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Posted: Wednesday, May 22, 2002

Brent Wright wins Derby runoff



Brent Wright rode his 2001 NRHA Futurity Reserve Champion, Custom Pistol, to the 2002 NRHA Derby title, after a runoff with NRHA Leading All Time Money Earner, Tim McQuay on Kid Whiz. The final was May 18.

Both riders scored 223.5 in the finals, setting the stage for the tie-breaker run. Wright went first, putting together another near-flawless pattern and marking a 226. McQuay's hope for a title ended just as his run started, when a bobble on the first back-up negated his chances. The crowd gave McQuay an ovation, in part for his effort, and in appreciate of his comeback from a bout with pancreatitis last year that left him on life support for over a month.

For Wright, the win was especially sweet, on a horse that has faced a runoff at every major event of his career. He showed Custom Pistol, owned by Steve Simon of Paxton, Massachusetts, at the 2001 All American Quarter Horse Congress Futurity and ended up co-champion. Then, at the NRHA Futurity, last December, his runoff with Andrea Fappani finished in a Reserve Championship.

This time, the win and $30,466, went to Brent and Custom Pistol. For Wright, the victory was sweet, especially after the runoff with a friend. "It couldnāt have been any better," he said. "Tim's a great competitor!"

Actually, the two trainers have more than just riding great horses in common. Brent's son, Todd, is an assistant trainer for McQuay.

McQuay was thrilled with the finish on Kid Whiz, a stallion heās been riding only since the first of the year. Kid Whiz earned $24,219 for owner Bryan Fix of Altoona, Iowa.

photo: reining
Gunner, ridden by Bryant Pace, won the USET semifinals and is going to the finals next month. Photo by: John Brasseaux©
In the Intermediate Open finals, Ken Eppers of Whitesboro, Texas, rode Catomic to the title, marking a 221 to earn $5,986. Catomic, owned by Jim Dunn of Waterloo, Iowa, is a son of Boomernic out of Seven S Catulpa.

According to Eppers, a former NRHA Saddlesmith Open Champion, the flashy 5-year-old stallion is "like a high-powered bass boat. The faster you go the better he gets!"

The Reserve Intermediate Open title went to Kim Dierks on Playguns Rose (Playgun X Bold Texas Rose) owned by Linda Stoner of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Dierk's scored 219 to collect $4,753.

Marco Formentin rode Acting Smart, owned by M.R. Langdon & Sons of Benson, North Carolina, to a score of 217.5 to win the NRHA Derby Limited Open title. A transplanted Italian, Formentin was thrilled with his first major win on the 4-year-old gelding by Smart And Chromed out of Judge This Action.

In the Intervet/USET Semi Finals on Friday evening, Bryant Pace rode 2001 USET Champion, Gunner, to a score of 225 to win his second consecutive Semi-Finals and lead the field of 20 qualifiers to the Bayer USET Reining Championship.

Want to see some reining action? Click here for our NRHA Derby 2002 Slide Show!

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