| |
It’s an amazing story. On Monday, May 14, Walla Walla Whiz had a life-threatening
experience with colic. They rushed him to a local equine hospital where veterinarians
ran intravenous fluids for the next 24 hours. Flarida says the veterinarians told
him that it didn’t look good for the four-year-old chestnut stallion. With the
veterinarians’ blessing he and Flarida competed 15 hours later in the Derby go
round. The son of NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Topsail Whiz gave it his all and
earned Flarida second place in the Open Derby qualifying go round. “He’s tough.
He’s got more heart than most horses ever dream of. He tries hard,” said Flarida.
Besides Walla
Walla Whiz, Flarida qualified KR Lil Conquistador (Conquistador Whiz x Smart Little
Prize), owned by Cheree Kirkbride, Ocala, FL, and Senor Tejano Whiz (Topsail Whiz
x Tajana Chic) owned by 4 R Performance Horses, Boerne, TX, for the clean-slate
finals. NRHA
Million Dollar Rider Andrea Fappani, from San Marcos, CA, was awarded the Open
Derby reserve championship. Fappani led for much of the Open Finals with a score
of 225.5 on Big Chex To Cash (Nu Chex To Cash x Snip O Gun), the five-year-old
stallion owned by 23 Partnership, based in San Marcos, CA. Fappani was draw number
one and he said he felt confident. “I had a good horse to first in the draw. The
Derby was won a few years back by draw number one and I knew if you have a good
horse you can set a good pace and everyone else chases you. You have fresh ground
and the judges’ attention, so I had no problem with it.” Fappani came away from
the Derby with a “big check to cash” of $40,293. The
Intermediate Open Derby Champion is Jason Vanlandingham, from Whitesboro, TX,
who scored a 221.5 on Rosanne Sternberg’s Whizin Off Sparks (Topsail Whiz x Setting
Off Sparks). Sternberg is from England. Vanlandingham earned a paycheck of $13,567.
The Intermediate Open Derby reserve championship was won by Ruben Vandorp, from
Tioga, TX. Vandorp scored a 220.5 on Einsteins Revolution (Einstein x Fly Flashy
Jac) owned by Wagner and Vandorp, Aubrey, TX. Vandorp earned a paycheck of $10,697. Crystal
McNutt Brock, from Scottsdale, AZ, took home the Limited Open Derby Championship.
She won $2,439 by scoring a 216.5 on Red White Starlight (Seven X Starlight x
Red White N Smart) owned by Michael Brock, also from Scottsdale. There was a tie
for the Limited Open reserve championship between Todd Martin and Peter DeFreitas;
both rider scored 215, Martin on Quixote Light (Grays Starlight x Miss Quixote
Sails), owned by 4 R Performance Horses, Boerne, TX, and DeFreitas on Whizle Fritz
(Topsail Whiz x Madame Fritz) owned by Lynn Anderson, Tarboro, NC, and Michael
McEntire, Selma, NC. Martin is from Boerne, TX, and DeFreitas is from Selma, NC.
Both earned paychecks of $1,299. |
