Click image to read full article - Deary Performance Horses
Click image to read full article - Deary Performance Horses
Click image to read full article - Deary Performance Horses
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
PHOTOS BY DAWN BAXSTROM<br />
{ O P E N D I V I S I O N }<br />
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE NATIONAL REINING HORSE ASSOCIATION AND NRHA REINERVOLUME 33, ISSUE 11.
2012NRHA OPEN FUTURITY CHAMPIONS<br />
Americasnextgunmodel<br />
Casey<br />
<strong>Deary</strong><br />
NRHA PROFESSIONAL CASEY<br />
DEARY HAD THE RIDE OF HIS<br />
LIFE ON AMERICASNEXTGUN-<br />
MODEL.<br />
BY GAVIN EHRINGER<br />
ON THE MORNING OF THE 2012<br />
NRHA Futurity Open finals<br />
Casey <strong>Deary</strong> passed by fivetime<br />
Futurity champion<br />
Shawn Flarida. <strong>Deary</strong>’s mare,<br />
Americasnextgunmodel,<br />
and Flarida’s stallion, Yankee<br />
Gun, were tied for the highest composite<br />
score—447 points—after two qualifying gorounds,<br />
making them favorites going in<strong>to</strong> the<br />
clean-slate finals later in the day.<br />
“What do you think about scratching your<br />
horse?” <strong>Deary</strong> jokingly said <strong>to</strong> Flarida.<br />
“You don’t need me <strong>to</strong> scratch,” said Flarida<br />
earnestly.<br />
Boy was Flarida ever right. That evening during<br />
the second section of the open finals,<br />
<strong>Deary</strong>, an NRHA Professional from Weatherford,<br />
Texas, made the ride of his career on Americasnextgunmodel<br />
(Gunner x Cee Dun It Do It<br />
by Hollywood Dun It). From the first big sliding<br />
s<strong>to</strong>p <strong>to</strong> the break-neck speed of their large<br />
circles <strong>to</strong> the perfectly timed lead changes at center<br />
<strong>to</strong> the even bigger slides <strong>to</strong> end their run, the<br />
two gave a textbook demonstration of flawless<br />
execution. Their efforts drew thunderous
WALTENBERRY<br />
Casey <strong>Deary</strong> and Americasnextgunmodel<br />
MARTINA CICELOVA<br />
applause from the crowd at the Jim Norick Arena at Oklahoma<br />
State Fair Park, the Futurity’s home in Oklahoma City from<br />
November 22 through Saturday’s finale on December 1.<br />
Their score of 228 from a hither<strong>to</strong> stingy panel of judges<br />
pushed the pair <strong>to</strong> a 4.5 point lead over frontrunner NRHA Professional<br />
Ruben Vandorp, Aubrey, Texas, and his ride Legacy In<br />
Lights (Hit The Lights x Doc Berry Miss). As <strong>Deary</strong> cooled his<br />
horse in the warm-up pen, he was mobbed by well-wishers that<br />
included a veritable who’s who of <strong>to</strong>p NRHA Professionals and<br />
former Futurity winners. Like Flarida earlier, they seemed <strong>to</strong><br />
Dana Conrad and fiancé Gary Case<br />
DAWN BAXSTROM<br />
MARTINA CICELOVA
WALTENBERRY<br />
sense that <strong>Deary</strong> was about<br />
<strong>to</strong> be anointed.<br />
As the remaining seven<br />
riders flew through the<br />
pattern in the waning half<br />
hour of the competition,<br />
only one rider, Tim<br />
McQuay of Tioga, Texas,<br />
and the stallion Gunners<br />
Tinsel<strong>to</strong>wn (Gunner x<br />
Miss Tinsel<strong>to</strong>wn), even<br />
came close <strong>to</strong> challenging<br />
<strong>Deary</strong>. With a score of 225<br />
points, even McQuay, an<br />
Whitney Conrad<br />
NRHA Hall of Famer had<br />
<strong>to</strong> bow <strong>to</strong> the 31-year-old <strong>Deary</strong> and white-masked, mare who<br />
<strong>Deary</strong> affectionately calls “Lily.”<br />
OPEN FINALIST NOMINATORS<br />
Two nomina<strong>to</strong>rs had three or more horses in the finals:<br />
MARTINA CICELOVA<br />
CINDER LAKES RANCH (4)<br />
CHEXAWALLA: ridden by Cody Clock, owned by Day Creek Ranch LLC<br />
REF BLACK MAMBA: ridden by Jordan Larson, owned by Rancho El Fortin<br />
GOTTA GOLD CHAIN: ridden by Cody Sapergia, owned by Jac Point QH<br />
STEPPIN ON SPARKS: ridden by Andrea Fappani, owned by HDC Quarter<br />
<strong>Horses</strong><br />
BOB LOOMIS (3)<br />
WEST COAST RANEE: ridden by Mathieu Bu<strong>to</strong>n, owned by Bob Loomis<br />
WHIZZER WHIZ: ridden by Thiago Boechat, owned by Xtra Quarter<br />
<strong>Horses</strong>, LLC<br />
HOT CHIC WHIZ: ridden by Mathieu Bu<strong>to</strong>n, owned by Bob Loomis<br />
Tim McQuay and Gunners Tinsel<strong>to</strong>wn<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
WALTENBERRY
MARTINA CICELOVA<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
NRHA Million Dollar Sire<br />
In a career punctuated with many honors, Bill and Dawn<br />
Pohl’s Whizard Jac, was honored for becoming an NRHA Million<br />
Dollar Sire.<br />
DAWN BAXSTROM<br />
Tim McQuay<br />
“I had a lot of confidence in the mare the whole time,” said<br />
<strong>Deary</strong> as he looked back over the grueling 10-day-long competition.<br />
“On Oc<strong>to</strong>ber 10, my wife (Nicole) was doing her daily<br />
Bible study. She got a picture in her<br />
mind that I would win this and she<br />
wrote that down. She didn’t share<br />
that with me until the night we left<br />
for Oklahoma City. It gave me confidence.<br />
I had a lot of faith in what<br />
my wife said.”<br />
In a twist of fate, both Lily and<br />
McQuay’s reserve champion horse<br />
Gunners Tinsel<strong>to</strong>wn got their start in<br />
life at Silva Reining <strong>Horses</strong>, the<br />
breeding farm of McQuay’s longtime<br />
client, friend, and new NRHA<br />
Million Dollar Owner, David Silva Sr.<br />
and his wife, Bonnie. Silva kept the<br />
colt, slotting it in<strong>to</strong> McQuay’s training<br />
program as one of his own candidates<br />
for the 2012 Futurity.<br />
Prime Time Open Champions and Level 4 Open Reserve<br />
Champion, Gunners Tinsel<strong>to</strong>wn and Three Million Dollar<br />
Rider Tim McQuay, helped push David Silva, Sr. (holding<br />
trophy) in<strong>to</strong> the NRHA Million Dollar Owner club.<br />
MARTINA CICELOVA
MARTINA CICELOVA<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
Level 4 Open 4th place:<br />
Jordan Larson and Ref<br />
Black Mamba.<br />
Level 4 Open<br />
5th place tie:<br />
Yankee Gun and<br />
Shawn Flarida.<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
DAWN BAXSTROM<br />
Ruben Vandorp<br />
Level 4<br />
Open 5th<br />
place tie:<br />
Dos Smart<br />
San<strong>to</strong>s and<br />
Randy<br />
Paul.<br />
Level 4 Open 3rd<br />
place and Level 3<br />
Open Champions<br />
Ruben Vandorp<br />
and Legacy In<br />
Lights.<br />
Level 4 Open 5th<br />
place tie, Level 3<br />
Reserve Champion:<br />
Wimpys High Bid<br />
and Jason<br />
Vanlandingham.<br />
Meanwhile, the filly was started at Silva’s facility in Pilot<br />
Point, Texas, under trainer Alain Calbrix and then passed<br />
<strong>to</strong> another resident trainer, NRHA Professional Brad<br />
Giesbrecht, <strong>to</strong> prepare for sale. Silva offered her up for sale<br />
at the 2011 NRHA/Markel Insurance Futurity Prospect Sale,<br />
but she was withdrawn from the sale when she failed <strong>to</strong><br />
bring Silva’s minimum price.<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
WALTENBERRY
WALTENBERRY<br />
“She was very broke, a special horse, and I was surprised when<br />
she didn’t sell,” remembers Silva. After the sale, <strong>Deary</strong> approached<br />
Silva and struck a private deal for his client Dana Conrad of<br />
Weatherford, Texas. He felt that the horse would be ideal for<br />
his program and hungered <strong>to</strong> take a chance on the mare that<br />
other potential buyers overlooked. Rather than be dissuaded<br />
by her gender, as many trainers might have been, <strong>Deary</strong> felt he<br />
could make a winner out of her.<br />
“Typically, stud colts sell for the highest prices but I get along<br />
better with mares,” <strong>Deary</strong> said. “She was my pick of the 2-yearolds<br />
at the sale. She is obviously a very attractive mare and her<br />
pedigree is a highly-successful cross.”<br />
Indeed, it’s hard <strong>to</strong> imagine a more prestigious and impressive<br />
pedigree—on both sides. Gunner is an NRHA Four Million<br />
Dollar Sire while Hollywood Dun It, the sire of Lily’s dam<br />
OPEN FINALIST NOMINATOR PAYOUTS<br />
NRHA Nomina<strong>to</strong>r Program nomina<strong>to</strong>rs <strong>to</strong>ok home five percent of a nominated<br />
horse’s earnings, regardless of whether or not they were the current<br />
owner. Here are a few nomina<strong>to</strong>rs who <strong>to</strong>ok home an impressive check.<br />
DAVID SILVA, SR • $15,423<br />
AMERICASNEXTGUNMODEL: ridden by Casey <strong>Deary</strong>, owned by Dana D.<br />
Conrad and Arcese Quarter <strong>Horses</strong> USA<br />
GUNNERS TINSELTOWN:ridden by Tim McQuay, owned by David Silva, Sr.<br />
JANET L. BENSON • $6,939<br />
LEGACY IN LIGHTS: ridden by Ruben Vandorp, owned by Janet Benson<br />
CINDER LAKES RANCH • $6,249<br />
REF BLACK MAMBA: ridden by Jordan Larson, owned by Rancho El Fortin<br />
GOTTA GOLD CHAIN: ridden by Cody Sapergia, owned by Jac Point QH<br />
STEPPIN ON SPARKS: ridden by Andrea Fappani, owned by HDC Quarter<br />
<strong>Horses</strong><br />
CHEXAWALLA: ridden by Cody Clock, owned by Day Creek Ranch LLC<br />
Level 4 Open<br />
8th place:<br />
Shawn<br />
Flarida and<br />
Spooks Sugar<br />
Rose.<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
Cee Dun It Do It, is second on the all-time leading sire list and<br />
is an NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire.<br />
“The mare is extremely talented and she has a lot of feel. She<br />
is also a little quirky but she’s always been great at the hard things.<br />
She taught me a lot about patience. I had <strong>to</strong> challenge her at<br />
her own pace,” <strong>Deary</strong> said.<br />
Earlier in the year, <strong>Deary</strong> and the mare stepped out for the<br />
first time at the NRHA Cow<strong>to</strong>wn Classic in Fort Worth, Texas,<br />
where they marked 222 points. Despite a poorly-executed lead<br />
change, the score was still good for third place in the Level 4<br />
Open. Then, in September, the pair triumphed at the High Roller<br />
Reining Classic Futurity in Las Vegas, Nevada, claiming the Level<br />
4 Open win with a score of 226.5. The vic<strong>to</strong>ry at the predictive<br />
event positioned Lily as one of the favorites going in<strong>to</strong> the<br />
NRHA Open Futurity, reining’s richest competition.<br />
NRHA Million Dollar Rider<br />
NRHA Professional Bernard Fonck had a successful 2012<br />
highlighted by achieving NRHA Million Dollar Rider status for<br />
which he was honored at the NRHA Futurity.<br />
Level 4<br />
Open 9th<br />
place:<br />
Mike<br />
McEntire<br />
and<br />
Wimpys<br />
Flashy Jac.<br />
Level 4<br />
Open 10th<br />
place:<br />
Gotta Gold<br />
Chain and<br />
Cody<br />
Sapergia.<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
WALTENBERRY
Though Dana Conrad’s name showed up as the owner in the<br />
NRHA Futurity’s The Score and The Draw publications, on the<br />
evening prior <strong>to</strong> the finals, <strong>Deary</strong> made a handshake deal on<br />
Conrad’s behalf <strong>to</strong> sell part of the mare <strong>to</strong> Arcese Quarter <strong>Horses</strong><br />
USA. Therefore the Arcese family, NRHA Million Dollar Owners<br />
and the all-time leading owner of NRHA Futurity winners<br />
from 2007–2011, had an interest in both of the leading horses<br />
going in<strong>to</strong> the Saturday finale. Ultimately, the gambit<br />
played out well for both Conrad and Arcese Quarter <strong>Horses</strong> USA<br />
who share owner recognition for Americasnextgunmodel. The<br />
mare was awarded $165,000 for the Level 4 Open win.<br />
While the <strong>Deary</strong>s counted their blessings, runner-up Tim<br />
McQuay felt mightily blessed <strong>to</strong>o. <strong>Deary</strong>’s win further burnished<br />
the reputation of the late Hollywood Dun It, a stallion forever<br />
associated with the McQuay name, as well as the reputation<br />
of Gunner, the McQuay’s NRHA Hall of Fame sire. That alone<br />
would have been a great outcome for McQuay and his family—but<br />
it was only the beginning.<br />
The $143,373 check McQuay earned for the reserve championship<br />
on Gunners Tinsel<strong>to</strong>wn officially pushed him past the<br />
NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider mark, putting him in the rare<br />
company of only two other riders: Shawn Flarida, Springfield,<br />
Ohio, and Andrea Fappani of Scottsdale, Arizona. McQuay’s finish<br />
also helped Silva, who has been with the McQuays for roughly<br />
three decades, cross the NRHA Million Dollar Owner mark,<br />
becoming the sixth NRHA member so honored.<br />
McQuay also earned praise as the winner of the NRHA Futurity<br />
Prime Time Open division where he rode three of the <strong>to</strong>p<br />
ten horses (all owned by Silva). McQuay bagged the prime time<br />
open win for his ride aboard Gunners Tinsel<strong>to</strong>wn and also cashed<br />
checks on Nuthin But Hollywood (Hollywoodstinsel<strong>to</strong>wn x<br />
TRISTAN DARK<br />
Gunner<br />
2012 NRHA FUTURITY<br />
SIRE & DAM<br />
AWARDS<br />
L E V E L 4 O P E N D I V I S I O N S I R E<br />
SIRE OWNER AWARD<br />
1. Gunner McQuay Stables Inc $15,292.43<br />
2. Gunner McQuay Stables Inc $9,175.46<br />
3. Jacs Electric Spark Troy Heikes $6,116.97<br />
L E V E L 3 O P E N D I V I S I O N S I R E<br />
SIRE OWNER<br />
1. Wimpys Little Step Xtra Quarter <strong>Horses</strong> Lawson Trophy<br />
S I R E & D A M O F F S P R I N G A W A R D S<br />
HORSE<br />
OPEN<br />
RIDER OWNER<br />
One Night Whiz<br />
NON PRO<br />
Todd Martin Todd Martin<br />
Mighty Miss Gee Whiz Lindsey McCutcheon Scott & Kathy<br />
McCutcheon<br />
Nuthin Chic by Smart Chic Olena) and Chex From Tinsel<strong>to</strong>wn<br />
(Hollywoodstinsel<strong>to</strong>wn x Lenas Ruby Chex by Smart Peppy Lena).<br />
The day before the open finals, McQuay’s daughter NRHA<br />
Million Dollar Rider Mandy McCutcheon Aubrey, Texas,<br />
shared a co-championship in the Level 4 Non Pro division with<br />
Jesse Asmussen, Andrew, Iowa. As if that weren’t enough <strong>to</strong> celebrate,<br />
Cade McCutcheon, the 12-year-old son of Mandy and<br />
her husband Tom (NRHA Futurity finalist and NRHA Million<br />
Dollar Rider), placed in all four divisions of the Cinch NRHA<br />
Non Pro Futurity.<br />
Cade scored 213 points in the finals <strong>to</strong> claim the youth non<br />
pro division title and the Level 2 and Level 1 Non Pro reserve<br />
championships aboard Dually With A Star, owned by his dad.<br />
Cade’s take during the competition exceeded $41,000. Remarkably,<br />
Cade also became the youngest rider <strong>to</strong> qualify for the finals<br />
of the Cinch NRHA Non Pro Futurity, an honor formerly<br />
held by his mom who qualified for the 1989 NRHA Non Pro<br />
Futurity at age 13.<br />
“Well, the whole week has been unbelievable,” said McQuay<br />
as he recounted all the gifts of a Christmas that seemingly came<br />
24 days early. “These are dreams come true, the kind you lay<br />
in bed imagining.”<br />
OPEN FINALIST OWNERS<br />
Several owners had multiple horses in the Levels 1–4 Open finals:<br />
BOB LOOMIS (2)<br />
HOT CHIC WHIZ: ridden by Mathieu Bu<strong>to</strong>n<br />
WEST COAST RANEE: ridden by Mathieu Bu<strong>to</strong>n<br />
DAY CREEK RANCH LLC (2)<br />
CHEXAWALLA: ridden by Cody Clock<br />
CHICS DREAM ABOUT ME: ridden by Cody Clock<br />
VAUGHN ZIMMERMAN (2)<br />
WIND HER UP PEPPY: ridden by Bobby Avila Jr<br />
WIMPYS HIGH BID: ridden by Jason Vanlandingham<br />
NRHA Million Dollar Rider<br />
During 2012, NRHA Hall of Famer Rocky Dare achieved his<br />
goal of reaching NRHA Million Dollar Rider status.<br />
WALTENBERRY
DAWN BAXSTROM<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
Despite seeing his dreams of winning the NRHA Futurity Level<br />
4 Open division fade as he was overtaken on the leader board<br />
by <strong>Deary</strong> and McQuay, NRHA Professional Ruben Vandorp never<br />
let his <strong>to</strong>othy smile fade. In fact, he seemed downright ecstatic<br />
about his ride and even rushed <strong>to</strong> embrace <strong>Deary</strong> following<br />
his run, in spite of the fact that it had cost him his own position.<br />
“To me, this competition is about being as good as you can<br />
be. Tonight, I was 100 percent pleased with my horse and myself.<br />
And happy. I feel very fortunate,” said Vandorp as he reviewed<br />
his 223.5 point run on Legacy In Lights, owned by Janet<br />
Benson of Valley View, Texas. “It was fun. I’ve never been that<br />
relaxed in my life.”<br />
Vandorp, who was raised in The Netherlands, still had plenty<br />
<strong>to</strong> be pleased about. He and the stallion he calls “Trinity”<br />
clinched the Level 3 Open championship and held on <strong>to</strong> their<br />
Level 2 Open Reserve<br />
Champion: Whimpys<br />
Golden Gun and Sam<br />
Schaffhauser.<br />
Pedro Baiao<br />
Level 1 Open Reserve<br />
Champion: Hot Chic Whiz<br />
and Mathieu Bu<strong>to</strong>n.<br />
NRHA Million Dollar Sire<br />
NRHA Million Dollar Sire Jacs Electric Spark was honored in a<br />
ceremony celebrating the miles<strong>to</strong>ne.<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
Levels 1 and 2 Open<br />
Champion: Wimpys<br />
Cable Lena and<br />
Pedro Baiao.<br />
WALTENBERRY<br />
third-place position in the Level 4,<br />
ultimately resulting in earnings of<br />
$138,785.<br />
Trailing Vandorp in the final<br />
standings of the level 4 open was<br />
2010 NRHA Futurity winner and<br />
NRHA Professional Jordan Larson<br />
of Whitesboro, Texas. The NRHA<br />
Million Dollar Rider captured<br />
fourth place with a score of 222.5<br />
aboard the stallion REF Black<br />
Mamba (Jacs Electric Spark x<br />
Metermaid To Order), on behalf of<br />
Rancho El Fortín (the Ramon<br />
family).<br />
REF Black Mamba was one of<br />
WALTENBERRY
four horses in the Open Futurity finals sired by Jacs Electric<br />
Spark, the latest horse <strong>to</strong> earn the distinction of becoming an<br />
NRHA Million Dollar Sire.<br />
“Black Mamba” was a little drowned rat when he was born,<br />
a bunch of spare parts,” recalled NRHA Professional Troy Heikes,<br />
owner of Jacs Electric Spark who was honored in a ceremony<br />
that preceded the evening’s competition. “My wife <strong>to</strong>ld me at<br />
the time, ‘that’s my pick for the Futurity.’ And I said, ‘You always<br />
hunt for the underdog. Which must be why you married me.’”<br />
In the end, Heikes admitted that his wife’s intuition proved<br />
accurate. Black Mamba placed highest among the four Jacs Electric<br />
Spark offspring. For the fourth-place finish, Larson earned<br />
$69,756 on behalf of Rancho El Fortín.<br />
Filling out the <strong>to</strong>p five were Flarida and Yankee Gun (Rowdy<br />
Yankee x Snow Gun), fresh from vic<strong>to</strong>ry at the 2012 All American<br />
Quarter Horse Congress Futurity. Owned by Arcese Quarter<br />
<strong>Horses</strong> USA, the stallion had yet another tie <strong>to</strong> McQuay Stables<br />
Inc. His dam, Snow Gun, was one of Gunner’s offspring<br />
who had an outstanding NRHA Futurity career, finishing third<br />
in the open division in 2002. For Yankee Gun’s finish, Flarida<br />
and Arcese Quarter <strong>Horses</strong> USA banked $51,052.<br />
OPEN FINALIST SIRES<br />
Several sires were represented by three or more offspring in the Levels 1–4 Open finals:<br />
WIMPYS LITTLE STEP (10) OWNED BY XTRA QUARTER HORSES LLC<br />
WOUND UP WIMP: ridden by Matthew Armenta, owned by Carl Lambert<br />
WHIMPYS GOLDEN GUN: ridden by Sam Schaffhauser, owned by Claude Lindsey<br />
WIMPYS LIL TWO STEP: ridden by Yonathan Baruch, owned by Sherry and<br />
Tom Dean<br />
WLS TINSELTOWN: ridden by Robin Schoeller, owned by B. Elizabeth Himes<br />
CHICS DREAM ABOUT ME: ridden by Cody Clock, owned by Day Creek Ranch LLC<br />
WIMPYS FLASHY JAC: ridden by Michael McEntire, owned by Stanley Coats<br />
WIMPYS CABLE LENA: ridden by Pedro Baiao, owned by Robert Anderson<br />
WIMPYS HIGH BID: ridden by Jason Vanlandingham, owned by Vaughn C.<br />
Zimmerman<br />
STEPPIN IN DIAMONDS: ridden by Marco Ricotta, owned by Rancho Oso Rio LLC<br />
STEPPIN ON SPARKS: ridden by Andrea Fappani, owned by HDC Quarter <strong>Horses</strong><br />
GUNNER (8) OWNED BY MCQUAY STABLES, INC.<br />
A SON OFA GUNNER: ridden by Fernando Salgado, owned by Heather Gates<br />
GUNSMOKES TNT: ridden by Sebastian Petroll, owned by Mary Jansma<br />
COOL N DUN GUNNER: ridden by Casey <strong>Deary</strong>, owned by Trojan Holdings Inc.<br />
GUNNIN FOR CHICKS: ridden by Nathan Piper, owned by Mark Bradford<br />
BROTHER GUN: ridden by Jordan Larson, owned by Sammy Graham<br />
AMERICASNEXTGUNMODEL: ridden by Casey <strong>Deary</strong>, owned by Dana D.<br />
Conrad and Arcese Quarter <strong>Horses</strong> USA<br />
MY CHICS GOT GUNS: ridden by Craig Schmersal, owned by KC <strong>Performance</strong><br />
<strong>Horses</strong>, LLC<br />
GUNNERS TINSELTOWN: ridden by Tim McQuay, owned by David Silva, Sr.<br />
TOPSAIL WHIZ (7) OWNED BY BOB LOOMIS<br />
CJ WHIZ: ridden by Fredrik Thomsson, owned by Euro-Vets Inc<br />
HOT CHIC WHIZ: ridden by Mathieu Bu<strong>to</strong>n, owned by Bob Loomis<br />
WHIZ STARBRITE: ridden by Stefano Calcagnini, owned by Amabile & Strusiner<br />
USS WHIZ: ridden by Patrice St-Onge, owned by St-Onge Reining <strong>Horses</strong> Inc<br />
NRHA Million Dollar Sire<br />
NRHA Million Dollar Sire Whiz N Tag Chex owned by NRHA<br />
Million Dollar Owner Lance Griffin was one of several sires so<br />
honored at the NRHA Futurity.<br />
TOPSAIL WHIZ (7) OWNED BY BOB LOOMIS (continued)<br />
CC CHICA WHIZ: ridden by Brent Loseke, owned by Brent Loseke<br />
WHIZEN STARLIGHT: ridden by Jackson A Porath, owned by Robert Peterson<br />
WHIZZER WHIZ: ridden by Thiago Boechat, owned by Xtra Quarter <strong>Horses</strong>, LLC<br />
JACS ELECTRIC SPARK (5) OWNED BY TROY HEIKES<br />
SHOCK STAR GROUPIE: ridden by Joel (Jody) Brainard, owned by Mary Beth Sellers<br />
REF BLACK MAMBA: ridden by Jordan Larson, owned by Rancho El Fortin<br />
GOTTA GOLD CHAIN: ridden by Cody Sapergia, owned by Jac Point QH<br />
ELECTRIC JAC: ridden by Tom McCutcheon, owned by Turnabout Farm Inc<br />
STEPPIN ON SPARKS: ridden by Andrea Fappani, owned by HDC Quarter <strong>Horses</strong><br />
MASTER SNAPPER (3) OWNED BY IMPRESA AGRICOLA CUOGHI<br />
DUNNIT LIKE A MASTER: ridden by Bobby Barko, owned by Impresa Agricola Cuoghi<br />
ZEN MASTER: ridden by Robin Schoeller, owned by Robert A Rosenfeld<br />
SNAP DUN THE BASES: ridden by Justin W Mathison, owned by Lewisville Development,<br />
LP<br />
WALLA WALLA WHIZ (3) OWNED BY ARCESE QUARTER HORSES USA<br />
CHEXAWALLA: ridden by Cody Clock, owned by Day Creek Ranch LLC<br />
WALLA WALLA SMARTS: ridden by William Bowen, owned by Southern Trace<br />
Reining<br />
WHATA WHATA WHIZ: ridden by Matthew Hudson, owned by Equine Plus<br />
SMART SPOOK (3) OWNED BY ROSANNE STERNBERG<br />
RUFF SPOOK: ridden by Brad Giesbrecht, owned by Don M Byrne<br />
SPOOKS QUESTION: ridden by Rebecca Adkins, owned by Clark Reining<br />
<strong>Horses</strong>, LLC<br />
SPOOKS SUGAR ROSE: ridden by Shawn W Flarida, owned by Robert Santagata<br />
WALTENBERRY
In the Level 3 Open, NRHA Professional Jason Vanlandingham<br />
of Whitesboro, Texas, claimed the reserve championship<br />
aboard Wimpys High Bid (Wimpys Little Step x Lucky Little<br />
Jewel), owned by Vaughn Zimmerman. The pair finished one<br />
point behind the division winner, Vandorp and Legacy In Lights,<br />
and earned $24,432 for the performance. The win doubled the<br />
stallion’s NRHA Lifetime Earnings.<br />
“He was my best horse, by far, going in<strong>to</strong> the Futurity. I knew<br />
he was gonna give me a chance. He is just so trustworthy that<br />
he built my confidence all year and I knew coming in that he<br />
would be a hard horse for the others <strong>to</strong> get around,” said Vanlandingham.<br />
“He was the first horse I would get on every morning. He’s<br />
just kind of a special horse around the place,” he concluded.<br />
Splitting third place in the Level 3 Open with matching scores<br />
of 218.5 points was NRHA Professional Brad Giesbrecht, formerly<br />
of Canada, and Pedro Baiao, who began his career in Brazil.<br />
Giesbrecht of Pilot Point, Texas, rode Ruff Spook (Smart Spook<br />
x Ruffle Me Up by Lil Ruf Peppy) for owner Don Byrne. The<br />
horse was nominated for the Futurity by NRHA Million Dollar<br />
Owner Rosanne Sternberg who bred the stallion.<br />
Giesbrecht scored 218.5 in the preliminary round and felt confident<br />
that his horse would be a contender in the finals. He went<br />
in on Saturday and matched that score, but in his mind, the stallion<br />
had made an even better effort than in the prelims.<br />
“This horse is good-minded, willing and a big s<strong>to</strong>pper. In the<br />
end, he had the guts <strong>to</strong> pull out the best run of the week for<br />
me. We had a disappointing result in round two, but I trusted<br />
my horse and my training <strong>to</strong> get it done in the finals,” he said.<br />
Baiao, making his debut NRHA Futurity Finals appearance<br />
on Wimpys Cable Lena (Wimpys Little Step x Miffs Cablelena<br />
by Mifillena), captured the Open Level 1 and Level 2 championships<br />
for his ride and was 12th overall in the Level 4. All<br />
<strong>to</strong>ld, the rider picked up a check for $72,570 for owner and<br />
breeder Robert Anderson of Flanders, New Jersey.<br />
“I was just flabbergasted,” said Anderson following the wins.<br />
“This is a feeling I will never forget. I am 70 and I may never<br />
get this feeling again. But I sure want <strong>to</strong> try.”<br />
Anderson said that the march <strong>to</strong> vic<strong>to</strong>ry began way back in<br />
1987, when he bought the mare Cable Connection from NRHA<br />
Hall of Fame inductee and Million Dollar Rider Bill Horn and<br />
his wife, Kimberly. Her first foal was Miffs Cablelena.<br />
“At the time, Bill and Kim lived in Cable, Ohio. That’s where<br />
the ‘Cable’ name came from and I use it in all my horses now.<br />
Anything I breed has the name Cable in it,” he said. “Though<br />
Bill passed away, Kim was at the show and saw the horse do<br />
well, so that was really wonderful.”<br />
Asked what the Level 1 and Level 2 Open division wins meant<br />
for him, Baiao replied, “It is life-changing.” Prior <strong>to</strong> the Futurity,<br />
Baiao had NRHA Lifetime Earnings of $19,761; with the<br />
win, his career <strong>to</strong>tal now stands at more than $90,000.<br />
“This is my first time competing in the Futurity. I’ve been doing<br />
all the work with this horse since the time he was a baby.<br />
I was the first person <strong>to</strong> put a saddle on and the first <strong>to</strong> ride him,”<br />
said Baiao.<br />
Baiao said that he was so focused during Saturday’s ride that,<br />
“I was not even aware of all the Brazilians watching me— and<br />
they cheer for us tremendously. I know they were shouting and<br />
whistling, but I could not even hear them!”<br />
The raucous applause at the end of his run drowned out the<br />
sound of the announcer calling Baiao’s score. As the only Level<br />
1 and Level 2 Open rider in the second section of finalists,<br />
he clinched those vic<strong>to</strong>ries with the 218.5 mark. Not that it mattered<br />
<strong>to</strong> Baiao, who said that he’d dreamed of competing in the<br />
Futurity since he began riding reining horses in Brazil at the<br />
age of 15.<br />
“I could not hear the announcer; I didn’t know that I had won!<br />
But I knew that I would make lots of money!” he said, with obvious<br />
delight. “Bob [Anderson] was so excited. It was really a<br />
dream come true for us.” ✦<br />
NRHA Million Dollar Sire<br />
NRHA Million Dollar Owner Rosanne Sternberg’s Smart Spook<br />
was honored for achieving NRHA Million Dollar Sire status.