The bloodline headed by a famous bald-faced sorrel stallion led the way among sire lines represented in the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby Level 4 Open field. Several other stallion families also will have strong representation during the Saturday night’s event.
Though he doesn’t have any offspring in the finals himself, sons of Colonels Smoking Gun (Gunner) collectively sired the most finalists of any paternal line in this year’s NRHA Derby Level 4 Open finals, which are scheduled for Saturday, June 25 in Oklahoma City.
Sons of Gunner with offspring in the finals include: Gunnatrashya, who fathered the most Level 4 Open finalists, 6, of any stallion; as well as Gunners Special Nite (sire of 3 finalists), Gunners Tinseltown (1), Pale Face Dunnit (1) and Colonels Shining Gun (1).
The Topsail Whiz line had eight Level 4 Open finalists. Two of those were sired by Topsail Whiz himself, with the rest being sired by his sons: Whizkey N Diamonds (3), Walla Walla Whiz (2) and Star Spangled Whiz (1).
Other sire lines with strong representation among the finalists include the Shining Spark line (which had entrants sired by his sons A Sparkling Vintage, Jacs Electric Spark and Shiners Voodoo Dr; and paternal grandson, Not Ruf At All) as well as Smart Chic Olena (who sired one himself and whose sons Shine Chic Shine, Magnum Chic Dream and Smart Spook also sired at least one finalist).
Another notable among the sires of finalists is Spooks Gotta Whiz, a son of Spooks Gotta Gun (by Grays Starlight), who himself sired five offspring in the Level 4 Open finals.
Maternal Grandsires
Many of the same families were represented among the maternal grandsires, or broodmare sires, of this year’s NRHA Derby Level 4 Open finalists.
However, a stallion who had a stronger presence in the maternal pedigrees of entrants than on their paternal sides was EquiStat Elite $12 Million Sire Wimpys Little Step, who sired the mothers of five NRHA Derby Level 4 Open finalists. This tied him with Gunner for the stallion who sired the most dams of entrants in this year’s field.
Hollywood Dun It was the father of the dams of four finalists, with sons Hollywoodstinseltown and Dun It With A Twist each fathering the dam of one finalist.
Hollywood Dun It’s sire, Hollywood Jac 86, also sired the dam of one of the year’s NRHA Derby Level 4 Open finalists. A grandson of Hollywood Jac 86, Custom Crome — a son of Crome Plated Jac – also sired the dam of two of this year’s finalists.
Other notables stallions in the maternal pedigrees of this year’s finalists include all-time leading cutting sire High Brow Cat, who is the maternal grandsire of one entrant, and Boomernic, who sired one finalist’s dam and whose sons, Boomboomvoodoodaddy and Mr Boomerjac, each sired the dam of one finalist.
NRHA Derby Level 4 Open finalists
Here are the horses, riders and horse pedigrees of the 2022 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open finalists (Finalist, rider, horse pedigree):
| Dust Off Ya Gunns | Pete DeFreitas | (Gunnatrashya x One Mighty Aphrodite x Conquistador Whiz) |
| Shesgottabeaquikchic | Trent Harvey | (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Nestle Quik Chic x Chocolate Chic Olena) |
| Dirty Diamonds | Melanie Petroll | (Whizkey N Diamonds x Wimpys Cat Step x Wimpys Little Step) |
| Guns And Dynamite | Matt Mills | (Gunners Special Nite x Chic Olena Starbuck x Smart Starbuck) |
| Hey Roy | Craig Schmersal | (Star Spangled Whiz x Dun It For Chex x Hollywood Dun It) |
| Excessive Rufness | Jason Vanlandingham | (Not Ruf At All x Smokin Lady Gunner x Gunner) |
| Blueyedgirl | Franco Bertolani | (Gunners Tinseltown x Shining Survivor x Shining Spark) |
| Special Nite Rider | Austin Roush | (Gunners Special Nite x Fancy Voodoo x Boomboomvoodoodaddy) |
| Magnums Custom Dream | Casey Hinton | (Magnum Chic Dream x Gunna Be Custom x Gunner) |
| Old Time Roknroll | Trevor Dare | (A Sparkling Vintage x Roxie Boom x Boomernic) |
| Julz | Dan Huss | (Whizkey N Diamonds x Ms Dreamy x Magnum Chic Dream) |
| Dainty Little Spook | Brandon Brant | (Smart Spook x Dainty Little Step x Wimpy Little Step) |
| Pale Dun Star | Fernando Salgado | (Pale Face Dunnit x Get Ya Some Stars [PT] x RR Star [PT]) |
| Trash Your Gal | Shawn Flarida | (Gunnatrashya x Ima Sailors Gal x Wimpys Little Step) |
| Starjac Vintage | Andrea Fappani | (A Sparkling Vintage x Starjac Miss x Hollywood Jac 86) |
| Americasnexttopgun | Casey Deary | (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel x Gunner) |
| Electricial Spook | Craig Schmersal | (Jacs Electric Spark x Ebony Spook x Smart Spook) |
| Magnum Del Cielo | Francesco Martinotti | (Magnum Chic Dream x Rosetta Rooster x Gallo Del Cielo [Rooster]) |
| Thee Electrician | Adam Hendrickson | (Jacs Electric Spark x Snip O Chex x Nu Chex To Cash) |
| Mr Royal Hollywood | Brian Bell | (Hollywoodstinseltown x Cee Miss Hollywood x Custom Crome) |
| Gunna Bet My Boon | Gabrian Diano | (Gunnatrashya x Flox N Blu Boon x Pretty Boy Boon) |
| Dun Shined Em | Marco Ricota | (Shine Chic Shine x Dun Dry Whiz x Conquistador Whiz) |
| Alpha Jac Sparrow | Shawn Flarida | (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Chexanicki x Bueno Chexinic) |
| Spooks In Tinseltown | Ryan Rushing | (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Holly Tinseltown x Primary Pine) |
| Icecube | Andrea Fappani | (SG Frozen Enterprize x Taris Designer Genes x Mr Boomerjac) |
| Americas Gunslinger | Matt Millers | (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel x Gunner) |
| Super Marioo | Cade McCutcheon | (Gunnatrashya x HA Chic A Tune x Smart Chic Olena) |
| Hesa Rockin Whiz | Duane Latimer | (Topsail Whiz x A Bueno Poco Dunit x Hollywood Dun It) |
| Gunners Rockstar | Tom McCutcheon | (Gunners Speical Nite x Belle Starr Dun It x Hollywood Dun It) |
| Makendiamonds | Jared Leclair | (Whizkey N Diamonds x Makeit In Tinseltown x Hollywoodstinseltown) |
| Best Shine | Jason Vanlandingham | (Shine Chic Shine x Best Stop x Custom Crome) |
| Whizkers | Martin Larcombe | (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Watch Me Purr x High Brow Cat) |
| Gunnamakeyaloveme | Abby Lengel | (Gunnatrashya x Make It With A Twist x Dun It With A Twist) |
| Shiner On My Eye | Shawn Flarida | (Shiners Voodoo Dr x Flashy Lil Step x Wimpys Little Step) |
| Certified Freak | Trevor Dare | (Spooks Gota Whiz x SDP A Lasting Step x Wimpys Little Step) |
| Shiny Silver Chex | Franco Bertolani | (Shiners Voodoo Dr x Dun It For Chex x Hollywood Dun It) |
| Chicowhiz | Cody Sapergia | (Smart Chic Olena x Whizicle x Topsail Whiz) |
| Bob Reiner | Fernando Salgado | (Topsail Whiz x Guna be Customized x Gunner) |
| That Was Quik | Trent Harvey | (Gunnatrashya x Nestle Quik Chic x Chocolate Chic Olena) |
| Witness Some Swagger | Yonathan Baruch | (Colonels Shining Gun x Lil Cash For My Chic x Nu Chex To Cash) |
