Shine Plum Shine has seen his share of success since he walked the sale ring during the 2015 NRHA/Markel Select Yearling sale.
By Kaycie Timm
Shine Plum Shine (Shine Chic Shine x Plum Reyning)
Sale: 2015 Select Yearling
Consigner: Sterling Ranch, Aubrey, Texas
Buyer: Story Book Stables, Scottsdale, Arizona
Brenda Joyce of Story Book Stables saw Shine Plum Shine at the 2015 NRHA/Markel Futurity Select Yearling Sale, and she made her move to purchase him and bring him home. The following year, when NRHA Professional Marco Ricotta took the horse to Andrea Fappani’s facility to get in a few practice rides, Shine Plum Shine immediately caught Fappani’s well-trained eye.
“I first saw him in the middle of his 2-year-old year,” Fappani recalled. “He seemed super athletic—just the type of horse I would get along with. I kept telling Marco [Ricotta] to let me know if they ever wanted to sell him.”
Fappani’s intuition about the sale graduate proved correct, and Shine Plum Shine showed well for Ricotta throughout his 3- and 4-year-old seasons. By the time Joyce was ready to consider Fappani’s proposition near the end of the colt’s 4-year-old year, the pair had racked up an impressive show record, including the 2017 NRHA Level 3 Open Futurity title. Eager to purchase the stellar young horse, Fappani talked to Pat Warren, owner of Rancho Oso Rio, who quickly agreed Shine Plum Shine had potential as both an open horse for Fappani and future non pro mount for Warren.
“She [Warren] tried him and liked him,” Fappani shared. “I told her I could be competitive in the open with him, then he could stay in the barn and she could ride him in the non pro.”
Shine Plum Shine started 2019 strong with Fappani, claiming top honors in the L4 Open at the Cactus Classic in Scottsdale, Arizona. The pair continued their success at other major events in 2020.