Avila Wins NRCHA Stakes with Chics Magic Potion

Bob Avila and Chics Magic Potion won the 2005 National Reined Cow Horse Association Stakes in Tucson, Ariz., April 3.

April 8, 2005 — Bob Avila closed the 2005 National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) Stakes with a win on Chics Magic Potion, the same horse he won the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Championship with in 2003. The NRCHA Stakes began March 30 and ended April 3 at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Ariz.


Avila, of Temecula, Calif., finished seventh in the preliminaries out of 76 total Open entries scoring a 649.5 composite (210/219.5/22). The top 20 finishers advanced to Sunday’s finals where Bob and Chics Magic Potion (Smart Chic Olena x Remedys Magic Potion) earned a 655 composite (217/219.5/218.5) for the title. He actually tied John Ward, riding Mister Smoking (Mister Dual Pep x Miss Smoken Leo) but Avila’s 218.5 guaranteed the win and a check for $25,204 as the higher cow score.


Kenneth Banks owns Chics Magic Potion, better known as Magic. Avila won the Santa Ynez Cow Horse Classic Pre Futurity with Magic before earning the prestigious NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Championship. The team then traveled to Oklahoma City, Okla., where they made the finals at the NRCHA Futurity.


“He just keeps giving. When I want him, he just gives it to me,” Avila said of the stallion. “He’s my buddy; he’s a pet. He’s a very cool horse.”


Lance Johnston, Lindsay, Calif., lead the Intermediate Open preliminaries riding Cee Mr Hickory
(Docs Hickory x Miss Cee Nita) to a 647.5 composite (218/214/215.5). In the finals, the duo stepped it up to finish with a 652.5 composite (216/215.5/221) for the Intermediate Open Stakes title and check for $5,910.


“He was a little worn out so our herd work wasn’t quite as good as in the preliminaries. In the rein
work, I showed him a lot better,” Johnston said following his win. “Down the fence we drew a high-scoring cow and he was great and it all came together.”


In the Limited Open Stakes, Sherri Gilkerson finished the preliminaries in third place and received the division’s last invitation to the finals. Gilkerson teamed up with Lenas San Lena (Lenas Wright On x Shorty San Della) and earned a 613.5 (203/208.5/202) in the preliminaries. She came back to the finals and finished with a 638.5 composite (213.5/209/216) for the Limited Open title good for $6,500.


Patty Ralls, Gainesville, Texas, won both the Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro Stakes riding Chromium Cowboy (A Chic In Time x Marvelous Miss). For the Non Pro win, Ralls earned $11,550 and an additional $5,130 for the Intermediate Non Pro title.


The NRCHA, the 56-year-old governing body of cow horse competition, is responsible for promoting the sport, insuring high standards of competition and educating members and the public about the history and tradition of the cow horse.

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