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Fappani and Tinker With Guns take 2011 NRHA Derby

Special to the Horsetrader - July 21st, 2011 - Show & Event News
With Andrea Fappani aboard, Tinker With Guns captured the NRHA Level 4 Derby Open Championship and its $50,000 prize at the June 27-July 2 event in Oklahoma City.

Waltenberry photo

With Andrea Fappani aboard, Tinker With Guns captured the NRHA Level 4 Derby Open Championship and its $50,000 prize at the June 27-July 2 event in Oklahoma City.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The 2011 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby showcased the $155,000-added Open Derby finals on Saturday, July 1 at the Oklahoma State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, Okla. The NRHA Derby Show is the NRHA’s premiere event for the world’s best four-, five- and six-year-old reining horses and hosts to two slates of ancillary classes.

During the go-round, 428 entries competed for a spot in the finals with 69 of the top-scoring horse-and-rider teams invited back to Saturday night’s event.

Andrea Fappani rode Tinker With Guns to a 228 to win the Level 4 Derby Open division championship and $50,000. Tinker With Guns (Gunner x Tinker Nic) is a five-year-old stallion owned by Rancho Oso Rio, LLC of Woodside, Calif. Prior to the Derby, the flashy sorrel stallion had over $135,000 in NRHA earnings.

As the sire of the NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Champion, Gunner won the NRHA Sire & Dam award including $1,500 and a Sire & Dam Bronze trophy. Gunner is owned by McQuay Stables of Tioga, Texas.

The race for the Level 4 Open reserve championship ended in a three-way tie between two of Shawn Flarida’s mounts and Jay McLaughlin. As draw 7 in the second section, Flarida rode four-year-old stallion Shine Chic Shine (Smart Chic Olena x Ebony Shines) for Amabile & Strusiner to a 226.5. He later matched that score aboard Whizkey N Diamonds (Topsail Whiz x Princess In Diamonds), a five-year-old stallion owned by CDR Farms/Rhodes River Ranch. Each won $20,829 for the reserve co-championship.

McLaughlin guided A Shiner Named Sioux (Shining Spark x Docs Sulena) to a 226.5 and the Level 4 Open reserve co-championship. The duo also claimed the Level 3 Open division championship. The five-year-old stallion is owned by Carol Rose of Gainesville, Tex. McLaughlin won $30,653, the use of a three-horse Cimarron Trailer, NRHA Lawson trophy, Bob’s Custom Saddles trophy saddle, Montana Silversmiths trophy buckle, gift certificates from Pard’s Western Shop, Purina, Shorty’s Caboy Hattery and SmartPak and products from Arenus, Classic Equine, Back on Track, Platinum Performance and Rios of Mercedes.

As the sire of the NRHA Derby Level 3 Open Champion, Shining Spark won the NRHA Sire & Dam award including $1,500 and a Sire & Dam Bronze trophy. Shining Spark was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame earlier this week and is owned by Rose.

Trevor Dare, Whitesboro, Texas, scored a 224.5 aboard Conquistador Star to win both the Level 2 and 1 Open division championships. Conquistador Star (Conquistador Whiz x Aleena Starlight) is a six-year-old gelding owned by Steve and Karen Brownlee of Mounds, Okla. The duo earned over $5,100 along with NRHA Lawson trophies, Bob’s Custom Saddles trophy saddles, Montana Silversmiths trophy buckles, gift certificates from Pard’s Western Shop, Purina, and SmartPak and products from Arenus, Back on Track, Classic Equine, Platinum Performance and Rios of Mercedes.

Dan Huss and Charisma N Chrome (Custom Crome x Miss Sissy Gun) won the Prime Time Open championship, as determined by their go-round score of 222. Marc Gordon of Elgin, Illinois, owns the six-year-old mare. Huss took home $2,336 an NRHA Lawson trophy, Montana Silversmiths trophy buckle, gift certificates from Pard’s Western Shop, Purina, and SmartPak and products from Anderson Bean Boot Company, Arenus, Back on Track, and Classic Equine.

The 2011 NRHA Derby Show featured the $40,000-added Level 4 Non Pro; $22,500-added Level 3 Non Pro; $12,500-added Level 2 Non Pro; $7,500-added Level 1 Non Pro and $5,000-added Prime Time Non Pro division finals on Friday, July 1 at Oklahoma State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, Okla. Out of the original 546 entries, the top 58 qualified to compete in Friday’s finals.

Shaunda Rai Ruckman of Scottsdale, Ariz. continued her stellar year aboard Rufanicki by scoring a 222.5 to sweep Level 4, 3, 2 and 1 divisions of the Non Pro Derby. The duo has dominated in first year of competition together – claiming all four division championships at the Cactus Reining Classic Derby, National Reining Breeder’s Classic Derby and now the NRHA Derby. Ruckman owns the five-year-old stallion by Lil Ruf Peppy and out of Chexanicki.

More results: See website http://nrhaderby.com/results.php

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