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Dr. Ray Murphy upheld a family tradition by winning the western pleasure finals Thursday night at the Bayer Select World Championship Show.

“It feels real great,” Ray said shortly after he and Chocolate For Sure, a 2000 brown gelding by Chips Hot Chocolate and out of Surely Can by I Sure Do, were named world champions. “I had to wait until I was 70 years old to get to be one.”

Ray said his children began showing horses about 30 years ago. His son won a world championship in horsemanship during his youth career, while his daughter took home the title in pleasure.

“It’s fun to follow them,” Ray said. He began riding three years ago and acquired “Cocoa” two years ago when trainer John Berry paired the two.

“He kind of likes me,” Ray said of why he and his horse make a winning team. “Horses like you or they dislike you, and he likes me.  I think that’s why we get along.”

Ray said he and Cocoa stayed busy hauling to shows to get qualified for their first Bayer Select World. 

“This has just been a fun time showing this horse,” the radiologist from Farmington, Missouri, said. “But I think my partner at work is glad I’m through showing for a while.”

Ray will hand Cocoa’s reins over to his 6-year-old granddaughter, who gave the horse his barn name, for his next big event. She will show him in the small-fry classes at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress this fall.