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AMATEUR HEADING MIKE ROW AND APACHE BLUE BOY HEAD FOR THE WINNER'S CIRCLE. BY KATIE HENDRICKSON, MARKETING INTERN Mike Row of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, and "Blue Boy" enjoy their victory lap after being named 2008 amateur heading world champions. Mike Row and his 1995 gray stallion, Apache Blue Boy, beat out 52 entries to win their first amateur heading world championship title together with a score of 226. AQHA Pro Horseman Steve Orth will ride "Blue Boy" next week in pursuit of the Featherlite Superhorse title during the FedEx Open AQHA World Championship Show. Mike: Great. Awesome. Words can’t describe how I feel. We were blessed with this horse, and my family is letting me ride him. I feel great. Q: Will you tell us about your go tonight? Mike: I’ve never won the world title in heading; I’ve won it three times in the heeling on him, so I was really wanting to win that heading. I wanted to let the steer out and try to get in a good go for Blue Boy. He didn’t break real hard. He was a little bit slow for him. I wanted a little bit faster, but Blue Boy, he was awesome. He just rated real well and turned him, set real well and Steve (heeling) just hammered him. That helped us on the face, so I give a lot of credit to Steve Orth. He’s our trainer and he helped him a bunch. Q: Tell us about Blue Boy. Mike: Blue Boy, he’s great. For a stud horse, he’s just great. My little kids they ride him out here with other studs and mares so he doesn’t act like a stud. At home my little girls ride him. They always want to ride him and around other horses, he’s just awesome. He gives us some great colts. Like I said, God has blessed us with an awesome horse. Q: Do you have any future plans for him? Mike: Well, Steve rides him in the senior, and we’re hoping to win Superhorse. Last year, we actually would have won, but we didn’t have him qualified, but he won more points than the actual Superhorse. We’re hoping this is the year he might win Superhorse, but it takes a little luck and we’ll see what happens next week. Q: Is there anyone you’d like to thank? Mike: Most of all God, Steve and my dad (John). Steve helps me rope and helps me get better. My dad, he gives me the opportunity to do it. So I thank them. Fun Fact: Prior to this year's world show, Blue Boy had earned $63,407 in AQHA World Championship Show prize money. WINNER STATS Horse name: Apache Blue Boy Total class entries: 53 World Champion Prizes: Custom-designed gold-tone trophy, Montana Silversmiths buckle, neck wreath, gold medallion, Cripple Creek-logo jacket, world champion patch, Justin boots, Tex Tan product
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