The combination of cool days and the huge outdoor pen at the spectacular Horse Park at Woodside, California proved to be the perfect setting for some of the fiercest competition of the year. The horses were fresh, the riders invigorated, and the size of the Bay Arena let the top horse and rider combinations in the country show the judges the true meaning of horsepower.
Frank Costantini, past president of NRHA, Chairman of the FEI Reining Committee and NRHA Hall of Fame inductee commented on his first trip West to Reining By The Bay "The competition was really very close, competitive and phenomenal all in one fell swoop. The outdoor setting, the size of the arena and the preparation of the ground allowed the riders to really show what their horses were capable of."
Frederick Christen of Whitehouse, Ohio, also afirst-timer to Reining By The Bay, made the most of his pilgrimage West. Rick came into the competition as the leading rider from the first leg of the 2010 Trifecta Reining Challenge. New this year, the "Trifecta" boasts a seven day vacation for two to the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea to the highest money winning horse and rider combination in the Non Pro Derby for Cactus Reining Classic, Reining By The Bay and the High Roller Reining Classic.
Christen who trains with Dan Huss, and his partner Skeets Little Annie were draw 33 out of 41 in the Non Pro Derby and were staring down the barrel of huge scores of 223.0 posted by Kim Dooley on Country Custom and two scores of 222.0 posted by George Lawrence on This Chicsdundreamin and Tish Fappani on Premiere Diamond.
Not to be outdone, Christen gave the run everything he and Annie had, resulting in a personal best of 225.0 for the win. Christen said after the run, "I knew we had to be spot on and tried to really emphasize her good points, which are her circle, her comeback in her circles, her spin, and hopefully get her built up for her stops. It seems that we achieved all those objectives ... 225 is my highest score ever." That score also earned Christen the win in the Intermediate Non Pro Derby and the Prime Time Non Pro Derby as well. Christen also won the Non Pro Futurity on his Starlite N Peppy (Skeets Peppy x Starlite N Oak x Doc's Oak).
Skeets Little Annie (Skeets Peppy x Oaks Little Annie x Doc's Oak) was purchased by Christen at the 2 year old prospect sale at the NRHA Futurity in 2006. "Bobby Avila Jr. had started her and when I purchased her she immediately went into Dan Huss' program and she's been with Dan ever since." Due to an injury at age four Annie took a year off during which she was bred to his two stallions Heza Bigtime Bingo and Dun It Regally, producing three yearlings for Christen, all of which will be going into training later this year.
Andrea Fappani was also two for two in the Futurity and the Derby, winning the 17 horse Open Futurity on Amanda Brumley's Sweet N Custom (Custom Crome x Sweet BH) and the 23 horse Open Derby on Steven Simon's Custom Smart Olena (Custom Crome x A Darn Smart Chic).
Both sponsors and spectators packed the VIP and general admission tents at the Bay Arena for the Open Derby. When the dust settled, it was Fappani and Custom Smart Olena posting the highest scoring run of the show, a whopping 230.5, edging out Austrian WEG team rider Martin Muehlsteatter on Kim Dooley's Wimpys Little Buddy (Wimpys Little Stepx All Thats Dun by Hollywood Dun It) and Randy Paul on Rancho Oso Rio's Star For The Chicks (Smart Starbuck x Dun It By Chick) both posting scores of 230. Sean McBurney& Great Red Chex
Muehlsteatter won the coin toss and was awarded second place, with Paul in third. Wimpys Little Buddy also topped the Intermediate Open Derby field of 21, and Sean McBurney on Great Red Chex (Great RedPinex Pines PollyChex) owned byRhodes RiverRanch won the Limited Open Derby with a score of 225.5.
Custom Smart Olena is a new ride for Fappani who got on him for the first time at Reining By The Bay as his assistant Arno Honstetter has been successfully showing the horse. Fappani explains "I had him as a 2 year old and sold him and three other trainers had him, and Steve (Simon) asked me to try him back out thinking that he might adapt to my style a little bit more. He was a little uptight in the show pen, so we took our time to get him to relax again. At this show I had a spot open for the Derby, and the owner asked if I would try him myself, and I said yes, I think he's ready to go. We pushed him a little bit, I rode him, and it turned out great. I didn't know him that well since I had never shown him before in my life, I thought I knew him pretty well from what I had seen, and my assistant trainer who has been with me for 6 years got him ready for me. He did all the hard work, I just got on and had fun."
Fappani also had a hand in the career of the second place finisher, Wimpys Little Buddy "He is a special horse. I trained him and showed him until he was 5 and then I sold him to Kim Dooley. I don't think I've ever seen him have a bad run. Today's 230 was by far the best run he's ever had, and he's never marked less than a 220 in his life. It's the first time that Kim's husband Martin showed him in the Open since they bought him because he's going to use him for the Austrian WEG team, and wanted to make sure everything was good. That's a special horse to me. It's obviously nice when you win yourself, but when you see a horse that you trained do well it's just as rewarding."
