SparkMagneticOlena

Women Dominate Italian/NRHA Derby Non-Pro

SparkMagneticOlenaSpark Magnetic Olena & Chiara Bartoletti • Photo by Andrea BonagaThree young ladies – Chiara Bartoletti, Lara Lorengo and Nicole Huebner-Lee – tied to win the Italian Reining Horse Association (IRHA)/National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby Level 4 Non-Pro with scores of 215.5 in Cremona, Italy.

Bartoletti rode 2010 stallion Spark Magnetic Olena (Chic Magnetic x Lady Five Del Maso x BR Little Peppy). The duo previously won the 2014 IRHA/NRHA 4-Year-Old Futurity Level 2 Non-Pro.

“He was simply perfect tonight,” Bartoletti said.

Lorengo and her Wimpys Little Chees (Wimpys Little Step x Tuck Oak Enterprise x ARC Oak Enterprise) started 2016 by winning the NRHA Roma Intermediate Non-Pro Shoot In.

Wimpys Little CheesWimpys Little Chees & Lara Lorengo • Photo by Andrea Bonaga“It took us a while to reach an understanding, but now I think we’ve made it,” said Lorengo, who credits trainer Giuseppe Prevosti for the work done with her mount.

Huebner-Lee and her 2015 IRHA/NRHA Derby Levels 4, 3, 2 and 1 Non-Pro Champion Starstruck Tag (Whix N Tag Chex x Marilyns Benz x Smart Starbuck), did it again this year.

Starstruck TagStarstruck Tag & Nicole Huebner-Lee • Photo by Andrea Bonaga“He was really good for me tonight and we both really gave it all we had in our circles. I think it’s thanks to these maneuvers that we made it to the winner’s circle,” said Huebner-Lee.

The three riders also split the Level 3 Non-Pro Championship, while Bartoletti went on to claim Level 2, as well.

Earning the Level 1 title with a 211.5 was Susanna Sodi and her Saturdaynigh Mizzen, a 4-year-old gelding by Saturdaynnight Custom and out of Westcoast Mizzen by West Coast Whiz. The 2012 stallion was the 2015 IRHA/NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Champion with Pierluigi Chioldo in the saddle.

“I purchased this horse 20 days before coming here and I’ve only been riding reiners for the last two years,” Sodi said. “He took really good care of me and I couldn’t be any happier.”