The Reining By The Bay Derby Non-Pro hosted 46 horse-and-rider teams, and it was 14-year-old Luca Fappani who marked a 220 to beat each one of his elders aboard Spooks N Jewels. The duo swept Levels 4, 3, 2 and 1, and took the Youth 13 & Under Championship, as well!
“It feels good; it feels good to do good on my mom’s horse,” Fappani said. “He’s really fun to ride, and I like having him at home and my Mom giving me the opportunity to show him.”
Fappani has only been competing for two years, but he has already amassed nearly $28,000 in earnings, including the $22,513 he won for his Derby Non-Pro titles in California.
“I’ve only been riding ‘Journey’ for a few months now. My mom bought him as a yearling, and we’ve been training him up since then,” Fappani said of the now 5-year-old stallion, bred by Courtney Brockmueller, of Whitesboro, Texas.
Fappani’s mom, Tish, has piloted Spooks N Jewels (Smart Spook x Whiz Jewels x Topsail Whiz) several paychecks, including the 2017 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 3 Non-Pro Championship. With his most recent wins, the horse pushed his Equi-Stat record past the $90,000 mark.
“The best thing about him is that he’s really solid,” Fappani explained. “He does everything really well. He turned really good and he stopped huge out there. I was very happy with him.”
Quarter Horse News
written by Katie Marchetti
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