Arno Honstetter and Illshowuagoodtime * Photo By Performance Horse Photography
Arno Honstetter and Illshowuagoodtime * Photo By Performance Horse Photography

Novice Horses Tie in L4 Open Stakes at Mother’s Day Slide

Mother’s day isn’t particularly known for its traditions. Unless you’re a reiner in Arizona that is. The Mother’s Day Slide, hosted by the Arizona Reining Horse Association at WestWorld of Scottsdale, Arizona is somewhat of a local tradition. This year the event paid out $80,000 in added money in the Open Stakes and Derby alone.

EquiStat $1 Million rider Arno Honstetter piloted his horse, Illshowuagoodtime (Show Your Guns x Lime A Rita x Custom Legend) to tie for the win in the Level 4 Open Stakes with a score of 220.5. Martin Muehlstaetter and Gunnabe Electric Fox (ARC Gunna Sparkya x Hangin With a Fox x Jacs Electric Spark) matched the score and split the winnings for the weekend showdown.

Winnings of $5,469 from that class, and an additional $2,908 for a reserve tie in the L4 Novice Open will add onto Illshowuagoodtime’s EquiStat lifetime earnings of $4,535. So far the young horse has only been shown at the 2022 California Reining Challenge and the 2023 National Reining Breeders Classic, where he made the finals with Honstetter aboard.

Gunnbe Electric Fox has little more show experience than Honstetter’s mount. He and Muehlstaetter put together a 3rd place run at the Cactus Reining Classic earlier this year for a majority of the horse’s earnings. They’ll add $8,377 to their EquiStat records from the weekend as they also share the Reserve Novice check with Honstetter and Illshowuagoodtime.

Top score for the weekend was a 222 marked by EquiStat $5 Million rider Craig Schmersal on Rootin Tootin Nite (Gunners Special Nite x West Coast Bay x West Coast Whiz). That score stole the show during the L4 Open Novice and earned owner Wendy Elkins $5,013.

Top Placings from the Level 4 Open Stakes are listed below.

Arno Honstetter and Illshowuagoodtime * Photo By Performance Horse Photography
Arno Honstetter and Illshowuagoodtime * Photo By Performance Horse Photography

Mother’s Day Slide L4 Open Stakes Results

Place/ Payout/ Horse/ Rider/ Score/ Owner

Tie Champion $5,469, Illshowuagoodtime, Arno Honstetter, 220.5, Arno Honstetter

Tie Champion $5,469, Gunnabe Electric Fox, Martin Muehlstaetter, 220.5, Sperone LLC

3. $3,159, JR Tinker Gotta Whiz, Fernando Salgado, 219.5, Juan Manuel Alanis

4T. $2,309, Enterprizingattitude, Craig Schmersal, 219, Hickory Creek Ranch LLC

4T. $2,309, Stepin Out Gunnin, Gennaro Lendi, 219, Marc Gordon Kathy Gordon

6. $1,944, Guntown Tinsel, Pierluigi Chioldo, 218.5, Michael A Garnett

7. $1,458, Trashya N Hollywood, Gennaro Lendi, 218, Marc Gordon Kathy Gordon

8T. $1,093, Pale Side Ofthe Moon, Arno Honstetter, 216, Laura Schwartz

8T. $1,093, Kamikazee, Gabriel Borges, 216, Sandy Vargo