By Mary Grace Schmid
A quiet mind, natural ability and a lot of talent—that’s what it took for Jay Starnes of Manning, South Carolina, and Never Had I Ever to win the $10,005 paycheck in the 2019 Breeders’ Trust 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Stakes.
“She’s an easy horse—she’s not a hard horse to work with,” Jay said. “My favorite about working with 2-year-olds is that they are a little more honest sometimes, but it can be hard to get them mentally prepared to show with everything in the arena and on the rail. She’s shows like a seasoned show horse at just 2 years old.”
‘Madonna’ is a 2017 sorrel overo mare by No Doubt Im Lazy and out of A Certain Illusion. Bred by Rawlings Enterprise LLC of Summerton, South Carolina, Madonna is owned by Dakota Andrie of Franklinville, New Jersey. Jay has shown Madonna for Dakota a couple times earlier this year, including the recent NSBA World Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“Since we’ve started showing her this year, she’s become even more fun to show,” Jay said. “She loves her job and honestly, she’s better to show then she is to prepare some days. She’s really smart and loves to go out and show.”
When Jay and Madonna entered the John Justin Arena to a bustling crowd, Madonna was able to maintain her quiet demeanor throughout the whole ride.
“She was really good the whole class. I just prepared her like I normally do and she stayed true the whole time,” Jay said. “She’s so even, she jogs good, she looks good and she’s really pretty. She catches attention as soon as she jogs into the arena.”
As for the Limited Division, Tim Snapp of New Carlisle, Ohio, and Good To Know won big by earning the Limited Division title and a paycheck of $3,750; they also placed third overall in the Open Division, picking up another check worth $5,002.
Earning a total payout of $8,752 was quite meaningful to Tim, considering that he bred and raised ‘Mac’ himself. A 2017 sorrel overo stallion by CR Good Machine and out of A Little Extra Zip, Mac was named after Tim’s father-in-law, as they were both born on the same day.
“We get to call him and tell him how Mac and I did,” Tim said. “He’ll be so excited.”
After Tim watched Mac grow up, Tim thought that he had the ability to do well in the 2-year-old Western Pleasure classes.
“Even as a yearling, I thought Mac was pretty special,” Tim said. “We had Wade and Carly Parks come out for dinner and check him out to see if they thought so too. We brought him to Wade and Carly in February and got to show at the NSBA World Show, which was fun.”
Tim didn’t initially plan to show in the Breeders’ Trust 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Stakes at this year’s World Show, but decided to enter when he saw the class payout.
“I’m really glad that I ended up entering,” Tim laughed.
Unofficial results follow:
Open Divison:
1st NEVER HAD I EVER shown by Jay Starnes earning $10,005
2nd A SENSATIONAL PAINT shown by Sara Simons earning $7,503
3rd GOOD TO KNOW shown by Tim Snapp earning $5,002
4th LOPIN THE LINE shown by Wade Parks earning $2,501
5th HONEY IM SENSATIONAL shown by Alicia Carroll
Limited Division:
1st GOOD TO KNOW shown by Tim Snapp earning $3,751
2nd HONEY IM SENSATIONAL shown by Alicia Carroll earning $2,918
3rd HEZ SO SOPHISTICATED shown by Laura Bracken earning $1,667
All Breeders’ Trust-enrolled horses—Regular Registry and Solid Paint-Bred—are eligible to compete in the Breeders’ Trust Pleasure Stakes classes at the APHA World Championship Show. Horses are enrolled into the Breeders’ Trust Pleasure Stakes as yearlings and then pay an entry fee during their 2-year-old year; read more about the program here.