What Happened In Vegas ...

Emotions ran high in the first of the HRRC showcase classes, there was a lot riding on this class and everyone knew it. Would Andrea Fappani chisel away at the approximately $14,000 that would make him the youngest member of the super-elite $2 million rider club? Could Tanya Jenkins throw down the gauntlet again, coming into this class with the highest score of the show? Could Brett Stone walk into the winner's circle for the first time since 1996? Nothing short of the ride of a lifetime would capture the top slot and the riders knew it.

Smoking Whiz & Brett Stone
Futurity Champion

After the 39 Open, 35 Intermediate and 27 Limited horse and riders laid down their runs, it was Brett Stone riding Silver Spurs Equine, LLC's sorrel stallion Smoking Whiz (Topsail Whiz x Glendas A Smokingun) at the top of the leader board with a 223.5, edging out Tanya Jenkins on Spooks Gotta Whiz (Spooks Gotta Gun x Pretty Whiz Pretty Does) owned by Michell Anne Kimball of Encinitas, California who had held onto the lead with a 221.5 for 12 horses until Stone came in 50th in the order out of 53.

Smoking Whiz who won all 3 Futurity divisions earned a $17,342.84 paycheck for owners Michael and Michelle Miola of Cave Creek, Arizona, which was a very quick case of what goes around, comes around as they were not only the title sponsors of the class but their stallion Spooks Gotta Gun is the sire of the second place finisher as well. Miola could not have been more pleased with the outcome "It's really a weird feeling because as the stallion owner, I'm rooting for Tanya....but then our barn has to do well too, so it's very conflicting.

The (NRHA) Futurity's going to be even worse because Shawn (Flarida) has a Conquistador that he has already won two Futurities on, so now we're bringing ours, we're bringing our Boomernic, Tanya's bringing her Spooks...so here I am, all my studs are well represented in the Futurity, and I just want them all to do well, and all my studs do well in the finals. That's all." When asked about Smoking Whiz's big HRRC Futurity win Miola replied "This is really an amazing feeling. We're not accustomed to this. This is five years in the making, and then bam! When it's right, it's right. It was absolutely an amazing feeling, and to see everybody who has been rooting for Brett all these years come over to congratulate him.....it really feels good."

**Brett Stone**

Stone couldn't say enough about his partner Smoking Whiz "There isn't anything that he doesn't do really, really well. He's an amazing turning horse, but he circles really well too and he's a big stopping horse, so he can cover all 3 of the phases. He's a fun horse to turn around because he's pretty electrifying, but he's quiet and he doesn't take a lot of warm up."

On what it meant to be back in the winner's circle after thirteen years, 50 year old Stone replied "Just to be back and do this again is like two different lives now for me. I quit showing in '97...when we started the ranch, and started doing this again Michael (Miola) asked me if I wanted to do this all over again, and I said, yeah, I do. We finally got where we want to be....it's been a long journey, but now I guess the journey has actually been short."

**Spooks Gotta Whiz & Tanya Jenkins**

Tanya Jenkins of Temecula, California has had Spooks Gotta Whiz in her barn for exactly a year, and thought it was fitting that he did so well in the class named after his father. "When I went in there my main focus was just to have a clean run, to have him be focused, do what he had to do, and hit my stops which is one of his biggest things. I really wanted to run him down there and hit all three of my stops."

One of a handful of women to compete in the Futurity, 38 year old Jenkins who walked away from getting her nursing degree to break into the Boys Club atmosphere of Reining shares her unique perspective "If women step up and give those judges something to look at, they give us the same opportunities, but being a woman in this sport has been a little bit tougher...you see a bunch of guys...it's almost like going to a men's club and having a girl walk in...but if you give them something to watch, something to plus, they're going to score you equally. I think maybe in a small way, I have to give a little extra, to make them look at me. That said, when I was 16 years old if someone had said to me this is where you'll be when you're 38, I would have said oh right."