Author: nrha

The Jim Norick Arena at Oklahoma State Fair Park was rocking on Thursday, June 23, when the Invitational Freestyle presented by the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau started rolling. For the first time in years, the Freestyle was held during the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel, as it’s usually held during the association’s Futurity in the winter.

NRHA Executive Committee member and Freestyle contestant Shane Brown said he was thrilled to have the competition during the Derby. “I am glad it’s back here because this is where it originated,” he shared. “I appreciate the OKCVB for putting the money up for this event. I think the more we can promote the class, the better. We want people who aren’t horse people to come watch this – the ones who have never ridden a horse – because if they see it they will be entertained and might want to know more about reining.”

Entertainment was abundant, and the genre of music ranged from Amazing Grace to Fat Bottomed Girls. Most importantly, though, was the quality of maneuvers during the competition.

In the end, it was Hava Vital and her horse Gunna Chic This (Magnum Chic Dream x Gunna Joy) who topped the class with a 225.5, winning an incredible $6,523 with their routine to the “Moulin Rouge” hit song “Lady Marmalade.”

“This whole routine was very spontaneous. I didn’t really plan anything besides the first part of it – I just went with it and the music,” Vital shared. “I asked a lot of questions beforehand, especially from Shane Brown about what I could and couldn’t do. It was just really fun.”

So how did Vital decide on the upbeat routine? “I had done one other freestyle to it before I came to the United States, and I wanted to do it again. When we got here, I Googled rental costumes in Oklahoma City, and one came up that was a little suspicious, but I walked in and saw the costume and knew it was it,” she said.

Vital added that the $20,000 in added money was a motivator to enter, and the payout was appreciated. “I think this is great. It will go to this mare’s lifetime earnings, and I’m getting babies from her. Plus, I have bills to pay, so this will help,” she said.

Taking second in the Freestyle with a score of 223.5 was Abby Budd and her horse Cromed Up (Cromed Out Mercedes x Rest Up). The pair’s bridleless routine to “Can’t Stop The Feeling!” was rewarded with a check for $5,180.

Rounding out the top three was Brown and Susan Harding’s horse Xtra Chex Step (Wimpys Little Step x RM Chexicallie Rose), who performed to the Jamey Johnson hit “In Color.” Their score of 223 was paid off to the tune of $3,837.

Other contestants included Abigayle Mixon, NRHA Hall of Famer Doug Milholland, Amber Morgan, Becca Schaffhauser, Troy Heikes, Ari Micho, and Randall Dooley.

It was all about open riders at the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel on Wednesday, June 22. Between the last section of Open Derby Preliminaries and Novice Horse Open-action in the Adequan® Arena, there was plenty of good watching to be had.

Level 4 Open Finalist Jared Leclair took two levels of the Novice Horse Open, while Shauna Larcombe nabbed one.

Stay tuned as the expectation builds for the Open and Non Pro Derby Finals to be held later this week in Oklahoma City.

Novice Horse Open Level 2 & 3 (1) Champion – Gunningthebay & Jared Leclair

Jared Leclair took over the reins for wife Karla on Gunningthebay, winning the first slate of the Novice Horse Levels 2 and 3 Wednesday afternoon, June 22, in the Adequan® Arena. With a score of 146, Leclair added $2,251 to the mare’s lifetime earnings. Gunningthebay (Gunners Special Nite x Dun It In The Bay) was bred by Cardinal Hill Training Canter LLC.

“My wife showed her some this year in [derbies]. It’s the first aged-event horse she’s shown,” Leclair said. “With all the breeding [at home] this year, my wife really hasn’t had time to ride her, so I decided to show her here instead and get more money on her.”

Leclair’s plan went off without a hitch and he praised the six-year-old for her skills – once they got through the gate.

“I hadn’t been in this pen at all, so I go to run her in normally and she wouldn’t. She did not want to go through the gate. So I had to stop, regroup, walk through the gate and lope her off. Her first stop was really big,” Leclair said.

The rest of the run went well, earning them the title and a bit of redemption.

“I showed her in the Derby the other day, but I didn’t show her well enough. It was kind of my fault. [After this] My wife is going to show her and just enjoy her. She’s a sweet mare – fun to ride. It will be hard for me to give her back to her,” Leclair said.

Leclair thanked his wife for letting him borrow Gunningthebay, and his entire team for their hard work and continued support.

“You’re only as good as your weakest link and I don’t think I have one right now,” Leclair said.

Novice Horse Level 1 (1) Open Champion – Spooks Golden Tune & Shauna Larcombe

The Novice Horse Level 1 Open (1) Championship went to Spooks Golden Tune and Shauna Larcombe, who marked 143.5 and earned $697.

“She’s really easygoing. She’s a sweet mare, never any trouble, always nice-minded,” Larcombe said. “I showed her in the Derby [preliminaries], but we had a couple little things go wrong so I thought ‘We’re already up here, let’s enter something else.’”

The four-year-old mare was bred by Gary Putman. Larcombe and the mare finished as Reserve Champions in the Level 2 and 3 as well, bringing their grand total to $1,957.

“This pattern today was really good for her,” Larcombe said. “I just went in there and tried to make a run.”

Next year Spook Golden Tune (Spooks Gotta Whiz x HA Lenas Tune) will be competing with owner Angelina Widmoser at the helm.

“I want to thank the owners for the opportunity to train her and show her,” Larcombe said.

The Open preliminary round of the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel came to a close Wednesday, June 22. While the finalists are celebrating the chance to compete for big money on Saturday, a few are already counting their money from titles awarded during the preliminary round.

Shawn Flarida won the Tamarack Ranch Open 4-Year-Old Stakes, while Brandon Brant took top honors in the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby. Both men also earned a spot in Saturday’s Finals, where the Level 4 Open Champion will be presented a check for $75,000!

$40,000 Tamarack Ranch Open 4-Year-Old Stakes – Alpha Jac Sparrow & Shawn Flarida

Shawn Flarida and Alpha Jac Sparrow (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Chexanicki) carved themselves a piece of the Tamarack Ranch Open Four-Year-Old Stakes pie Wednesday afternoon, June 22, with a score of 221.5.

The son of NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Whiz and the Six Million Dollar Rider topped the field of four-year-olds, punching their ticket to the Level 4 Open Derby Finals, too. The title was worth $14,679.

“It’s a nice pattern for this horse to come in. He’s such a good turner so it puts you in a good position,” Flarida said. “He turned plus-one to the left and a plus-one to the right. So then as a competitor, I knew that I was in decent shape.”

The team is quite familiar with each other – advancing to the NRHA Futurity Finals last year. Alpha Jac Sparrow is owned by Fritz Leeman and was bred and nominated by Alpha Quarter Horses LLC.

“He’s been a good horse all along. I missed the finals on him by half a point at the NRBC, but he’s just been a really, really nice horse. I rode his father, Spooks Gotta Whiz, and it’s a great family,” Flarida said.

According to Flarida, some of the attributes Alpha Jack Sparrow shares with his sire are his movement and easygoing demeanor.

“With that [good] movement, it allows them to change leads, it allows them to lope circles and it allows them to run and stop,” Flarida said.

Flarida expressed his gratitude towards Tamarack Ranch for the sponsorship of the division.

“Thank you so much,” Flarida said. “And we hope you continue to do it. We appreciate it as competitors.”

Other people on the list to thank included Flarida’s family, help and owners.

$15,000 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby – Dainty Little Spook & Brandon Brant

Dainty Little Spook and Brandon Brant were the big winners of the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby Wednesday, June 22, as the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel marches through its final week.

Marking a 220.5, Dainty Little Spook (Smart Spook x Dainty Little Step) earned $7,028 for owner Sydney Friedman.

“This is the third time I’ve shown her, and she’s getting better every time,” Brant said. “She’s pretty lazy [and] she’s got a lot of feel. It’s been hot out, and the thing with her is just not overdoing it. The big thing has been getting her to run all the way down the pen.”

Dainty Little Spook, known as “Boo,” was bred and nominated by Brooke Wharton. With the score of 220.5, Brant and Boo are Open Derby Finals-bound in Level 4.

“She’s pretty easy. You go through the center on her and she’s slowing down, she wants to rest,” Brant said. “I think there is more in there, I can’t wait for the finals.”

NRHA President Rick Clark sponsored the division, making way for the Novice Open horses.

“I say thank you to Rick Clark and Clark’s Pump-N-Shop for this great class. I think we need this. I [also] thank my whole team. My wife, my assistants and all my customers – Sydney and Logan in this instance especially – I’m blessed. I have a great group of customers, employees and [family],” Brant concluded. 

The Open preliminary round of the 2022 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel is in the books. This year’s Derby was another record-breaker, with the total Open purse topping $791,869, besting the prior record by more than $21,000!

The large field of competitors was narrowed down to the top 30 (plus ties) in the Open Levels 4, 3, 2, and 1. Those entries advanced to the clean-slate finals, which will be held Saturday, June 26. The Open preliminaries also decided the champions of the Open Prime Time, the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby, and the Tamarack Ranch Open Stakes.

Unofficially the bubble for advancing to the finals were:

Level 4 – 218

Level 3 – 217

Level 2 – 214

Level 1 – 209

Winning each division of the Open preliminaries were:

Level 4 – Casey Deary & Americasnexttopgun (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel) – 223.5

Level 3 – Fernando Salgado & Pale Dun Star (Pale Face Dunnit x Get Ya Some Stars) – 223

Level 2 – Jared Leclair & Maken Diamonds (Whizkey N Diamonds x Makeit In Tinseltown) – 221

Level 1– Melanie Petroll & Dirty Diamonds (Whizkey N Diamonds x Wimpys Cat Step) – 218

Open Prime Time – Shawn Flarida & Trash Your Gal (Gunnatrashya x Ima Sailors Gal) – 222.5

Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby – Brandon Brant & Dainty Little Spook (Smart Spook x Dainty Little Step) – 220.5

Tamarack Ranch Open Stakes – Shawn Flarida & Alpha Jac Sparrow (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Chexanicki) – 221.5

The draw for the Open finals will be Thursday, June 23, at 10 a.m. in the Platinum Zone of the Coliseum Arena concourse.

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

The horse show action continued in the Adequan® Arena at the 6666 National Reining Horse Association Derby presented by Markel. There were 103 entries in the Novice Horse Non Pro classes, spread across three levels. In the end, Melissa Wigen, Veronica Williams, and Gavin Warren tied for the Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 title, with Wigen taking sole possession of the top spot in Levels 2 and 3.

Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 Co-Champion & Level 2 & 3 (1) Champion – Melissa Wigen & Starlight Escalade

Melissa Wigen battled through the hardship of losing her competition horse and finding another one to compete on and rise above at the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel. On Tuesday, June 21, Wigen won the co-championship of the Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 (1) and won the championship of Levels 2 and 3.

“It was really tough [when] I lost my last horse. [Starlight Escalade] has been really special to me and we’ve worked very hard. I feel like he’s a blessing to me. Win or lose, he is a gift from God,” Wigen said.

Despite Starlight Escalade’s (Starlights Wrangler x Escalanta Chic) initial fear of the Adequan® Arena, the pair came together to mark a 143.

“He was [initially] really scared of the arena and I flew my husband here to help me get through it. I was able to call on him in his circles, which I hadn’t been able to do this week because he’s been spooky. His stops were O.K. for us, and I’m not going to tell you it’s all horse,” Wigen said with some humor.

On Wigen’s list of people to thank were her husband, Travis Wigen, Yonathan Baruch and the barn community, plus her own family.

“It’s not easy to have kids at teenage age, try to [compete] and do well, and have a job,” Wigen said.

Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 (1) Co-Champion – Veronica Williams & Shiners Nu Chic

Veronica Williams got some redemption Tuesday, June 21, in the Adequan® Arena. After a disappointing Non Pro Derby run, Williams and Shiners Nu Chic (Smart Chic Olena x Shiners Lil Annie) tied for the win in the first slate of the Novice Horse Level 1.

“I just got her, and this is our first big outing together. I showed her in the Non Pro Derby and we had some bobbles, which was really disappointing. I decided I was going to come back over here and do this, and it worked out,” Williams said. “We’ve been getting to know each other, and getting in sync with each other.”

According to Williams, their 143 together was obtained with some motivated riding.

“I was mad, so I rode a little stronger. She’s a really lazy mare and can use a lot of leg,” Williams said.

She thanked her husband and his barn of clients for their continued support and cheers in the pen.

Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 (1) Co-Champion – Gavin Warren & Lil Ruf Maggie

Gavin Warren was among the three that tied for the Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 (1) Championship, scoring a 143. He did so on Lil Ruf Maggie (Magnum Chic Dream x Lil Ruf Jessie), a mare he is newly acquainted with.

“This is my show with her – I just started with her. I showed her full sister last year so it’s fun to be able to keep riding the same bloodline and see what I can do with them,” Warren said. “Their minds are very, very similar, and they want to perform to the best of their ability and do their job.”

Warren’s Non Pro Derby run didn’t go to plan earlier in the week, so he entered the Novice Horse class to gain more show experience.

“I want to thank my dad and my trainer, Devin Warren, and my mom for taking care of things back home. Everyone in my barn [too], for their kind words and [tips],” Warren said.

Intermediate Open High Point Champion – Patrona Whiz & Arnaud Ferret

Seasoned showman Arnaud Ferret and Patrona Whiz earned the Intermediate Open High Point Championship Monday, June 20, in the Adequan® Arena.

With the two Intermediate Open runs, Patrona Whiz (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Smokin Jeanie Jag) added $1,100 to her lifetime earnings. The five-year-old mare is bred and owned by Diane Beckmann.

“She’s very nice, very talented, [but] she’s a little green in the show pen. We try to put her in there as much as we can and get her some show experience. Make sure she gets show broke,” Ferret said.

According to Ferret, Patrona Whiz’s strengths are her circles and stops.

“[Monday] She ran in pretty good… and then she circled really, really good. She had a bobble on the second lead change, but she was awesome the rest of the way,” Ferret said.

Next up for Patrona Whiz are more trips into the show pen with Ferret at the reins.

“We’re going to keep on going until she gets comfortable going in there. Trying to get her ready for the Derby next year,” Ferret said.

Limited Non Pro High Point – Kaylene Cunningham & KB Bucks N Guns

Kaylene Cunningham came to the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel with a goal – win the Limited Non Pro High Point Montana Silversmiths championship buckle.

She did just that on Monday, June 20, with eight-year-old KB Bucks N Guns (Gunner x Smart Whizzin Jenny), winning $180 across both days and adding to the gelding’s $4,500 in lifetime earnings.

“I’ve had him for almost a year. This is our seventh show and I think we just click,” Cunningham said. “The run was great. We were calm, he felt like he was there with me every step of the way. He didn’t do anything that I didn’t want him to do.”

KB Bucks N Guns may be a performer inside the pen, but he is a diverse eater in the barn. According to Cunningham, his favorite treat is ice cream and strangest nibble has been pizza.

“He likes to eat whenever I’m eating. So, if I’m having something he has to have it too, otherwise he throws a little bit of a temper tantrum,” Cunningham.

Next up for the pair is the American Paint Horse Association World Show.

“I want to thank my mom and my trainer Shane Brown,” Cunningham said.