Casey Deary Leads NRBC Open Preliminaries on Down Right Amazing

Casey Deary & Down Right Amazing Casey Deary & Down Right Amazing Photo by NRBC/Alden Corrigan Media
April 21, 2022

Down Right Amazing’s run in the National Reining Breeders Classic Open Prelims was exactly that. Under the expert hands of NRHA $2 Million Rider Casey Deary, the 5-year-old stallion by Gunner and out of Shesouttayourleague marked a 225.5 to top the first section of Open horses in the 25th NRBC at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas. Down Right Amazing is owned by DAG Ventures LLC.

Cira Baeck & Americasnextcovrgirl - Photo by NRBC/Alden Corrigan Media

 

Sitting second in the Level 4 is Cira Baeck, a Belgium native who travelled to the United States to compete this year. She made her NRBC Open debut a loud one, scoring a 224.5 on Americasnextcovrgirl (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel), the 5-year-old mare she finished reserve on at the 2021 NRHA European Futurity. Americasnextcovrgirl is owned by Maria Cecilia Fiorucci.

A pair of 222s lead the Level 3—Ruben Vandorp and Mr Farenheit (Magnum Chic Dream x Wimpy Little Girl), owned by the partnership of Morin and Vandorp, are tied with Nathan Piper and Patriot (Smart Spook x Dunit A Lil Ruf), owned by Shannon and Hershel Reid.

The Level 2 is also tied, with Billy Williams on Hit The Walla (Walla Walla Whiz x Dun It By Chick), owned by Mark Bradford, and Austin Jewell on Face Chics Love (Pale Face Dunnit x She And Chic Dunit), owned by Ali Dances, both marking a 219.5.

Haley Franc sits atop the Level 1 with a 216.5 on J Jameson (Star Spangled Whiz x Lime A Rita), owned by Arno Honstetter.
The NRBC Development Division Championship is decided during the preliminary round. Trevor Dare holds the No. 1 spot with a 220.5 on Redhot Vintage (Platinum Vintage x Redhot Walla), owned by Sandy Vargo.

Leading the Open Prime Time is Duane Latimer on Roxanne Koepsell’s Hesa Rockin Whiz (Topsail Whiz x A Bueno Poco Dunit) with a score of 222.5 (includes handicap).

The second section of Open Classic prelims begins at 8 a.m. Thursday, April 21, and Finalists will be drawn that evening in the Matt Mills Reining Horses Open Draw Party at 7:30 p.m. in the Sponsor Area.


Finalists’ Positions Set at NRBC Markel Insurance Non Pro Draw Party
Bob Santagata Receives Markel NRBC Commitment Award

Markel Insurance threw one heck of a celebration with the Non Pro Draw Party at the 25th National Reining Breeders Classic.

“The non pros play a huge role in the industry,” said Frank Costantini, director of Western disciplines at Markel Insurance and past NRHA President. “Reining today at the highest level has gotten so tough. The horses, the horsemen and women, have reached unparalleled heights in what they are able to accomplish. Consequently, so have our non pros. If the pros are the soul of our industry, the non pros are our heart. Their success, at whatever level they are comfortable, is paramount to the future of our industry. Markel’s support of non pro activity is a given, and we are excited to celebrate their accomplishments here at the NRBC.”

There’s extra excitement building around the Non Pro Finals this year with seven contestants qualified to the Finals in all four levels. The last—and only—person in NRBC history to sweep all four levels of the Non Pro Classic was Shaunda Ruckman (now Blinzler) and her black stallion Rufanicki (Lil Ruf Peppy x Chexanicki), accomplishing the incredible feat in 2011.

“For Markel and for me, that’s important for those people to find their way as Level 1 participants to step up to the Level 4,” Costantini said. “It’s important to recognize that as an industry, and especially as a company like Markel, because it’s nice for us to have consistent clients. The repeat clients allow us to be successful in the business and continue to sponsor a lot of these events and support these competitors.”

NRHA $1 Million Owner Bob Santagata of Santa Hill Ranch in New York was also honored with the Markel NRBC Commitment Award for his contributions to the reining industry.

“Bob was a Non Pro back in the day too, and he’s been supporting reining events all around the world. He wants the industry to grow,” Costantini said. “He’s had a show at his place for the Non Pros in his area for probably the last 10 years, and he has sponsored shows in Europe and South America. You can always call Bob Santagata.”


Toyon Ranch Rookie Free-For-All Kicks Off at 25th NRBC
A day of ancillary classes filled the Tellepsen and Wheless Arenas at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas, on April 20 at the 25th National Reining Breeders Classic. Novice Horse Non Pro took over the Tellepsen, while Rookie reiners took center stage with no entry fees in the Wheless thanks to the Toyon Ranch Rookie Free-For-All. The Pilot Point, Texas-based premier reining breeding facility paid all entry fees and judges fees for Rookie contestants at the NRBC, marking the first year such an incentive has been offered.

Returning to the Rookie slate is the Yellowstone Rookie Shootout, a special Finals on April 22. The first qualifying round for the Rookie Shootout took place in conjunction with the rest of the Rookie classes in the Wheless on Wednesday, with the second round running today in the Tellepsen.

Prime Time and Rookie L1 Champion - Susannah Rose and Xtra Gotta Step
Susannah Rose knows what it takes to win in the show ring, with several Circuit Championships at the Winter Equestrian Festival to her name as a hunter. She’s now traded jumping fences for sliding stops and spins, and at the 25th NRBC, Rose scored a 71 on Xtra Got A Step to win the Prime Time Rookie and Rookie Level 1 as well as tie for first in the Yellowstone Rookie Shootout.

“I had one spectacular horse of a lifetime in the hunters that I really connected with, and I’m starting to feel it with this one, so that really makes it better,” said Rose of the gelding, by Wimpys Little Step out of Gotta Git Ya Dun, that she’s owned for a year and a half. “I just keep asking him for a little bit more, so I was really happy today. He’s a really gentle horse. He has a lovely lope; I love how he does large circles and then really crushes it down to the slow. He’s really wonderful.”

The Florida horsewoman has been reining for two years and rides with trainer Dave Moore in Fort Lauderdale. Rose particularly enjoyed this win because she didn’t have to pay entry fees, thanks to the Toyon Ranch Rookie Free-For-All. The Pilot Point, Texas, breeding facility paid entry fees and judges fees for all Rookie contestants at this year’s NRBC.

“I think it’s wonderful of them to do that. As a Non Pro in this sport, we pay a lot of money to do this, and it costs a lot. Horses cost money, and to do this as a sport, it’s really nice to have something given back to you,” Rose said.


Rookie Level 2 Champion - Robin Filbry and Red Hot Whizkey
When Red Hot Whizkey (Whizkey N Diamonds x Roosters Redhot) came into Robin Filbry’s life, she was told the gelding would never show again. It’s been a long road to getting “Fireball” to enjoy reining again, but with the help of her fiancé and trainer Brent Naylor, Filbry is riding him to championships at the 25th NRBC, where she marked a 71 to win the Rookie Level 2 and tie for the win in the Yellowstone Rookie Shootout and Rookie Level 1.

“He had some show pen issues—they said he would never show again,” Filbry said. “He just needed trust and someone to work with as a team, and he’s become my best friend. I’m actually looking forward to the next show, instead of being nervous or anxious.”
The couple got a good deal on the horse and went to work solving his anxiety in the pen.

“This horse was done. You’d walk into the show pen, ask him to turn, and he’d rear up on his hind legs,” Naylor said. “All we did was make it a positive experience—no jerking and spurring, just holding and pressing—and tried to stop taking from him, just let him be a nice 70, and he rose to the occasion. The last horse show, Robin marked a 73.5 on him. It was part of developing a relationship—they’re not tools, they’re like people, and you have to develop a relationship. He’s goofy and weird about stuff, but instead of getting worried about it, we just relax and let him know it’s not a big deal.”

Building a relationship with the horse is something the couple believes strongly in with their program. Filbry does most of Fireball’s riding herself, though she laughs that Naylor wouldn’t let her without supervision for the first six months while he worked through Fireball’s problems.

“I’m the only one who rides him. Brent gets on him once or twice a month, but he schools me every day, so I really feel like it’s a big accomplishment for not just Fireball and I as partners, but in Brent’s program that he can school us this well on the ground too,” said Filbry, who rode Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle until getting Fireball, her first reiner.

“It’s so important to ride your own horse, warm your own horse up, because you’re the one who’s showing the horse,” she continued. “If there’s a problem, Brent will get on and show me, but I think it’s very important to become a team, especially at the Rookie level, because we’re learning every day.”

Naylor encourages all his clients to do their own riding as well.
“That’s the way my program works. I encourage my Non Pro clients to ride every day. I oversee it all, but it’s important that the person showing the horse gets to know the horse,” he said. “How you choose to handle bad days and good days is what builds that relationship. I want my clients to understand the ‘why’ behind it. A lot of people don’t teach non pros that.”

Thanks to the couple’s patience and belief in him, Fireball is a different horse.

“It’s an amazing thing for me, because when they came to the barn, he was a wreck, and it took me six months to get him right,” Naylor said. “Instead of going out to the arena every day stopping, turning, circling, we made the arena a happy place. Now, he hates having a day off. Every time she walks in the barn, he nickers for her.”


Nov. Horse Non Pro L2&3 Champion - Lindsey McCutcheon and Cash Mi Out
Lindsey McCutcheon just keeps adding to 5-year-old mare Cash Mi Out’s resume. The duo won the Novice Horse Non Pro Levels 2 and 3 in the first slate at the 25th NRBC, marking a 144.5 on a challenging pattern.

“It was a little different run than I’m used to doing on her, because of [running and stopping] up and down the middle, and I don’t think I’ve ever run that on her before, but she was really good,” McCutcheon said of the mare by Lil Joe Cash and out of Mi Mega. “It’s a little tricky because the gate’s open and you run at the gate. She was a little confused but hung with me, so I was happy with the whole pattern.”

McCutcheon has shown the mare since the beginning of last year and says their partnership is only getting stronger.

“It can take a while to really get to know each other, and I feel like now we’re really getting comfortable with each other,” McCutcheon said.


Nov. Horse Non Pro L1 Champion - Breanna Lappe & Chromed Out Can Can
With a score of 141.5, youth rider Breanna Lappe rode her black gelding Chromed Out Can Can (Cromed Out Mercedes x TSW Can Can Alea) to first place in the Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1.

“I loped off and he was good; I didn’t ask him very hard on the right lead but he shut down good and stopped good. Our right spins weren’t as sparky or fiery, but that’s not his best direction,” said Lappe, who rides with trainer Austin Roush. “I went to the left lead and ran him harder and he slowed down real nice, and when I asked him for left spins he was firing really good. My stops were good and my lead changes were good—I have no complaints!”

Lappe’s grandmother bought the gelding for her last year at the NRHA Futurity, and the two were a perfect fit.

“He’s a big stopper. He’s a real sweet guy,” Lappe said.


Seven Non Pro NRBC Finalists Poised to Make History
The last—and only—person in National Reining Breeders Classic history to sweep all four levels of the Non Pro Classic was Shaunda Ruckman (now Blinzler) and her black stallion Rufanicki (Lil Ruf Peppy x Chexanicki), accomplishing the incredible feat in 2011. The pair’s impressive score of 224 was worth more than $60,000!

In 2022, at the 25th NRBC, an incredible seven Non Pro contestants have qualified to the Finals in all four levels, and will take their shot April 22 at making history again.

The competition was tough across the board in the prelims, with a score of 215.5 as the bubble for the Level 4 Finals. The top seven in the Level 1 all qualified for the Level 4 Finals as well, led by Monica (Hicks) Mathison’s 218.5 on Girlz On Fire (Inferno Sixty Six x Fabulous Guns), which also topped the Level 2 prelims.

The Level 1 Qualifiers also advancing to the Level 4 Finals are:
1) Monica Mathison, Girlz On Fire, 218.5
2) Veronica Williams, Humble And Kind, 217.5
3) Christine Trautman, Smart Whizard Spook, 216.5
4) Addie Shelton McNeel, Smart As Hail, 216
5) Megan Elaine Waldron, Nosmokinintinseltown, 215.5
5) Kelsey Flessner, Chics Guna Dream, 215.5
5) Chandler Winard, Whoz Joe Daddy, 215.5

The Non Pro Classic Finals kicks off at 8 a.m. Friday. Watch live and find results at www.nrbc.com.

By NRBC Press Release