ELK GROVE — Several years ago, it didn’t sit right with Bill Madden when a horse show held at his Brookside Show Park didn’t halt for the exhibitors to watch the Kentucky Derby.

“People would rent my facility, and I would tell them, ‘hey, we need to stop the show for an hour and have everyone watch the Derby,’ but they told me ‘no — we can’t stop the show’.”

“So,” he says, “I decided to put on my own show.”

And for five years now, that’s what Madden has done with the Rein For The Roses, a competitive reining in the heart of the largest National Reining Horse Association Affiliate, the Northern California-based West Coast Reining Horse Association.

The fun-filled “Derby on the Derby” brought Brookside to life April 30-May 4, featuring the region’s top reiners as well as parties, food from Brookside’s award-winning catering enterprise, a postcard-beautiful venue, and don’t forget the Kentucky Derby.

“We patterned this horse show around the Kentucky Derby weekend, and what happens in Kentucky we want to duplicate at Brookside,” said Madden, who in addition to being a restaurateur and caterer has been involved in Thoroughbred racing since the 1980s as an owner and trainer. “So, we’ve done the parade of hats with the ladies dressed in the hats, and we stop the show every year to watch the Derby.

“We try to mimic it as much as we can,” he adds. “We have a Kentucky Colonels party on Friday night, and we have our Derby draw party on Thursday night — the Kentucky Derby’s draw party is actually on Wednesday, but we do ours on Thursday.”

Word has spread about this show, and this year’s Rein For The Roses may have been the best yet, drawing reiners from Washington, Nevada, Arizona and Southern California. More than 50 parked their RVs on the grass at the 35-acre venue, and they enjoyed Thursday night’s Mexican Fiesta as well as Friday night’s steak and chicken barbecue — where Madden’s crew served up about 200 dinners.

“With fresh asparagus,” Madden proudly mentions, “that were picked that morning.” Clearly, this has grown into a labor of love for the host.

“People love staying here,” he adds. “All the RVs on the grass — it’s a wonderful place to stay. And they like to stay here because we provide dinner. They don’t have to go because they are in this miniature Kentucky Derby City.”

This year’s event was made more special because of another Northern California product, Derby winner California Chrome. The first Cal-bred Derby champion since 1962 trained at Los Alamitos, which is where Madden — who counts 150 race wins in the Thoroughbred world as an owner and trainer — works out his horses, too. California Chrome and trainer Art Sherman were across the hall.

“I’m very excited for Art,” says Madden. “I know Art just because I’ve been in the Thoroughbred racing business for some time. He’s a really good guy. Very nice. What’s going to be more exciting is that he’s going to win the Triple Crown.”

Madden has been a spectator at five Kentucky Derbies, but it’s hard for him to envision another visit soon.

“Now I can’t go to the Derby,” he says, “because I got this thing going.”

One reiner who got things going in the arena was Mike Boyle, who won the Open title on Scott Nicholaides’s Flip N Yankee and also captured the Open Derby Level 4 crown on Susan Avila’s SL Lena Starlight.

Debbie Tweedy was the Non Pro Champion on Plan Your Luck, a horse she owns with Stacey Cook, and the Non Pro Derby Level 4 champion was Stacy Hamilton riding her Whiz I Was Smart.

In the Maturity 7+ classes, Tracer Gilson rode Joe and Karen Moran’s Sweet N Custom to the Open title, and Keri Blackledge took her Gettinaway Whiz It to the Non Pro victory.

In the Derby Level 1, Mark Harnden rode Melissa Moore’s Dun It In Ten to the Open crown, and Robyn Schiller won the Non Pro class on Spook Me Now, owned by Warwick Schiller Performance Horses.

MORE ONLINE: Http://bit.ly/405B_Rein

2014 REIN FOR THE ROSES
April 30-May 4, 2014 * Brookside Show Park, Elk Grove Calif.

Champions
Horse Name/ Rider/ Owner/ Score

Open
Flip N Yankee/ Mike Boyle/ Scott Nicholaides/ 72

Non Pro
Plan Your Luck/ Debbie Tweedy/ Debbie Tweedy-Stacey Cook/ 70.5

Non Pro Derby Level 4
Whiz I Was Smart/ Stacy Hamilton/ Stacy Hamilton/ 142

Non Pro Derby Level 1
Spook Me Now/ Robyn Schiller/ Warwick Schiller Perf. Horses / 142.5

Non Pro Maturity 7+
Gettinaway Whiz It/ Keri Blackledge/ Keri Blackledge/ 143.5

Open Maturity 7+
Sweet N Custom/ Tracer Gilson/ Joe & Karen Moran/ 145.5

Open Derby Level 4
SL Lena Starlight/ Mike Boyle/ Susan Avila/ 147.5

Open Derby Level 1
Dun It In Ten/ Mark Harnden/ Melissa Moore/ 141.5