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Tinker With Guns and Andrea Fappani trigger a major win!

There was no fooling around with Tinker With Guns. The 5-year-old stallion, ridden by Andrea Fappani for Rancho Oso Rio, scored a very serious 227 to win the $25,000- added Conquistador Whiz Derby Level 4 Open at the Cactus Reining Classic in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Cactus Reining Classic, held at West World of Scottsdale, ran from March 9-13. The show offered $65,000 added in the Conquistador Whiz Derby Open and Non-Pro, sponsored by Silver Spurs Equine, $15,000 added in the Outta Dough Maturity Open and Non-Pro for horses 7-years-old and up and two full slates of National Reining Horse Association-sanctioned classes. Entries were up 50 percent over last year, and 13,000 reiners stuck at home logged in close to 3,400 hours of viewing time on Classic Video's live webcast.

The Cactus Reining Classic is the first in the series of Brumley Management's high-dollar events that include Reining By The Bay, July 20-24, Woodside, Calif., and the High Roller Reining, Sept. 11-17, Las Vegas, Nev.

Level 4 Open

This was Fappani's show-pen debut aboard Tinker With Guns (Colonels Smoking Gun [Gunner] x Tinker Nic x Reminic), but this NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider has an eye for a horse. And he's had his eye on this particular pony for two years.

"He's a pretty cool horse," Fappani said. "I saw him as a 3-year-old when Randy [Paul] was riding him. I was impressed. I thought Tinker With Guns was a pretty great athlete. He looked like the type of horse I would like, but he wasn't for sale.

"I didn't see him last year. He got hurt at his [NRHA] Futurity. Pat and Jim Warren [of Rancho Oso Rio] gave him the whole year off to make sure he would heal up just right. When I started to do business with Pat last year, she told me that by November, the stallion would be ready to be exercised. She sent him to me before I moved to Arizona. [Fappani now works out of Rancho Oso Rio.] We legged him up for a couple of months, and I started riding him in January.

"He fits me really good," Fappani said. "He's a small horse, but he's an extremely powerful horse, and he's real feely. He reminds me of a smaller version of Custom Legend. He's full of steam. You can rarely get him tired, but even if he is, when you ask him for something, he'll give it to you."

Fappani does admit there was a period of adjustment. "The way the horse was trained and the way I ride is very different," he said. "I have horses that are a lot more in my hand, a lot more bridled up, and that horse is used to always being on a loose rein. So there's going to be a little bit of work to be done. He's already come my way, and I've gone his way quite a bit, but there's a way to go. We're still not together like we should be. There were a few flaws in my run.

"I was really happy with his turnarounds and stops, but there were a few bobbles in the lead changes and circles. There were no penalties, but he just wasn't as tuned up as he needs to be. But I had to see what I had. We're planning on showing him in all the major events, and I'm excited about it. I really believe in him."

Star For The Chicks (Smart Starbuck x Dun It By Chick x Hollywood Dun It), ridden by Arno Honstetter for Jan Peterson, Menlo Park, Calif., was second with a score of 225.5 that earned $6,023. Honstetter works for Fappani.

"He's not my assistant trainer anymore. We're co-trainers," Fappani said. "I think this is the seventh year Arno has worked for me. He's just building more and more. Now he gets some of the best horses in the barn because I know he takes them to the top. It's just a matter of time before you see him consistently in the top five of the [NRHA] Futurity."

Level 3 Open

Last year, Kim (Dooley) Muehlstaetter won the National Reining Breeders Classic Non-Pro division (in a run-off) and the NRHA Derby Non-Pro on Country Custom, owned by her dad, Tom Dooley. She earned $54,984 at just those two events. It was husband Martin's turn to ride the 5-year-old gelding at the Cactus Reining Classic.

"Kim told me you better keep it going; otherwise, you're fired," Muehlstaetter said with a grin.

Country Custom won the Level 3 Intermediate Open division and $4,529, and the timing was perfect.

"We live about 20 minutes away from the facility," Muehlstaetter said. "After the show, we got home, got unpacked, and Kim said let's go to the hospital." The Muehlsteatter's daughter, Sydney, was born March 17 and weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces.

Country Custom (Custom Crome x JJM Sunny Delight x Bar Money Sunny) was purchased at Linda Adloff's recommendation when he was a 2-year-old.

"Stefano Calgagnini rode him, and he was doing quite a bit," said Muehlstaetter, who continued training the youngster. "I showed him two or three times, but I always had a bobble. After the Futurity, we gelded him, and Kim started showing him. Every time she went out, she did great. He grew up a lot. He got stronger, and mentally, now he's pretty mellow.

"He was really good for me at this show. He did everything I asked him to do. He went hard in the circles, but he came back really good, and he turned really nice. He ran and stopped like a freight train, three times. He was really honest. He waited for me and he didn't get excited. It was a real confidence-builder going to the NRBC."

Baja Hollywood Whiz (Topsail Whiz x Hollywood Stunt Girl x Hollywood Dun It), ridden by Dan Huss for Robert Shearer, Bonita Springs, Fla., scored a 222 for second place and earned $3,348.

Level 2 & Level 1 Open

Top Gun Tonite, ridden by Aires De Mello for Nancy Pohlman, Camp Verde, Ariz., was in top form. His score of 221.5 earned paychecks in the Level 4 Open, Level 3 Open, and he won the Level 2 Open and Level 1 divisions. They earned a total of $6,407.

Top Gun Tonite (Topgun Whiz x Hollywood Tonite x Hollywood Dun It) has been a joint effort. He was chosen by De Mello for Nancy and Bill Pohlman's 707 Ranch when he was a 3-year-old. De Mello put a solid foundation on the youngster, then in 2009, Top Gun Tonite made his show-pen debut with NRHA Professional Matt Mills. At the NRHA Derby, they were Open division finalists and placed fourth in the Level 3 Open. Top Gun Tonite's earnings went from zero to $10,208 in one show.

They also won the Level 3 Open division of the High Roller Reining Classic Derby. That earned Pohlman her first buckle, first bronze and first trophy saddle.

De Mello took the reins in 2010 and continued winning in Level 2 Open, Rookie Professional and aged-event competition. This is his first major win of 2011.

Spook Dance (Smart Spook x Shining Dancer x Shining Spark), ridden by Sean Pulley for Rosanne Sternberg, Aubrey, Texas, scored a 219.5 for second place in both divisions, earning a total of $2,552.

Non-Pro divisions

Shaunda Ruckman, Phoenix, Ariz., and Rufanicki were superstars at the Cactus Reining Classic. Coached by Martin Muehlstaetter, they won four divisions of the $23,000-added Conquistador Whiz Derby Non-Pro and earned $8,680! They would have won the Prime Time, too, but at age 40, Ruckman just didn't qualify.

Rufanicki (Lil Ruf Peppy x Chexanicki x Bueno Chexinic) is a 2006 stallion bred by Sam Smith and ridden by Kelle Smith, Marietta, Okla., in NRHA Non-Pro aged events to earnings of almost $40,000.

"I still have to look at his papers to make sure he's mine," Ruckman said. "We got him in the fall of 2010. When I went and rode him, we kind of instantly clicked. I told Martin he's the one."

Ruckman bought her first reining horse from Bob Avila. "I was riding with Cal Cooper at the time," she said. "He's the one who got me into this. That was 1987." She showed in American Quarter Horse Association-sanctioned events, then took some time off from the show pen.

Shaunda and her husband, Tim, have one son, Nash, 11. "They're into the cars," she said. "Nash drives junior dragsters. We have a lot of fun with that."

This was Ruckman's first attempt to show Rufanicki seriously. "I took him in a schooling class and loped him through," she said. "It's been a while since I've been in the show pen, and I just wanted to get a feel for it all. This was the first time I really showed him. I was a little nervous about putting it all together."

The non-pros ran NRHA Pattern No. 8. "We walked to the middle and stopped," Ruckman said. "I got his attention, then we went to the left and under-spun a little bit. I had a half-point penalty on that. We went back to the right, and he spun really good. I was truly excited. When I stopped, I had to take a deep breath and tell myself that I still had more pattern to go. I couldn't hug on him or pet him. I had to keep going.

"In my large, fast circle, he was pretty dialed in. I had more horse than I thought. He circled really good, and I got through my lead changes. Martin had told me to do something on my rundowns. I got through the first stop and thought, ‘This is cool.' I went around to my second stop and got rolled back. Then when I came around for the third stop, I was trying to remember what Martin told me to do. I thought, ‘Oh well, it's too late now. I'm down to my last stop.' I stopped and backed up.

"I had no idea how I did. I never ran one that hard in a class. When I heard the score, it took a while to sink in that I marked a 220, let alone that I won all the Derbies. It was a shock. It was totally unexpected. We're headed to the NRBC."

Lance Griffin, Ardmore, Okla., and his The Great Tag scored a 219.5 for second place in the Derby Non-Pro and the Championship in the Prime Time division. The Great Tag, ridden by Cody Sapergia, was the 2008 NRHA Futurity Reserve Champion. Lance and his cool gelding (Whiz N Tag Chex x Shirleys Folly x Great Pine) tied for third in the 2010 NRHA Derby Non-Pro and second in the Prime Time division. They earned $3,905 at the Cactus Reining Classic.

Annie Reynolds, King Hill, Idaho, placed her 2009 National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity Non-Pro Champion Shiney And Verysmart (Very Smart Remedy x Shirley Shine x Shining Spark) third in the Level 4 Non-Pro and second in every other Non-Pro division, including the Prime Time.

They earned $6,963 in their NRHA debut.