Craig Schmersal with daughter Addisyn

Husband-and-wife duo Craig and Ginger Schmersal, Overbrook, Okla., won the Open and Non-Pro divisions of the inaugural Conquistador Whiz Derby at the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic on Sept. 9.

Craig captured the Championship in the $15,000-Added Derby Open division riding Whizs Katrina (Topsail Whiz x Shiners Sulena x Shining Spark), owned by the San Juan Ranch in Shandon, Calif. The pair marked a 229 for the win, besting a field of 42 horses and earning $4,959.

Craig and Whizs Katrina also won the 2010 Seminole Hard Rock Classic Derby and $7,468 in February. The mare’s earnings at that show, along with sixth-place money from Peppy Superboom, boosted Craig into the realms of an NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider.

See the complete Tulsa Reining Classic results here.

Todd Sommers

Todd Sommers, Whitesboro, Texas, and Whiz It A Chic (Who Whiz It x Chic Out Mama x Smart Chic Olena), owned by Stoney Russell of Longview, Texas, marked a 228 to win the Derby Open Reserve Championship, worth $3,571, and the Level 3 Intermediate Championship, which came with a $2,952 paycheck. Sommers and Whiz It A Chic were also Intermediate Open Champions at this year’s NRHA Derby. The bay stallion’s earnings at this year’s NRBC, where Whiz It A Chic and Sommers were Intermediate Open Reserve Champions, pushed Sommers into the realm of an NRHA One Million Dollar Rider.

Brad Giesbrecht, Pilot Point, Texas, clinched the Level 3 Open Reserve Championship with a 225 aboard Shiners Chic (Smart Chic Olena x Ebony Shines x Shining Spark). The win earned horse and rider a $1,797 check.

Colt Cardwell on Shining Smoke Tari

Winning the Level 2 Limited Open Championship and $1,180 at the Conquistador Whiz Derby was Colt Cardwell. The Tennessee trainer rode Shining Smoke Tari (Shining Spark x Royal Smoke Tari x Doc Tari), owned by Joey Moultrie of Union City, Tenn., to a score of 224.5.

Taking the Level 2 Reserve Championship and $872 were Mathieu Buton and Bonitas Latin Chic (Lil Ruf Peppy x Sheza Bonita Whiz x Topsail Whiz). Buton rode the 2006 mare for Cheryl Hadrych, Brenham, Texas.

Derby Non-Pro

Dancer Nic and Ginger Schmersal

With a 222 score marked on Dancer Nic (Tinsel Nic x Shining Dancer x Shining Spark), Ginger Schmersal made the inaugural Conquistador Whiz Derby a family affair. After her husband, Craig, won the Derby Open, Ginger and her mare Dancer Nic won the Non-Pro Championship and $2,991.

Reserve Champion in the division was Mandy McCutcheon, Aubrey, Texas, who rode her father, Tim McQuay’s, mare Starstruck Girl (Smart Starbuck x Good Time Show Girl x Hollywood Dun It). McCutcheon earned $1,821 for her win.

Jessica Sternberg of England won the Level 3 Intermediate Non-Pro and Level 2 Limited Non-Pro Championships with Pop Top Whiz (Topsail Whiz x Sugar Pop Gun x Colonels Smoking Gun), owned by Jessica’s mother, Rosanne Sternberg, Aubry, Texas. The pair’s 223.5 was the highest score marked by any non-pro in the Derby, and brought in $2,399 in the Level 3 and $1,016 in the Level 2.

Pop Top Whiz and Jessica Sternberg

Ginger Schmersal and Dancer Nic picked up the Level 3 Derby Non-Pro Reserve Champion title, while Tami Nelson and her Plus Me Big Time (Shine Big Time x Skip The Hick O Lea x Mr Freckles O Lena) won the Level 2 Reserve Championship and $618.

Prime Time Derby Non-Pro Champion was Flis Sassella, who marked a 220 on Gaucho Whiz (West Coast Whiz x Tivito Normal x Tivito San) for $451. Michael Bulliard rode his My Royalty Chex (Vibrant Chex x Royal Silver Solano x Royal Silver King) to the Prime Time Reserve Championship and $361.

Quistador and Shawn Flarida

This was the second futurity win for Flarida, Springfield, Ohio, and Quistador (Conquistador Whiz x Miss N Becky x Okie Paul Quixote), who were also Open Champions at the 2010 North Central Reining Horse Association Futurity Show in St. Paul, Minn., in early August. Flarida and the 2007 sorrel stallion won a combined total of $15,691 at the two shows.

There was a tie for Reserve Champion, with NRHA One Million Dollar Rider Andrea Fappani marking a 228 on both Custom Spook (Smart Spook x Custom Spinderella x Custom Crome) and Time To Mark Big (Big Chex To Cash x Shes Markin Time x Mark Him High). Custom Spook is owned by B & L Holdings LLC of Decatur, Texas, and Time To Mark Big belongs to the 23 Partnership, San Marcos, Calif., and Arcese Quarter Horses USA, Weatherford, Texas. The Futurity Co-Champion stallions each earned $5,661.

Shiners Voodoo Dr and Thiago Boechat

The Level 2 Reserve Championship was shared by Corey Hendrickson on Spooks Pearl (Smart Spook x Solanos Pearl x Mr Solano Rey), owned by Sparrow Hawk Farms LTD, Barrington Hills, Ill., and Pierre-Luc Phaneuf on Dunit N Reminic (Reminic N Dunit x Smart Chic Watch x Smart Chic Olena), owned by Karen Burgoon, Tima, Ohio. The Co-Champions each earned $2,832 for their 222.5 score.

Greg Hall of Gainesville, Texas, won the Level 2 Open Futurity Reserve Championship riding his own chestnut mare, Topsail Crome (Topsail Whiz x Custome Dudette x Custom Crome). The pair marked a 220.5 and took home $1,233.

Futurity Non-Pro

Always Gotyer Gunsup and Mandy McCutcheon

McCutcheon and Always Gotyer Gunsup (Colonels Smoking Gun [Gunner] x Always A Dunit x Hollywood Dun It) earned $4,955 for the win, moving McCutcheon to the third highest-earning non-pro at the Tulsa Classic with $13,896 in lifetime earnings at the event.

McCutcheon’s father, NRHA Professional Tim McQuay, Tioga, Texas, purchased the 2007 sorrel mare from Jeff and Lisa Petska, Whitesboro, Texas, this April.

Gregg Gottschalk

There was a three-way tie for Reserve Champion between Greg Gottschalk and Easy Okie Dokie; Robert Gattuso and Gallo Step; and Charles Wiederholt and Fresh Juice. Each pair marked a 215.5 and earned $2,406.

Robert Gattuso

Charles Wiederholt

Carl Lambert and Steppin Nifty Nic (Wimpys Little Step x Custom Nifty Nic x Custome Crome), who marked a 213, won the Level 2 Futurity Reserve Championship and $769.