This year’s European Derby, open to 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-year-old horses nominated in the NRHA Nomination Program counted a rise in the number of entries with riders representing Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The $153,235 European Derby Open counted:
58 entries in the $61,294-Added L4
71 entries in the $45,970.53-Added L3;
70 entries in the $30,647.02-Added L2;
39 entries in the $15,323.51-Added L1

The $84,187-Added Non Pro Derby counted:
50 entries in the $35,039-Added L4
60 entries in the $24,574-Added L3
72 entries in the $16,383-Added L2
49 entries in the $8,191-Added L1
16 entries in the Youth

Competition ran deep in the Open Finals with two horse-and-rider combinations tying for the L4 Championship with a 228: NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider Bernard Fonck and Shines Like Spook (NRHA Seven Million Dollar Sire Smart Spook x NRHA Million Dollar Dam Ebony Shines), a 6-year-old gelding owned and nominated by Rosanne Sternberg, and Grischa Ludwig and M Snow Pearl (NRHA Million Dollar Sire SG Frozen Enterprize x Spooks Pearl), a 5-year-old mare owned by Fabian Strebel and nominated by La Maqueline. It took a 219.5 or more to be in the top 20 final rankings.

Markel/NRHA Sale Grads Open Derby Finalists:
    •    Dances With Spook (NRHA Seven Million Dollar Sire Smart Spook x Shining Dancer), owned by Margot Van Doorne and nominated by Rosanne Sternberg, ridden by Levin Ludwig.
    •    Dun Lost My Shine (NRHA Million Dollar Sire Shine Chic Shine x Dun Lost My Freckles), owned by Julia Schuberl, ridden by Morey Fisk.
    •    Angel On Fire (NRHA Million Dollar Sire Inferno Sixty Six x Lena Dun It), owned by Luga LLC and nominated by Stacey Huska, ridden by Mirko Midili.
    •    Spooks Gotta Deal (NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Gun x The Rio Deal), owned by Lisa Schlatter, ridden by Markus Gebert.
 

Sára Karasová & KH Yankee Step

Youth dominated the Non Pro Derby Championships with 18-year-old Sára Karasová of the Czech Republic riding to top honors in the L4 and L3 divisions aboard her KH Yankee Step—the pair scored a 223.5 for the win and also won the Churross Derby Youth. Taking home the L2 and L1 Championships, as well as Derby Youth Reserve honors with a 219.5 score was 9-year-old Emanuel Gebert and his Gunnalittlestep. Ten youth riders made the Non Pro Finals: three representing the Czech Republic, two representing Switzerland, two Italy, two Germany, and one Poland.

European Derby Novice Horse & APHA Chrome Cash Incentive Program
This year the inaugural and very well-accepted $3,000-Added LL Tecnologie Novice Horse Open Derby and $3,000-Added Gunna Sparkle Novice Horse Non Pro Derby divisions for horses that have less than NRHA $5,000 LTE (Lifetime Earnings) were introduced. For the second year running, the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) Chrome Cash Incentive Program offered $1,500-Added to both the Open and Non Pro L4 Champions.

Nico Sicuro & Sugar Little Step

$11,369-Added ELEMENTA Open Grand Prix
Once again the level of competition was high with Italian Nico Sicuro scoring a powerful run worth a 227.5 and the Open Gran Prix win riding Quarter Dream’s Sugar Little Step (NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire Wimps Little Step x Ah Sugar Sugar).
Second place honors, with a 224.5 were for NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider Bernard Fonck and Nathalie Derua’s ND Pop Gun Trash (NRHA Seven Million Dollar Sire Gunnatrashya x Pop Tart).

Anders Josefsson & Gotta Shiney Whiz

Anders Josefsson of Sweden closed his run aboard Annika Bootsman-Kleberg’s Gotta Shiney Whiz (NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Whiz x Cee Bee Shine) with a 221.5, enough to win both the Lambey Intermediate Open and the Deniro Boots Limited Open and Prime Time Open.

Quarter Dream NRHA Youth
In the Quarter Dream Youth 13&Under class, French Chjara Maria Gaffory and Zag Candy Step (NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire Wimpys Little Step x RS Candy O Lena) walked away with the Championship for their 206.5 run.

Alice Baldazzi of Italy rode Holly Jolly Whiz (Whiz Ruf Peppy x Smart Dolly Hickory) to a score of 212.5 to win the Quarter Dream Youth 14-18.

Quarter Dream NRHA Intermediate Non Pro & Prime Time Non Pro
French Laura Pouzol and Tricky Vobinda Whiz (CJ Whiz x RS Cayenne Jac) claimed the Quarter Dream Intermediate Non Pro with a score of 215.5.

Half a point behind was the Reserve Intermediate Non Pro Champion Ettore Baldazzi of Italy aboard PL Magnum Chic Chex (NRHA Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream x Nu Dynamite Chex), who also claimed the Prime Time Non Pro Championship.

A special thank you to the 2022 NRHA European Derby Sponsors:
GL Events
NRHA Global Partner Markel Equine, Official Insurance Partner of NRHA
NRHA Global Partner Toyon Ranch
NRHA Global Partner Clark’s Pump-N-Shop
NRHA Global Partner Cardinal Ranch

LL Tecnologie
ELEMENTA
Quarter Dream
Gunna Sparkle
DeNiro Boot Co.
Nice
Churross.com
APHA Chrome Cash Incentive Program

For complete results: https://www.showmanager.info/Eventliste.aspx?turnierID=1175

For further information: NRHAEUROPEANDERBY.com

Photos by Wanted Photo Press

NRHA European Derby Media Contact:
Simona Diale / International Horse Press
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