As the sun gazed over the bright, sandy arena at the Woodside, California Horse Park, Open riders slid, spun and circled for their chance at $100,000 in added money at the 2021 Reining By The Bay Derby.
Andrea Fappani rose above the rest, clinching the top two spots in the Level 4 Derby Open with winner Whizsicle and runner-up Gun Dun It on Saturday afternoon, earning $29,475 and $24,940 respectively.
Riding Diane Yoder’s 4-year-old Whizsicle (SG Frozen Enterprise x Miss Whizzletown x Hollywoodstinseltown), Fappani marked a 224.5, which also earned them the Level 4 Stakes Open worth $2,103.
“He’s a pretty cool horse. I’m looking forward to doing some of the bigger stuff next year,” Fappani said.
Following success with EquiStat Elite $6 Million Rider Shawn Flairda during his futurity year, Whizsicle was sold to Fappani’s client, Yoder.
“I’ve only showed him twice. He’s a 4-year-old and I needed to get him [incorporated] into my program from Shawn’s, so I didn’t want to push him. I took the first of this year to really get with him and I tried him for the first time in Arizona at a show called the Mothers Day Slide,” Fappani said.
Including his success at the Reining By The Bay, Whizsicle’s lifetime earnings have pushed past the $70,000 mark, according to EquiStat. He is his sire’s second-leading earner.
Reserve Champion was Tim Anderson’s Gun Dun It, a 7-year-old stallion who marked a 223.5 with Fappani. The $24,940 payday pushed Gun Dun It past $200,000 in lifetime earnings, which according to Fappani, was the big goal for the year with the stallion.
“We’ve had some really good success, we’re trying to hit every derby this year so he has a chance to win as much as possible,” Fappani said.
Sired by Colonels Smoking Gun (Gunner) and out of Dun It In Tinseltown (by Hollywood Dun It), Gun Dun It is said to be standing at stud next year, Fappani said.
The Fappani family cleaned up at the 2021 Reining By The Bay, bringing home more than $65,000. Fappani’s son, Luca, rode Sharp Dressed Spook (by Spooks Gotta Whiz) to the Level 4 Non-Pro Derby Co-Championship and brought home third place with Icecube. Like Whizsicle, Icecube was sired by SG Frozen Enterprize.
