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When Spooky Whiz and Equi-Stat Elite $4 Million Rider Andrea Fappani won the 2016 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity Level 4 Open on Dec. 3, they wrote their names in history as the winners of the 50th renewal of the NRHA’s premier event. They did it in good style by scoring a 225.5 and earning the guaranteed winner’s check of $150,000 for owner Rancho Oso Rio LLC.
Spooky Whiz was bred by Spence and Kristin Bell, of Maysville, Oklahoma. He was purchased by Rancho Oso Rio in November 2015. His pedigree is a mixture of some great individuals, with a most interesting tie between his sire, Spooks Gotta Whiz, and his dam, Myo Starlight.
Sire Line
Spooks Gotta Whiz ($363,435) was an elite show horse, having won the NRHA Triple Crown, which consists of the NRHA Futurity Open, National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) Derby Open and NRHA Derby Open. He added luster to his show record as a World Equestrian Games gold medalist.
The first foals by Spooks Gotta Whiz have Equi-Stat records exceeding $435,000 with just 25 money-winners to date. They include Thebettertohearuwith ($45,832), who won the 2015 Reining By The Bay Derby Open with Fappani in the saddle.
Spooks Gotta Whiz is by Spooks Gotta Gun ($81,638), the 2007 American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Champion Junior Reining Horse and 2008 Reining By The Bay Derby Open Champion. Spooks Gotta Gun is an Equi-Stat Elite $1 Million Sire whose foals include The Kids Gotta Gun ($96,568), Spooks Gotta Run ($65,956) and Dun Lost My Gun ($45,281).
Spooks Gotta Gun is a son of Grays Starlight ($41,128), who has sired earners of more than $12.5 million in cutting, reining and reined cow horse. His leading money-winners are Stella Starlight ($304,920) in cutting, Bobby Starlight ($140,132) in reined cow horse and Starlights Wrangler ($128,810) in reining.
Spooks Gotta Gun is out of Katie Gun, who showed her versatility in the arena. She earned AQHA points in reining, working cow horse, Western riding, team penning and trail. Most of her points came in reining, with her 53 points earning a Superior title. She was the 1990 AQHA High Point Reining Mare, High Point Junior Reining Horse and overall Reserve High Point Reining Horse. She earned 10.5 working cow horse points and was fourth in the year-end standings in that class in 1991. She was an AQHA World Show Top 10 finalist in team penning in 1991.
Katie Gun (John Gun x Bueno Katie x Aledo Bueno Bar) is the dam of 14 money-earners with earnings of $580,391 in reining. She has produced Colonels Smoking Gun (Gunner) ($177,386), Hollywood Gotta Gun ($115,520), Dun It Gotta Gun ($61,665) and Here You Shine ($39,768). Gunner is an Equi-Stat Elite $8 Million sire.
Spooks Gotta Whiz is out of Prettywhizprettydoes ($20,296), a multiple aged event finalist who was the Reserve Champion in the 2005 Rocky Mountain Summer Slide Futurity Non-Pro. She is the dam of foals that have earnings of $487,495 recorded in Equi-Stat. They include Spooks Gotta Run ($65,956) and She Whiz Prettyjuicy ($26,302). Prettywhizprettydoes is by Topsail Whiz and out of Blonde At the Bar, by Hollywood Jac 86.
Dam Line
Myo Starlight was also bred by the Bells. She was shown in reining, earning $11,971. One of her biggest paydays came in 2007 at the NRHA Derby, where Spence Bell and the mare made the finals of the Derby Non-Pro, finishing 11th, and also tied for eighth in the Intermediate Non-Pro and finished fifth in the Limited Non-Pro.
Including the 2016 NRHA Futurity, Myo Starlight has an Equi-Stat offspring record of $263,093. Her list of money-earners includes Lil Dreamin Magnum ($73,259), who, with Jeremy Gates in the saddle, was a multiple aged event finalist.
Paddys Irish Whiskey ($12,149) is the sire of Myo Starlight. He is the sire of horses that have won more than $1.4 million in cutting, reining and reined cow horse. His leading money-winners include Sum Irish Rum ($148,114), Thorn Doc Whiskey ($125,960), Irish Whiskey Sugar ($108,782) and Irish Whiskey Mix ($66,690), who has 1,667 AQHA points.
Irish Whiskey is a full brother to Grays Starlight. They are by Peppy San Badger and out of Doc’s Starlight, by Doc Bar. This gives Spooky Whiz a collateral linebreeding pattern to these full brothers. This is the link between Spooky Whiz’s sire and dam.
Doc’s Starlight was a great show mare who earned $134,442 and was inducted into the NCHA Horse Hall of Fame. She is out of Tasa Tivio, by Poco Tivio. Seven of Doc’s Starlight’s foals have earned a modest $206,079, but her sons Grays Starlight, Paddys Irish Whiskey and Gallo Del Cielo (Rooster) have made her an important contributor to the breed. They have sired foals that have excelled in cutting, reining and reined cow horse, and are all million-dollar sires.
The dam of Myo Starlight is Shegottabea Herman. This unshown mare is by Smooth Herman, who was an AQHA High Point Cutting Horse. Smooth Herman is a son of Jet Smooth, a full brother to World Champion Quarter Running Horse Easy Jet. Smooth Herman is out of Carol’s Ethel, by King P-234. The dam of Shegottabea Herman is Vals Melisa, an AQHA point-earner of 65.5 points with registers of merit in both the Open and Youth divisions. Shegottabea Herman and Vals Melisa were bred by Jimmie Randals, a well-respected breeder from New Mexico and the NCHA president from 1973 to 1975.
The NRHA Futurity has now passed the 50-year milestone, with Spooky Whiz and Fappani carrying the banner to start the next 50 years. Spooky Whiz offers a great pedigree as the foundation for that banner.
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