NRBC Finalists Enjoy Surpass Open Draw Party
Depending on which side of the bubble their preliminary score fell, Open exhibitors at the 2011 National Reining Breeders Classic were either celebrating or suffering the agony of defeat. Examples of both could be found during the Surpass Open Finals Draw Party on Thursday evening as over 300 gathered.
NRBC Show Manager, Mike Christian, noted, “This might be the biggest crowd we’ve ever had for this event!” He added, “And everyone had fun!”
Representing the party sponsor, Boehringer-Ingelheim and its product, Surpass, were Amanda McAvoy and Yvonne Koontz, who distributed gifts to all the finalists and assisted with the draw along with emcee Cheryl Magoteaux.
The party was held in the Texas Children’s Hospital Arena Club that was decorated with the NRBC’s signature blue crystal, Gist buckles, and all the trophy saddles that would be awarded following the finals.
Andrea Fappani received the first place Open go-round check of $17,292 for topping the first round on Tinker With Guns, owned by Rancho Oso Rio.
One-by-one, the finalists were called to the front of the room to select one of the signature wine glasses to reveal their final’s draw position on the bottom of the glass. After moving down the line and voting for the final’s judges, the glasses were poured with the exhibitor’s choice of wine.
The annual Calcutta was auctioneered by NRBC Board Member Pete Kyle, and raised more than $700 for Rein In Cancer and America’s Horse Cares.
Jared Leclair Rides BL Dream Whiz to Win NRBC Novice Horse Open Level 2
BL Dream Whiz was a sweet dream for rider Jared Leclair at the National Reining Breeders Classic. The gelding, owned by Cam Bearden of Fort Worth, Texas, exceeded his rider’s expectations as he won the National Reining Horse Association Novice Horse Open Level 2 with a score of 146.5.
“We decided to season him a little bit more this year and show him in the classes like this, just to get him a little more solid. The way he showed today, I probably should have showed him in the derby and tried to make the finals on him,” Leclair, Gainesville, Texas, said. “He was really quiet, guided really well, stopped big, turned big.” The duo won $815 for their Novice Horse Open Level 2 title.
BL Dream Whiz will probably become Bearden’s Non Pro mount, and Leclair said if the horse continues to show like he did in Katy, Texas, at the NRBC, he’ll do great for his owner. The horse also brings an added advantage to any rider.
“He’s gorgeous. He has tons of style and ring presence. When he’s out there showing, he kind of steals points. When they look good, you feel good,” Leclair explained.
Taking the Reserve Co-Championship was Brian Bell, who scored a 146 on both Electrical Spark, owned by Klein Performance Horses, Del Mar, California, and Topsail Footwork, owned by Troop Quarter Horses, Marietta, Oklahoma.
Brian Bell Earns Novice Horse Level 1 Co-Championship Titles at NRBC
It was a great day for Brian Bell at the National Reining Breeders Classic. In the National Reining Horse Association Novice Horse Open Level 1 competition, he tied for first place – with himself! Bell scored a 146 on both Electrical Spark, owned by Klein Performance Horses, Del Mar, California, and Topsail Footwork, owned by Troop Quarter Horses, Marietta, Oklahoma.
Taking two titles was a relatively simple process for Bell, who was mounted on two great horses.
“They were both pretty smooth and easy,” the Marietta, Oklahoma, trainer said. “Electrical Spark has been shown a lot. That’s kind of his comfort zone: He’s comfortable at a 72.5 or 73. Topsail Footwork was kind of green as a 3-year-old. He hasn’t been shown very much, so I was trying to season him and teach him where to go and what to do.”
Bell was the last rider to show in the NRBC Classic Open preliminaries the night before being the first draw in the Novice Horse competition on another entry, Sweet Pepto Nic, and had help from his assistant, Nicole Schneider.
“We brought 11 horses and just me and her, so we’ve worked hard this week,” Bell said.
The Novice Horse Open Level 1 Reserve Champion, with a score of 145, was Easy Okie Dokie, ridden by Greg Gottschalk for Russet Stables Inc., Coloma Wisconsin.
Texas A&M University Takes Team and Individual Judging Honors at NRBC
In addition to the high-caliber horse showing taking place at the National Reining Breeders Classic, top-notch college students from schools across four states gathered in Katy, Texas, to compete in a horse judging competition.
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, took first place in the Team competition. Karinda Dickens, Cassie Holloway, Amber Marcum, Libby Hallet and Megan Webb were coached by Clay Cavinder and Jeannette Mawyer and recorded a winning cumulative score of 4,757. Hallet also took the Individual title for her school with a 979 score.
The second-place team was Laramie County Community College. Making the trip from Cheyenne, Wyoming, were teammates Laura Schwiegert, Sterling Cumpoton, Jordan Matthews, Karmon Rosencrance and Katie Richardson, who also won the Individual Reserve Championship. Will Golden is the team’s coach.
Also representing their schools in the judging competition were teams from the University of Wisconsin River Falls, Iowa State University, Sam Houston State University (Texas) and Northwest College (Wyoming).
Alicia Burton has served as the NRBC Judging Coordinator for several years and was thrilled with the outcome of this year’s competition. “We moved the contest from its usual Saturday slot to earlier in the week because of the Easter holiday season. We appreciate everyone supporting the event in light of the schedule change. We are so happy to congratulate Texas A&M University and all the talented individuals from each school, and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year.”
2011 NRBC Open Finalists Announced!
When the dust had cleared the arena following the last horse of the Open preliminary round of the 2011 National Reining Breeders Classic, everyone clamored to see who would advance to the clean-slate Open Finals on Saturday, April 23. The list of finalists was riddled with horses and riders who have earned major accolades in their career – but a few new comers also graced the roll.
Leading the 35 entries that earned Open finals berths was Andrea Fappani, who rode Tinker With Guns to a 227.5 to win the preliminary round. That win netted $17,292 for owner Rancho Oso Rio of Scottsdale, Arizona, and the special oversized check was presented during the Surpass Open Finals Draw Party on Thursday, April 21.
The night was full of fun, with a 222 needed to make the Finals where the Open Champion will take home $75,000. In the Intermediate Open, the bubble was set at a 220, a 217.5 was needed to get a finals berth in the Limited Open, a 216.5 was the magic number in the Level 1 Limited Open, and it took a 214.5 to make the finals of the Open Prime Time.
Dan Huss finished the go-round in first place for both the Intermediate Open and the Open Prime Time on Baja Hollywood Whiz with a 224.5, winning over $5,000 for the go. Baja Hollywood Whiz, by Topsail Whiz out of Hollywood Stunt Girl, is owned by Robert Shearer and Melissa Shearer.
Topping the Limited Open and Level 1 Limited Open was David Zimmerman, who piloted Jacs Lil Spook to a 223.5. The two go-round wins netted more than $2,300 for owner Newell Quarter Horses. Jacs Lil Spook is by Smart Spook out of Miss Whoa Jac.
For complete results, visit www.nrbc.com.
