Guaranteed A Magnum & Jimmy van der Hoeven • Photo by Kristin Pitzer

Guaranteed A Magnum and van der Hoeven Reign Supreme at NRHA Derby

At Friday morning’s National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby Open draw party, the crowd empathized with Jimmy van der Hoeven when he drew the No. 1 spot for the 2018 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open finals – a position the superstitious consider difficult to overcome. For van der Hoeven and Guaranteed A Magnum, however, No. 1 would also be where they would end up at the end of the night.

Owned by Casey and Kathy Hinton, Guaranteed A Magnum is by Magnum With A Dream and out of Guaranteed By Amos (by Primary Pine), and is an NRHA Markel Futurity Sales Graduate. The 5-year-old bay stallion was bred by Carl and Vicki Lambert, nominated by Heather Hochstatter and came into the Derby after an impressive run at the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) with van der Hoeven aboard – placing fourth in the Level 4 and claiming the Level 3 Reserve Championship. At the NRHA Derby, he and van der Hoeven marked a 225, which was not topped through the rest of the finals. For their Levels 4 and 3 championships, they earned in excess of $80,000.

Abby Lengel and Jody Puno’s ARC Gunna Mark Ya continued their impressive performance from the first go-round, scoring a 224 in the Level 4 finals to claim the Reserve Championship and the Level 3 Co-Reserve title. Bred and nominated by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, ARC Gunna Mark Ya is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Gunnatrashya and out of Shiney Miss Marker (by Shining Spark). Lengel and the sorrel mare, who has been with her since early 2017, earned nearly $60,000 in Oklahoma City.

Also claiming Reserve honors in the Level 3 were Trent Harvey and SM Steping Junior (Nicnac Enterprise Jr x Top Step Enterprise x Topsail Whiz), a stallion bred and nominated by Coguaike S.A. and owned by Coguaike LLC. The pair’s 224-point run earned them a paycheck of $15,471. Harvey also rode in the finals on Cee My Pistol, another Coguaike LLC-owned horse.

Derby Level 2 Open

Spook Whiz Jewels & Kari Klingenberg • Photo by Katie Marchetti

Kari Klingenberg and Foothills Farm’s Spook Whiz Jewels took top honors in Level 2 during section one of the open finals, marking a 216.5. Bred and nominated by Rosanne Sternberg, Spook Whiz Jewels is by NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Smart Spook and out of Whiz Jewels (by Topsail Whiz). Klingenberg began riding the 5-year-old mare earlier this year, with their first money-earning finish coming in the Derby finals. They also tied for 12th place in Level 3, winning a grand total of more than $12,000.

Marking a 216 to take second in the Level 2 were Shauna Larcombe and Hey Joe (Smart Spook x Best Stop x Custom Crome). Bred by Wagman Ranch Inc., the 2013 stallion is owned by Sternberg and is an NRHA Markel Futurity Sales Graduate. With Larcombe leading the way, the pair also took the reserve title in the Prime Time division and a top 15 finish in the Level 3, an impressive finish for the duo’s first NRHA paycheck.

Derby Level 1 Open

Dunit At Nite & Debbie Brown • Photo by Katie Marchetti

The Level 1 competition was led by Debbie Brown, who rode Jennifer Greenleaf’s Dunit At Nite, a stallion bred and nominated by Ann Salmon Anderman. Greenleaf and 2013 Dunit At Nite (NRHA Million Dollar Sire Gunners Special Nite x Dunit A Lil Ruf x Lil Ruf Peppy) marked a 218.5 and claimed a check for $4,630. Dunit At Nite was also featured in the Prime Time Derby Non-Pro finals with Greenleaf aboard.

With a score of 217.5, Carol Metcalf and Xtra Foolish Gun earned the Level 1 Reserve Championship. Xtra Foolish Gun (NRHA Ten Million Dollar Sire and Hall of Fame inductee Colonels Smoking Gun [Gunner] x Foolish Little Step x Wimpys Little Step) is owned by Mark Miers and was bred and nominated by Xtra Quarter Horses LLC. Metcalf and the 2012 mare have been together since 2015 and have earned nearly $25,000.

Derby Prime Time Open

The Derby Prime Time Open Championship went to Mike McEntire and A4L-Equine’s Spooks The Hard Way (NRHA Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Gun x Im So Anson x Peppy Sol Anson). The 2013 gelding was bred by Silver Spurs Equine and nominated by Michelle Miola and started training with McEntire earlier this year. The pair also earned a top 10 finish in the Level 3 and a top 20 in the Level 4.

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