View our interview with Luca Fappani and what it means to him to "Live Your Western" here.
The 2026 National Reining Breeder's Cup Finals brought an exciting milestone for Luca Fappani, who claimed the L4 NRBC Co-Reserve Championship in a moment that was not only career defining, but deeply personal.
Luca shared the title with his father, Andrea Fappani, making the accomplishment all the more special.
“It was a great moment for me and my family to tie for reserve,” Luca shared. “My dad being the winningest reining rider of all time, it is as though I’m in constant competition with the biggest fish in the pond when we are showing in the reining pen. But to lately have been able to compete with him… it shows that my hard work and learning from him is paying off. I know that he is happier to stand beside me on that podium rather than stand alone.”
Luca has already accomplished so much, and at such a young age. This accomplishment brings him to yet another level.
“This accomplishment is a testament to my program improving and my skill set becoming better and better,” he explained. “I’ve been fortunate to have success making finals, but now I’m beginning to compete near the top of these major events, which is a very rewarding feeling, especially having only started my program one year ago.”
A key part of that success came aboard Vintage Chex, known as “Vinny.” Though relatively new to Luca’s program, the dedication Luca has put in has resulted in an incredible partnership.
“Vinny is new to my barn, having bought him at the end of last year. It’s a cool full-circle horse for me because he was among the first group of horses that I started under saddle for my dad in 2022, and now I’m showing him in 2026,” Luca explained. "It has taken me the first six months to find what works for him training wise, but now I am becoming more and more confident with him which is resulting in our higher scores. Running down the pen to stop, I knew I had him in the right place mentally, because there wasn’t a step in that rundown, stop, and rollback where he was without me.”
For Luca, this year’s NRBC stood out not just for the result, but for the consistency and confidence across all of his horses.
“It was a great feeling to realize that I had just placed the highest I’d ever placed at the NRBC before,” he said. “The whole show had a different feel because all of my horses felt consistent, strong, and with me throughout patterns. It gave me more confidence as the horses took care of me each step of the show.”
With multiple strong performances, Luca left the event with momentum and confidence moving forward. As his program continues to grow, we are reminded that Luca Fappani is not just following in great footsteps, he’s creating a legacy of his own.
We are proud to have him represent Kimes Ranch. You can catch him in the arena, or at the barn in his favorite jean, the Dillon.
