Crystalized Whizkey Makes History in 4-Year-Old Debut
When the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity winner makes her first major start as a 4-year-old, people pay attention. Crystalized Whizkey and Brian Bell gave them something to talk about when she made her sophomore debut the 100X Cowtown Classic—pushing the mare’s lifetime earnings to a historic mark in the process.
The regally bred perlino daughter of Whizkey N Diamonds and out of Lonely At The Top (by Colonels Smoking Gun [Gunner]) marked a 229.5 to take the 100X Cowtown Classic 4-Year-Old Stakes Level 4 Open Championship on Saturday, May 27. In doing so, she earned a whopping $150,000—boosting her lifetime earnings to a massive $553,259. She now ranks as the leading money-earning reining mare in EquiStat, and the fifth-leading money-earning reining horse overall.
“She’s accomplished every goal that I’ve wanted her to have. After she won the NRHA Futurity, she was only $10,000 away from the second-highest earning mare [in reining history] and she was $60,000 away from the highest money-earning mare, which is her grandmother [Wimpys Little Chic],” Bell said of the mare owned by Wallace Wood.
Crystalized Whizkey and Brian Bell scored a 229.5 at the 100X Cowtown Classic. * Photo by Cody Parmenter
While Crystalized Whizkey could have showed earlier in the year, Bell waited for the 100X Cowtown Classic in order to keep her in an event restricted to 4-year-olds. In regular reining derby competition, she would have competed against more experienced horses in addition to her own peer group.
“I didn’t want to show her at the [National Reining Breeder’s Classic], because I didn’t want her to have to compete against the 5-,6- and 7-year-olds,” Bell said. “I’ve held her out of every single derby all year this year to go to this one. This, for her, was the biggest payout for the 4-year-olds, so I really saved her for that.”
In any Western performance horse discipline, showing a major futurity champion for the first time as a 4-year-old can be a lot of pressure. Bell admitted to feeling some nerves about Crystalized Whizkey’s impending debut in Fort Worth.
“I was pretty nervous going into it. I mean, she’s undefeated, and she won the All American Quarter Horse Congress [reining futurity] and won the [NRHA] Futurity. And, I know I’m gonna get beat at some point with her, but I wanted it to be in a fair fight against horses her own age.
“And, I when showed here [at the 100X], I knew there was a lot of horses that could be capable of [beating her], especially the one I tied with at the Futurity [Inferno Thirty Five]. And, there’s a lot of other guys I thought could do it, and so I was nervous about it.”
Crystalized Whizkey eased those nerves with yet another professional, athletic run in the 100X Cowtown Classic. Her score of 229.5 was two points better than the 227.5 marked by Level 4 Open Reserve Champions Custom Dreams and Casey Deary. The Weatherford, Texas, trainer and the 2020 stallion (Magnum Chic Dream x Gunna Be Custom x Colonels Smoking Gun [Gunner]) pocketed a cool $100,000 for owner Custom Dreams Brazil.
Top-Earning Reining HorsesWith her earnings in Fort Worth, Crystalized Whizkey trails only four other horses on the list of all-time money-earning reining horses. The top five in the EquiStat database are now:
- Patriot ($836,028)
- Down Right Amazing ($732,867)
- Best Shine ($682,562)
- Gunna Stop ($675,633)
- Crystalized Whizkey ($4553,259)
Three of the top five horses—Patriot, Best Shine and Gunna Stop—won the Million Dollar Competition at The Run For A Million. The other two horses on the list, Crystalized Whizkey and Down Right Amazing, are both out of daughters of Wimpys Little Chic.
Down Right Amazing, who in April won the National Reining Breeder’s Classic Level 4 Open Championship, is out of 2015 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Champion Shesouttayourleague (Walla Walla Whiz x Wimpys Little Chic x Wimpys Little Step). Crystalized Whizkey is out of $73,151-winner Lonely At The Top (Gunner x Wimpys Little Chic x Wimpys Little Step). They share another genetic link in that Down Right Amazing is sired by Gunner, the broodmare sire of Crystalized Whizkey.
Brian Bell hugs Crystalized Whizkey after hearing their score at the 100X Cowtown Classic. * Photo by Cody Parmenter
Crystalized Whizkey’s future plans have yet to be determined. Bell said her connections are considering the NRHA Derby in June, but as of a few days after the 100X were still deciding if she would compete.
“She doesn’t owe me anything. She’s done everything I wanted her to do already,” Bell said. “Everything else from here on out is icing on the cake as far as I’m concerned.”
Sister Earns Level 1 Co-ChampionshipIn addition to Crystalized Whizkey’s success, one of her maternal half-siblings earned her own co-championship at the 100X. It was the flashy overo mare Coat Of Many Colors (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Lonely At The Top x Gunner), who Leonardo Kellermann rode to the Level 1 Open Championship. The pair also earned the Level 2 Open Co-Championship and made the Level 3 Open finals for owner Janice Laney.
Together, Crystalized Whizkey and Coat Of Many Colors added more than $205,000 to Lonely At The Top’s produce record, giving the mare more than $608,759 in progeny earnings.
Crystalized Whizkey has become the all-time leading reining mare in EquiStat. * Photo by Cody Parmenter