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Derby Open Champions Crowned at the Minnesota Pink Slid’ In

leclairCoded N Karma & Jared LeclairThe Minnesota Pink Slid’ In continued on Saturday, June 6 with the Open Derby, which had 32 entries.

During an exciting finals, Coded N Karma and Jared Leclair scored a 220 from the 21st draw, which held to win the Derby Level 4 Open Championship.

The 4-year-old gelding is owned by Robbin Thayn, of Oxford, Nebraska, and was bred by Couture Reiners. He is by Electric Code and out of the Topsail Whiz mare Whiz N Snap. During 2014, he posted $7,129 to Equi-Stat when he and Leclair won the Futurity Level 4 Open at the Heritage Futurity in Katy, Texas.

Leclair, who traveled from Tioga, Texas, to make his winning run, was excited about his win at what he described as an “exhibitor-friendly show.”

“It’s a great victory,” Leclair said. “It’s a lot of fun to come to a horse show like this that’s this well organized and well run, and go ahead and take the championship.”

Leclair currently has $642,637 in earnings on his Equi-Stat record. He and Coded N Karma won $7,276 for the Derby Level 4 Open Championship.

There was a tie for the Reserve Championship. The first Co-Reserve Champion duo was Topsail Survivor (Topsail Whiz x Shining Survivor x Shining Spark) and Gabe Hutchins, who scored a 219. The mare was bred by Oldenburg Farm LLC, of Mequon, Wisconsin, and is owned by Turnabout Farm Inc. The second Co-Reserve Champion duo was Whizin Off Spooks and Tyson Randle, also scoring a 219. Each pair brought home a paycheck worth $4,802.

Derby Levels 3 & 2 Open

In addition to the Co-Reserve Championship in the Derby Level 4 Open, Whizin Off Spooks and Tyson Randle’s score of 219 secured the Derby Levels 3 and 2 Open Championships, which came with $3,860 and $2,636 paychecks, respectively. The 6-year-old mare is by Smart Spook and out of the Topsail Whiz mare Whizin Off Sparks. Whizin Off Spooks has $13,234 in earnings, making her the highest-earning offspring out of Whizin Off Sparks, who has 7 money-earning offspring.

Randle, who is from Kiowa, Colorado, boasted $353,639 on his Equi-Stat record before the Minnesota Pink Slid’ In. He recently showed at the Arabian & Half-Arabian Reining Classic Futurity, bringing home the Reserve Championship in the Futurity Open with Mr Univerce (AR).

The Levels 3 and 2 Reserve Championships were split between three horse-and-riders duos, all of which scored a 218. The first was Im Gunna Shine (Colonels Smoking Gun [Gunner] x Shiner Light x Shining Spark) and Jason Torpey. Im Gunna Shine belongs to his breeder, Teresa Wynn, of Benton, Kentucky. The next was Miss Sugar Gunnit (Sugar Chics Gunnit x Blackburns Tailwind x Mr Blackburn 932) and Derek Heitland. And the final Co-Reserve Champions were Jane Julen’s Surfing Juice (Smart Like Juice x Hangten Stunt Girl x Hangten Peppy) and Justin Michels. Each duo went home with $3,444 total for the two reserve championships.

Derby Level 1 Co-Champions

The 218 scored by Miss Sugar Gunnit and Derek Heitland and Surfing Juice and Justin Michels also made both teams Derby Level 1 Co-Champions, adding an additional $1,653 each to the money won in their other levels.

Miss Sugar Gunnit is a 4-year-old homebred mare belonging to Mary Ann Jansma who earned $2,419 in 2014 according to Equi-Stat. She is the only money-earner out of Blackburns Tailwind. Heitland, of Sheffield, Iowa, started posting earnings to Equi-Stat in 2014. He currently has $1,108 in earnings.

Surfing Juice is owned by Joan Julen. The Smart Like Juice Inc-bred had $5,973 in earnings prior to his run in Minnesota, which included a $5,107 paycheck from the 2014 All American Quarter Horse Congress Futurity, where he and Jose Vazquez tied for the Reserve Championship in the Futurity Open. His full brother, SLJ Hangten Juice, boasts $20,863 in reining earnings.

Michels himself has $23,235 in reining and barrel racing earnings. The Kingman, Indiana resident’s most recent money earned in reining, according to Equi-Stat, was at the 2012 Liberty Derby and Circuit Show, where he and Whats On Juice earned total winnings of $9,183.

After the Open Derby, the evening wrapped up with an awards banquet for the Derby champions and was followed by a live auction, the proceeds of which will be donated to Rein In Cancer. The highest selling item was a breeding to Lil Joe Cash. Live music followed the auction. The show continued through Sunday with a slate of ancillary classes, ending with the Open 7 & Up Levels 4 and 2.

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