Month: June 2022

Another action-packed day of competition drew to a close at the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel. Not only were the Finalists for the Non Pro Derby determined, the champions of the Story Books Stables Amateur, Colston Paving Inc. Non Pro Stakes, and Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Non Pro Derby were crowned.

$20,000 Colston Paving Inc. Non Pro 4-Year-Old Stakes Champion & $10,000 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Derby Champion – Jack Medows with Tribbiani & Jewells

Jack Medows is on a roll at the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel. The Missouri resident earned two titles on two homebred horses – the $20,000 Colston Paving Inc. Non Pro 4-Year-Old Stakes Championship on Tribbiani and the 10,000 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Derby Championship on Jewells.

“They both showed great for me, I was really happy. They’ve both been really fun and easy to show,” Medows said.

Tribbiani (Gunnatrashys x Chicsdreamofdiamonds) scored a 220.5 in the Derby Non Pro Preliminaries, winning the Stakes and $7,037.

According to Medows, “Joey” has worked well all week at the Derby.

Jewells, a five-year-old mare by NRHA 13 Million Dollar Sire Gunner and out of Surprizentheprincess earned $4,764 for the Novice Horse win with a score of 216.

“Jewells has really progressed. She’s a little [newer] to the show pen and Casey Deary is showing her in the Open [Derby] this week so he thought it would be a good idea to get another run under her belt before he showed her,” Medows said. “I really want to thank the sponsors for [making opportunities] for these young horses that are a little greener.”

Both Tribbiani and Jewells advanced to the clean-slate Finals on Friday.

Medows thanked his family, Casey Deary, and his girlfriend, Olivia, for their help and support throughout the week.

The Reserve Champion in the $20,000 Colston Paving Inc. Non Pro 4-Year-Old Stakes was Steven Borgia and HA Blondes Nite (Gunners Special Nite x Smart Blonde Chic), marking a 217.5 and earning $4,283.

There was a tie for the Reserve Championship in the $10,000 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Derby between Lane Colston and Mary Riley Cachat, who each marked a 215 to win $2,537.

Colston rode My Favorite Nite (Gunners Special Nite x Darlins Not Painted), while Cachat piloted Spooks Show Biz (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Dolittle Lena).

$25,000 Story Book Stables Amateur Division Champion – Christine Trautman & Smart Whizard Spook

Sunday afternoon, June 19, was one of Christine Trautman’s dreams as she and gelding Smart Whizard Spook clinched the Story Book Stables Amateur Division Championship with a score of 217.5.

“It was the best run I’ve ever had – it’s the highest I’ve ever marked. He was fantastic, he was really locked in,” Trautman said.

The team earned $7,348 for the victory, bringing Smart Whizard Spook’s (Smart Spook x Miss Poco Whizard) lifetime earnings to $75,905.

“I come from Wisconsin. I don’t come from a horse background and have had to really work hard and grind at it year after year to get to this place. It’s a really big deal,” Trautman said. “I thank Dany, Fred and the Tremblay team. They’re exceptional and have made dreams come true that I never even imagined.”

Earlier this year, Trautman and 7-year-old Smart Whizard Spook earned Reserve Championships in the National Reining Breeders Classic Non Pro Derby Level 1 & 2, as well.

“I can’t find the words to explain how special it is. This horse and this team have changed my life in a really big way,” Trautman said.

In its second year, the Story Book Stables Amateur features an incredible $25,000 in added money for amateur riders. According to Story Book Stable owner Fredrick Christen, the division is a way to contribute to the grassroots reining crowd.

“It’s our way of giving back to the industry that we get so much enjoyment out of,” Christen said.

Tying for the Reserve Championship in the $25,000 Story Book Stables Amateur was Maria Daniele-Krueger and Chandler Winard. Danieli-Krueger rode Fridee Spook (Smart Spook x Dun It Fri Dee Nite), while Winard was on Whoz Joe Daddy (Lil Joe Cash x Miss Sunshine Annie).

Find complete results at NRHADerby.com.

Although the weekend is drawing to a close, the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel is just heating up. While the Non Pro preliminaries were being held in the Norick Coliseum, the Adequan® Arena played host to the Green and Rookie Reiners.

Classic Equine Green Reiner Level 2 Champion & Highpoint – Teresa Roller & Surprized

Teresa Roller managed to pull off both the Classic Equine Green Reiner Level 2 (2) Championship and Level 2 High Point Sunday, June 19, in the Adequan® Arena.

The Corinth, Texas resident has been riding reining horses for five years and gradually increasing her skills.

“I enjoy the process to get there. It isn’t just the win. It’s taken me a little while to get here and I’ve learned so much,” Roller said.

She’s been learning with 8-year-old gelding Surprized (Hang Ten Surprize x Snow White Dun It), known as “Cheeseburger.”

“He’s super cute, he’s a gentleman. He is the best little horse and I couldn’t be happier with him. He tries for me and I think you can ask for more from a horse,” Roller said. “He likes to eat a lot, he can’t miss dinner-bucket time.”

Roller trains with Luke Gagnon and credited Gagnon with her success.

Classic Equine Green Reiner Level 1 Champion – Morgan Hobson & Trendsettter

From the last draw, Morgan Hobson and Trendsettter (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Timed To Shine) grabbed the Classic Equine Green Reiner Level 1 (2) Championship with a score of 140.5.

“It felt pretty good. This is my second time ever showing him so I’m really proud of him. He was a good boy,” Hobson said.

The 2017 gelding is slated to show in the Open Derby with Josh Tishman later in the week.

“I wanted to have a clean run. I wasn’t even going in to win, I just wanted to have a clean run because he is showing in the Level 4 Open. I was going to go in and school him, and have a run. I was very happy with the circles, and he gets a little tense in the rundowns, but he waited on me today,” Hobson said.

Trendsettter has lifetime earnings of more than $70,000, including the 2021 Tamarack Ranch Open Stakes Championship with Kole Price.

“He’s kind of weird. He loves attention and he’s always fun to ride. He’s a pleasure to have,” Hobson said. “When he stands in the cross ties, he will lick you and bite the crossties until he gets your attention.”

Next year, Hobson hopes to compete in the Non Pro with Trendsettter and qualify for The Run For A Million.

“I want to thank Josh Tishman, Casey and Nicole Deary, and especially my mom and dad,” Hobson said.

Classic Equine Green Reiner Level 1 Highpoint – Sidney Karr & Gunmetal Whiz Girl

Sidney Karr and Gunmetal Whiz Girl earned the Classic Equine Green Reiner Level 1 High Point Montana Silversmith’s buckle Sunday, June 19, in the Adequan® Arena.

“We’ve only been together for just shy of two months. I picked her up right before the NRBC. This is our third show together and she’s just a unicorn, she takes really good care of me,” Karr said.

The high point award was a bit of redemption for Karr, since she and Gunmetal Whiz Girl’s (Spooks Gotta Gun x Koolwhix N Wranglers) run in the Non Pro Derby preliminaries didn’t go to plan.

“I think it was my jitters. Hopefully next year we can be pretty competitive in the level 1 [derbies],” Karr said.

Coming from an all-around show background, Karr said she loves the reining for the environment, people and challenge. She trains with Jonathan Gauthier and thanked the entire Gauthier team for their help.

“They’re amazing, the entire crew. Johnathan, Janina, I couldn’t ask for a better crew. My mom, my dad, just everyone that gets me here and gets me into the show pen,” Karr said.

Jackpot Rookie Level 1 & $200 Rookie Level 2 Champion – Raegan Shepherd & Shining Spook Dancer

NRHyA member Raegan Shepherd and Shining Spook Dancer swept the Rookie Level 1 and Rookie Level 2 Sunday afternoon, June 19, in the Adequan® Arena. Thanks to NRHA Global Event Sponsor Toyon Ranch, all Rookie entry and judges fees for both slates of classes are paid at the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel.

The resident of North Carolina marked a 141.5 to secure the title on the nine-year-old gelding called “Sunny.”

“I was really happy with my run. The plan was to just go out there and show my strengths and get through the parts where I didn’t have him as prepared as I wanted to,” Shepherd said. “He was there with me every part of the way.”

According to Shepherd, Sunny (Smart Spook x Shining Dancer) keeps people guessing at home with his mischievous behavior.

“He’s kind of a goofball and we never know how he’s going to be. Some days he’s great and some days he’s wild. He keeps us guessing, which is good,” she said.

With the $272 payday, Sunny’s lifetime earnings pushed to more than $15,000.

“I want to thank my friends and family, my trainer and everyone who got me to this point today,” Shepherd said.

TRFAM Rookie Qualifiers

Five riders advanced from the first slate of Rookie The Run For A Million Qualifier Sunday afternoon in the Adequan Arena at the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel. Long rosettes in hand, the riders joined the ranks of rookies vying for the TRFAM Rookie Championship, which will be held in August at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Amanda Johnson

Whitesboro, Texas – Arise The Pheonix (Pale Face Dunnit x Talk About Janie)

Pip Brown

Anna, Texas – Roosters Myra (SR Roosters Kid x Miss Magnum Chic)

Harper Lawson

Lincoln, Nebraska – Spooksgottachicolena (Spooks Gotta Gun x Braz Us)

Staci Ann Lawson

Lincoln, Nebraska – Stary Nite (Gunners Special Nite x Dunna Quintana)

Charlotte Trojanovich

Calahan, Colorado – Custom Cocktail (Wimpyneedsacocktail x Custom Topgun)

Qualification for TRFAM is based on rider, not horse. Riders do not have to compete on the horse they qualified on but are required to lease or own their TRFAM the horse based on NRHA rules.

A record-breaking 305 entries competed in this year’s Non Pro preliminary round at the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel, which began Friday, June 17, at Oklahoma State Fair Park in Oklahoma City.

As the weekend waned, the competitors were whittled down to the top 30 in the Non Pro Levels 4-1; top 20 in the Prime Time Non Pro and Youth Non Pro; and top 15 in the Masters Non Pro. Those riders will advance into the clean-slate finals, to be held Friday. For the second year in a row, the Champion of the Non Pro Level 4 will win $30,000, while Level 3 wins $20,000, Level 2 earns $15,000, and Level 1 will pocket $5,000.

It doesn’t end there! The Non Pro Prime Time Champion is guaranteed $5,000, while both the Masters and Youth winners will take home $2,000 each.

Unofficially the bubble for advancing to the finals are:

Level 4 – 215
Level 3 – 214
Level 2 – 213
Level 1 – 211
Prime Time – 213.5*
Masters – 211*
Youth – 210.5

*Includes handicap.

Winning each division of the Non Pro preliminaries were:

Level 4 – Jack Medows & Tribbiani (Gunnatrashya x Chicsdreamofdiamonds) – 220.5

Level 4 – Gina-Maria Schumacher & Gunnastepya (Gunnatrashya x SDP A Lasting Step) – 220.5

Level 3, Level 2, and Prime Time – Rodion Cantacuzene, Jr. & Pale Dun Star (Pale Face Dunnit x Get Ya Some Stars) – 218.5

Level 1 – Christine Trautman & Smart Whizard Spook (Smart Spook x Miss Poco Whizard) – 217.5

Masters – David J Silva, Sr. & Good Time To Trashya (Gunnatrashya x Good Time Gota Shine) – 217

Masters – Lance Griffin & Spooks Gotta Tinsel (Spooks Gotta Gun x Tinsel Tiara) – 217

The draw for the Non Pro finals will be held during the Platinum Performance Non Pro Draw and Welcome Party Wednesday evening, June 22, which will also feature Reiners Rope, a fundraiser to benefit the Reining Horse Foundation Dale Wilkinson Memorial Crisis Fund.

Three championships were decided during the Non Pro preliminaries and awarded immediately after. Christine Trautman and Smart Whizard Spook (Smart Spook x Miss Poco Whizard) won the Story Book Stables Amateur division, while Jack Medows double-dipped, winning the Colston Paving Inc. Non Pro Stakes on Tribbiani (Gunnatrashya x Chicsdreamofdiamonds) and the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Non Pro Novice Horse Derby on Jewells (Gunner x Surprizentheprincess).

The preliminary round of the Open Derby kicks off on Monday, June 20. This round, which continues through Wednesday, will determine the winners of the $15,000-Added Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby and the $40,000-added Tamarack Ranch Open Stakes, along with the finalists of the Open Derby. The Finals, slated for Saturday, June 25, also feature guaranteed payouts to each Open Level winner, including $75,000 to the Level 4 Champion.

Complete results, draws, news, and more can be found at NRHADerby.com.

The second day of the preliminaries of the Non Pro at the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel is in the books. The round began with a record-breaking 305 entries, and the field is being whittled down to the crème de la crème that will compete Friday in the clean-slate Finals.

The championships of the Story Book Stables Amateur, the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Derby, and the Colston Paving Inc. Non Pro Stakes will also be awarded following the last section of the Non Pro preliminaries.

The current high scores across the many divisions of the Non Pro preliminaries are:

• Level 4 – Jack Medows & Tribbiani (Gunnatrashya x Chicsdreamofdiamonds) – 220.5
• L3, L2, & PT – Rodion Cantacuzene & Pale Dun Star (Pale Face Dunnit x Get Ya Some Stars) – 218.5
• L1 – Kelsey Flessner & Chics Guna Dream (Magnum Chic Dream x Gun Whiz It) – 215.5
• Masters – David Silva & Good Time To Trashya (Gunnatrashya x Good Time To Shine) – 217
• Youth – Samuel Flarida & Hollywooddirtysecret (Hollywoodstinseltown x Maximum RPM) – 220

Currently leading the Story Book Stables Amateur, the Colston Paving Inc. Non Pro Stakes, and the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Non Pro Derby are:

• Story Book Stables Amateur – Maria Danieli-Krueger & Fridee Spook (Smart Spook x Dun It Fri Dee Nite) – 217
• Colston Paving Inc. Non Pro Stakes – Jack Medows & Tribbiani (Gunnatrashya x Chicsdreamofdiamonds) – 220.5
• Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Derby – Mandy McCutcheon & Johnny Loves June (Gunnatrashya x Good Time Gota Shine)

The Non Pro preliminaries wrap up Sunday night. The top 30 in the Non Pro Levels 4-1, the top 20 in the Prime Time Non Pro and Youth Non Pro, as well as the top 15 in the Masters Non Pro, will advance to the clean-slate finals on Friday, June 24. The draw for the finals will be decided during the Platinum Performance Non Pro Draw and Welcome Party on Wednesday evening, June 22. This welcome party also features Reiners Rope, a fundraiser that benefits the Reining Horse Foundation Dale Wilkinson Memorial Crisis Fund.

For complete results and other information, visit NRHADerby.com.

Another exciting day of competition drew to a close in the Adequan® Arena Saturday evening, June 18, with three open champions crowned.

The taste of Open reining competition was an exciting reminder of what’s to come as the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel inches closer to the Open Derby preliminaries next week.

$6,000 Open & $1,000 Intermediate Open Champion – Lil Dreamin Magnum & Jeremy Gates

With a score of 148, Lil Dreamin Magnum and Jeremy Gates brought home the win of the first slate of the ancillary $6,000 Open and $1,000 Intermediate Open for owner Kathy Biesecker, pocketing $2,795.

“He’s 11 and overcame a lot of things to be here today,” Gates said. “He’s had two colic surgeries, the first one was exploratory and the second one was a bypass.”

Lil Dreamin Magnum (Magnum Chic Dream x Myo Starlight) was bred by Spence Bell of Maysville, Oklahoma, and was purchased out of the NRHA Markel Futurity Marketplace Sale as a yearling by current owner Biesecker.

“He’s a huge turner and a big stopper,” Gates said. “I’d like to take him to Vegas and qualify for The Run For A Million.”

Gates works for Tom McCutcheon in Aubrey, Texas, and said his list of people to thank is long.

“We could be here for a while,” Gates said good-humoredly.

$500 Limited Open Champion – Light Me Up Joe & Nick Valentine

For Nick Valentine, the Ancillary $500 Limited Open class Saturday, June 18, in the Adequan® Arena was an opportunity to prepare Light Me Up Joe for the Open Derby Preliminaries taking place next week.

“I go on the last day [of the prelims] so I just wanted to make sure he connected all the dots and relaxed in there,” Valentine said.

The trip got a little sweeter with a score of 142.5, a championship title, and a payday of $286.

“He’s really good-minded—he’s physically talented, too, but he’s good-minded. He’s a little green and he’s getting show broke now,” Valentine said.

Light Me Up Joe (Lil Joe Cash x Light Attack) was bred by Devin Warren and is owned by Valentine. The team has been working together since late last year and is set to show in section three of the Open Derby on Wednesday, June 22.

“He’s a big stopper, pretty mover,” Valentine said of the gelding. “He minds the heat a little bit so I just try to work him early and put him by the portacool.”

$500 Rookie Professional Champion – CBK A Nu Kinda Spark & Eric Grondin

Canadian Eric Grondin is getting a feel for the show pen aboard CBK A Nu Kinda Spark (Jacs Electric Spark x HR Wright On Cash). On Saturday, June 18, the pair nabbed the win of the ancillary $500 Rookie Professional with a score of 141, winning $275.

“I’ve showed him four times. He’s a good horse—he’s not very complicated. I think he has lots of experience, lots more than me,” Grondin said.

With more than 10 years of riding reining horses, Grondin is no stranger to the industry but has mostly worked behind the scenes.

“I need practice in the show pen. I’ve trained horses for many years but have not had lots of opportunities to go show. My friend Luke Gagnon, I work [for] him, and he’s shown me lots of things,” Grondin said.

Luckily CBK A Nu Kinda Spark is willing to show Grondin the ropes. The 11-year-old gelding was bred by William & Corliss Kellogg and is owned by Patricia Ann Jackson.

“I think his best maneuver is the stop. In the run down he waits [the whole time] and focuses on you. When you say whoa, he stops,” Grondin said.

Classic Equine Green Reiner Level 1 Champion – Joetta Bell & Silver Gunn

Joetta Bell and Silver Gunn navigated their way to a score of 141 in the Adequan® Arena Friday, June 17, in the Classic Equine Green Reiner Level 1, earning the championship by half a point.

The Millsap, Texas, resident got into reining this year and competes with daughter Trinity under the guidance of Casey Deary and Josh Tishman.

“It’s my first Derby to show,” Bell said. “My biggest goal is to just stay on pattern, be clean and be safe. [Friday] was really just practice for me for the Derby.”

Bell and the 2017 gelding are slated to compete in Section three of the Non Pro at the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel on Sunday, June 19.

“I didn’t run him as hard as I will in the Derby for the circles,” Bell said. “I wanted him to be confident and work on where I needed to be in the arena, which is always something Casey and Josh teach. I want to get past those markers.”

According to Bell, Silver Gunn (Gunnatrashya x Silvernbluestarbuck) got plenty of rest in preparation for the show.

“He’s not one that requires a lot of training. He’s really my kid’s horse, and I just wanted him to rest his legs and body before all of this heat and concrete,” Bell said.

Find the latest news, draws, results, and more at NRHADerby.com.