Wendy Latimer Earns NRBC Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro Championships

Katy, TX - April 23, 2005 - The 2005 National Reining Breeders Classic welcomed a hundred Non Pro competitors to compete for the coveted NRBC Non Pro Classic Championship. Those hopefuls were reduced to 55 finalists in four divisions with Wendy Latimer, of Marietta, Oklahoma, walking away with both the Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro titles during the Non Pro Finals competition Friday, April 22. Wendy earned a combined $39,931 for the two titles.

Wendy, who is married to NRHA Million Dollar rider Duane Latimer, just started riding reiners consistently three years ago. Her Non Pro Champion is Diamonds For Chic, a 5-year-old mare by Hickory Chic Olena and out of Sailwin Sally. Wendy and Diamond marked a 217.5 in Tuesday’s Non Pro Preliminaries and then drew up first in the Non Pro Finals to set the winning pace with a 220.5.

“I was nervous, very nervous,” Wendy said of her number one draw. “But I thought there’s no bad draw in the finals; you just go with what you’ve got. That’s the way I thought, to just go out and ride her the way I thought I should and it worked out.”

Wendy and Duane bought Diamond as a coming 3-year-old. Duane trained the mare and then handed her over to his wife to show at the 2003 NRHA Futurity where they made the finals.

“She’s super talented and she’s a sweetheart,” Wendy said of her mare. “Duane helped out quite a bit at this show and rode her quite a bit. If he hadn’t have done that, I don’t know how I would have done. You know Duane; he’s good!”

This was Wendy’s first major win and she’s looking forward to showing Diamond at the NRHA Derby next month.

Nicole Dryden traveled from Minnesota to compete at her first NRBC and earned the Limited Non Pro Championship aboard Hangin With The Doc, a 6-year-gelding by Hangten Peppy and out of Docs Lady Taylor. The pair marked a 210.5 in the preliminaries and then a 216 for the Championship title and $4,983.

Nicole grew up barrel racing and now trains with Brian Wellman. It was Brian that found Hangin With The Doc for the young rider.

“He knows how to find them and get the good deals,” she said of Brian. She ended up getting the horse sight unseen. “Brian rode him a couple of times and we traded a mare for him and I said, ‘If you think it’s right then we’ll do it.’ ”

Hangin With The Doc, or Eddie, and Nicole drew up sixth in the finals, which meant there were several Limited Non Pros still waiting to compete. She was forced to sit back and wait to see if her score would stick. It did, and Nicole earned her first major win.

Nicole and Eddie are qualified for the American Quarter Horse Association World Show in Amateur Reining. She also has a 3-year-old in training with Brian and plans to show at the 2005 NRHA Futurity. She is a 20-year-old student at Anoka Ramsey and is studying to be a registered nurse.

Dr. James Morgan was instrumental in the creation of the Prime Time division so it’s only fitting that this accomplished horseman won the NRBC Prime Time Non Pro title. Jim rode his homebred, raised and trained gelding, Hesa Friendly, to a 216 in the Finals for the win. The pair also tied for sixth in the Non Pro division and took home a total of $10,831.

“He is two for two in the Prime Time division because he won the Prime Time at the NRHA Futurity,” Jim said of his horse. “I’ve only shown him twice – at the Futurity and here.”

Jim’s stallion, Hesa Smart Chic, sired Hesa Friendly and the 4-year-old gelding is out of Seduction. Friendly has a full brother and sister waiting in the wings but he will always stand out as a special horse.

“One of the most amazing facts that there is, is that this is the only 3-year-old in the world by Hesa Smart Chic,” he explained. “When you take those odds, he wasn’t one of 100; he was one of one! That is really saying something.”

Jim, one of the leading all time Non Pro riders, and Friendly marked a 216 in the preliminaries for an invitation to both the Non Pro and Prime Time Non Pro Finals. He then drew up 10th to mark his winning Finals run.

“When you bring that horse to a horse show, it doesn’t really matter how you do because you are going to think the same of him no matter what he does,” Jim said of Friendly, “He’s just easy to be around and fun to take to the horse show. There are no surprises; he goes out there and shows.”

The NRBC Open Finalists return to the arena tomorrow to compete for the Open Champion check worth $60,000. The 2005 million dollar event wraps up at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas, Sunday afternoon.

The National Reining Breeders Classic is the most successful stallion incentive program in reining history. In just eight years, the NRBC has grown to include over 275 subscribed stallions and over 16,000 enrolled foals. For information on the NRBC, visit the web site at www.nrbc.com or call 580-759-3939.