GUY AND JOAN PALMER OF ELVERSON, Pennsylvania, were hunting for a show horse for their son NRHA Professional Matt Palmer at the 2008 NRHA Futurity when they noticed an attractive five-year-old gelding with a nice show record in the NRHA Markel Insurance Marketplace Sale. “Joan andMatt pickedWhaleOf AWhiz out and bid on him at the sale,” remembers Guy. “I thought they had lost theirminds when they kept bidding, but they wanted this horse. So I just went along.” It turned out to be a very fortunate buy for the Palmer family, as the now six-year-old gelding has won two out of his last three events. The latest was the 2009 Carolina Classic Derby, which played outMay 17–19 at the Senator Bob Martin Eastern Agricultural Center in Williamston, North Carolina.

Enough?
“As I watched the open division go-round, I thought there were some really nice horses here,” said Guy. “I knew we had a nice horse, but I just wasn’t sure he was going to be enough.” Matt felt a little differently. “I always felt like I had enough horse, but I didn’t know if I could pull it all together,” he said after his run. “But I have really started to trust this horse because he hasn’t let me down yet.” Palmer and the chestnut gelding cruised to the finals of the level 4 open and level 3 intermediate open divisions and then plotted their nextmove. “I knew if I couldmake it to the stops in pattern 10, I couldmark big,” he said. “And as soon as I hit the very first stop, I knew he was hooked up,” he added with a grin. “The crowd was really behindme and that really helped keep up the positive energy.” Palmer plussed his way through the spins and circles and lined up for themoneymoves—three big stops. Whale Of A Whiz didn’t disappoint and delivered three huge stops to finish off a beautiful pattern.

NRHA Professional Wayne LaFortune aboard Garvin Tankersley’s Starry Future had already logged a good score of 224 and was the current leader.Ahush fell over the crowd as the educated reining audience waited to see if Palmer had put enough points on the board to move into the lead. When his score of 227 was announced the crowd roared with approval and the entire Palmer family breathed a collective sign of relief.The score earned the $17,500-added level 4 open division championship as well as the $12,500-added level 3 intermediate open win. Earning $6,275 and $4,334, respectively, the gelding also earned another $1,357 in go-round money. It seems Matt and Joan knew what they were bidding on at the Futurity sale, as WhaleOf AWhiz has won $17,462 to date for the Palmers. He now has lifetime earnings of $62,887.Whale Of A Whiz is by NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Topsail Whiz and out of Pappita Sunrise. “We all just love this horse,”Matt said. “Hemay be the nicest horse we have ever owned,” Guy added. “When the show started I knewwe had a nice horse and just hopedwe could get a piece of it. I never dreamed that we would win the open!”