Taft Dickerson, of Mount Airy, North Carolina, piloted Extremely Hot Diva to a win in the 2016 Hylton Maiden 3-Year-Old & Over Western Pleasure at the Virginia Classic, in Lexington tonight, collecting a check for $30,200.

“She was great. I couldn’t ask for anything else,” Dickerson said of the 2013 bay mare by Extremely Hot Chips and out of Good Southern Belle. “I was able to push her every way and she responded.”

It was the second-straight win in the Hylton Maiden for Dickerson who last year won aboard Made By J.

Dickerson started Extremely Hot Diva as a 2-year-old and then her owner, Stephanie Redus, of Keedysville, Maryland, rode the filly on trails all summer. Taft went back to work on her two months ago and he said she really settled in about three weeks ago. Until tonight she has only been at three horse shows. She was raised by Cheryl Mullikin, Xenia, Ohio.

Dickerson said the secret to winning the Hylton two straight years is “hard work and good livestock.”

Extremely Hot Diva will next show at The Little Futurity in Raleigh, North Carolina in June.

 Maggie Grandquist, of Aubrey, Texas, was Reserve Champion aboard The Born Legacy, a 2012 bay stallion, sired by Good I Will Be and out of Pretty Hot And Sonny, owned by Alexandra Chavez. They took home a check for $10,556.

A total of 16 horses were entered and 16 showed this year for a total purse of $80,800 in the event now in its sixth year. Judges for this year’s event were: Rick Christy, Steve Meadows, Jeff Allen, Casey Devitt.

The highest placing Intermediate rider was Erin Lieurance aboard My Chips Are Hot. Will Burris earned a bonus of $4,000 for being the highest placing Limited rider aboard Its Certain Im Good.

The Hyton Maiden 3-Year-Old & Over Western Pleasure class is made possible by the generous financial support of Cecilia Hylton, of Hylton Quarter Horses in Gainesville, Virginia.

“We at Hylton Quarter Horses are pleased to continue to be one of the highest paying futurity classes in the country,” said Lucas Cash, head trainer at Hylton Quarter Horses.

The idea of the class being a maiden event for 3-year-old and older horses was in an effort to discourage trainers from pushing 2-year-old horses too early, and Hylton hopes the large purse will encourage trainers to wait on their young horses.

“Cecilia keeps the Hylton Maiden going to give 3-year-old and over maiden horses a premier class to show in for a lot of money, at a premier event like the Virginia Classic,” Cash said. “It was the highest paying futurity class in 2015 and should be in 2016.”

Virginia Youth Association members sold raffle tickets on a Harris work saddle to benefit Phil and Kim Russell. Kim Russell is fighting cancer and the money raised will help them with medical expenses. As the results were tallied in the Hylton Maiden class the winning ticket was drawn. Ralph and Mabeline Harris and Phil Russell were on hand to present the saddle to the winner, Tammy Berry.

Top 10 Results:

1st – $30,200 – Extremely Hot Diva (Extremely Hot Chips x Good Southern Belle), 2013 bay mare, owned by Stephanie Redus, shown by Taft Dickerson.

2nd – $10,556 – The Born Legacy (Good I Will Be x Pretty Hot And Sonny), 2013 bay stallion, owned by Chavez Enterprises LLC, shown by Maggie Grandquist.

3rd – $7,714 – Is It My Turn Yet One Hot Krymsun x Hot Lopin Louise), 2013 bay mare, owned by Cathy Starnes, shown by Kristy Starnes.

4th – $5,278 (plus $6,000 Intermediate bonus) – My Chips Are Hot (Extremely Hot Chips x Ima Godiva Chex), 2013 bay stallion, owned by Richard and Debra Donnelly, shown by Erin Lieurance.

5th – $4,060 – Vital Signs R Stable (Good I Will Be x Vital Signs Are Good), 2012 sorrel mare, owned by Cathy Corrigan Frank, shown by Shane Pope.

6th – 3,654 – Lois Figered It Out (Charlie Hilfiger x Zips Smooth Sally), 2012 sorrel mare, owned by Len Robare, shown by Katy Jo Zuidema.

7th – $3,248 (plus limited bonus of $4,000) – Its Certain Im Good (It’s a Zippo Good Bar x A Certain Invitation), 2012 sorrel gelding owned by Russ Trembelay, shown by Will Burris.

8th – $2,436 – Nites In White (Nite Moves x Dark Jasmine), 2013 sorrel gelding, owned by Susan Ostrander, shown by Steven Reams.

9th – $2,030 – Hes Lazy No Doubt (No Doubt Im Lazy x Petite Seductress), 2013 bay gelding, owned by Tanna Petersak, shown by Theresa Willis.

10th – $1,624 – Opportunity Nocks (A Hot Time In Town x A Good Opportunity), 2014 sorrel stallion, owned by Mary Iris Webre, shown by E.H. Pait Jr.