John Murphy Sweeps Championships for Non Pro Divisions of NRCHA Circle Y Ranch Derby
The big news of the NRCHA Circle Y Ranch Derby Non Pro divisions was an un-assuming 18-year-old named John Murphy. He and his family traveled more than 40 hours from his home in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, to the West Texas town of San Angelo to claim the Non Pro, Intermediate Non Pro, Novice Non Pro, and Amateur Championships!
“He was a good boy,” Murphy modestly said of his horse, Pepto Pepermint, after the awards ceremony. Murphy took home four Gist Silversmiths buckles, four monogrammed jackets from Circle Y Ranch, and a $50 product gift certificate from Santa Cruz Biotechnologies. He also won $5,652 from the Championships alone. He also won $3,094 from the go-rounds, including the high Amateur cow work score. “He was pretty much the best he’s ever been. He was solid and he worked like he does at home.”
Murphy and Pepto Pepermint, by Surely A Pepto and out of Haidas Pepermint, competed in 2011 at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, and were tied for the lead of the Amateur division going into the cow work. Unfortunately, a bad fence work took them out of contention. “We definitely had a screwup. I watched a lot of people while I was there and got some videos of different people – like Boyd Rice – and when I came home I worked to change his style and do an overhaul on him. It worked,” he said.
Murphy’s parents, Eugene and Maria Murphy, own Pepto Pepermint, and were on-hand to cheer him on. “I thank my parents for all their support. I’m lucky that they help me do this and I get to go to the big shows,” he said. “I also thank Boyd Rice, Robbie Boyce, John Swales, Brad Peterson, the people I came with, and everyone else who has helped me.”
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