Newlyweds, Wade and Carly Veldman Parks, Go First and Second in Equine Chronicle Color Classic Open Division at 2013 Reichert Celebration

11 pm UPDATE: Later on this evening, Wade Parks competed in the Limited division of this class and was the unanimous winner. Click here to view results from that class. 

It took two cuts to narrow the field of 2-year-olds to the top sixteen finalists that would compete tonight in the Equine Chronicle Color Classic 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Open division at the 2013 Reichert Celebration. Although it wasn’t required this year that the horses be maiden in order to participate, eight of the top sixteen were in fact maiden horses. One of those maiden mounts ended up winning the class in spectacular style.

Sitting proudly in the saddle aboard Sensational Design was a very enthusiastic Wade Parks, who claimed the Championship title, a check for $3,777, a $1,000 maiden bonus, $500 for being the highest placing first time exhibitor in the class, and a breeding to Born To Be Blazing for riding the highest placing mare in the class. Despite all of the cash bonuses and fabulous prizes the item Parks is most excited to take home tonight is his very first belt buckle.

“That’s the first buckle I’ve ever won,” Parks says. “I have been Reserve at the Quarter Congress in the Coughlin Two-Year-Old. I’ve been Reserve at the NSBA World like four times. I’ve won the BCF, but all you get is a big ole’ trophy and no buckle. I was Reserve at the Tom Powers. I’ve never been able to achieve a buckle. I broke the curse tonight!”

“That’s why I didn’t shave today. When I was second at the Congress, I had scruff like this. I woke up this morning,  went to shave, and said nope. It’s good luck. Something is going to happen. I knew it. I knew it in my heart that something was going to happen when I stepped on that thing tonight. I knew my wife would be tough too. She ended up second, and I knew she’d be wicked.”

We would have to check back in the record books just to be sure, but as far as anyone can remember this is the first time that a husband and wife team have taken first and second in the Equine Chronicle Color Classic. Parks wed his sweetheart, Carly Veldman Parks, not even two months ago. In the class tonight, Veldman-Parks rode My Sensational Star to the second place win for Tracey Hehr.

“We just got married,” he says. “It will be two months on the 13th. I couldn’t believe it. I knew she’d gotten in the mix. She even beat me on one card. I trained that filly, and my wife helps show my pleasure horses for me. She helps me out immensely, and I help her with her all-around horses. She just started riding it this week, and she does an amazing job. She is a great horseman.”

An interesting fact to note is that both the first and second place horses in the class tonight were sired by Zippos Sensation. That isn’t something that surprised Parks. He believes that “great genetics make great horses.”

“The neat thing about that filly is that I’ve had her for four months,” he says. “She came to me and had 30 days on her. She is one of the best-minded individuals I’ve ever rode. She is so talented it’s ridiculous. It’s so easy for her to do her job that it will scare you. She will pick anything up so fast, and she is so happy. She never wants to fight and never wants any problems. She just wants to do it, and she loves it.”

The mare that Parks speaks so highly of is called “Minnie.” She just happens to be owned by Melvin and Pamela Mousley. Parks confirms that there is in fact a “Mickey” back at home who is a brother to the mare that won tonight.

In addition to Minnie’s sweeping movement, another attribute that sets her apart is her spectacular color.

“She’s very loud,” he says. “I think she’s the most colorful one that has ever won [this class]. If they lope like that I ain’t scared of them. I love her. That’s my girl. If you notice, I scrub on her and scratch on her a lot in the lineup. She’s so friendly.”

Next up for Minnie and Parks is the APHA Open and Amateur Fall World Show. We would like to wish them the best of luck and congratulate this newlywed couple on an outstanding win this evening.

Equine Chronicle Color Classic 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Open Division:

1- $3,777 and $1,000 maiden bonus- Sensational Design/Wade Parks for Melvin and Pamela Mousley

2- $2,342 and $800 maiden bonus- My Sensational Star/Carly Veldman Parks for Tracey Hehr

3-$2,342- Flashy Looking Touch/Dave Archer for Courtney Chown

4-$1,511 and $650 maiden bonus- Theblazeisegetinhoter/Travis Duit for Taryn Hardwick

5-$1,284 and $500 maiden bonus- Sittin On Certain/Mike Hachtel for Pamela Guidry

6-$1,057 and $1,000 highest placing non-pro rider bonus- Laced By Chocolate/Danny Desmond

7-$906 and $500 bonus- Talk About Lazy/Scott Suggs for Cynthia Figueroa

8-$755 and $400 bonus- A Man To Reckin With/RJ King for Kelly and Geno Stille

9-$604-Sleepin N Paradise/Katy Jo Zuidema for Nettie and David Olsen

10-$528- Hoppin My Hilfigers/Garth Gooding for Michelle and Sheila Bauer

Scroll below to view more fun photos from the class.