s a wonderful accomplishment. We’re all aged-event minded these days, which we should be because that’s where the money is, but growing up, the guys that were World Champions were my heroes, and to be able to put my name next to them is great.”

As of Sunday morning, results and money from the Open had not been posted on the NCHA website; however, Deluxe Checks and the World Champion Stallion, Metallic Rebel, entered the fourth and final round in a virtual dead heat. After tying for first in round one with a 233, they finished 1-2 in round two with Deluxe Checks marking a 233 and Metallic Rebel a 224.

They flipped positions in round three, with Metallic Rebel (Metallic Cat x Sweet Abra x Abrakadabracre) winning with a 231 and Deluxe Checks finishing second with a 228. Each entered the fourth and final round with $16,294.50 in show earnings.