The first section of the Open preliminary round of the 2023 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel took place today, with 101 of the 308 Open Derby entries vying for their spot in the finals.
The clean-slate Finals will be held on Saturday, June 24, in the Jim Norick Arena of the OKC Fairgrounds. This year’s Finals will be particularly exciting, as the Level 4 Open Champion will take home a check for $100,000- the largest payout in Derby history.
The Level 3 Open Champion will receive $35,000, the Level 2 $20,000, and the Level 1 $10,000.
The Open preliminary rounds will run through Sunday, June 18, with more than 100 entries each day. The current high scores across the divisions of the Open preliminaries are:
Level 4 – Jason Vanlandingham & Best Shine – 227
(Shine Chic Shine x Best Stop)
Owner: Robert Santagata, Breeder & Nominator: Wagman Ranch Inc
Level 3 – Dany Tremblay & All Guns On Crush – 223
(PS Mega Shine Chic x All Guns On Deck)
Owner: Fred Tremblay, Nominator: Adh-Mor Ranch
Level 2 – Gabriel Diano & Gunna Bet My Boon – 220
(Gunnatrashya x Flo N Blu Boon)
Owner: Cabana RT La Aurora, Breeder & Nominator: Alpha Quarter Horses, LLC
Level 1 – Sumer Opinker & Always A Magnum – 216
(Magnum Chic Dream x Always A Dunit)
Owner: Pamela Williams, Breeder: Petska Trinity Equine, LLC, Nominator: Jeffery Petska
The preliminary rounds not only determine who returns to the Jim Norick for the Finals- they also decide the champions of the $110,000-added Tamarack Ranch Open 4-Year-Old Stakes and the $15,000-added Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby. The winners of these events, along with the Open Prime Time and the American Paint Horse Association’s Open Chrome Cash, will be announced at the conclusion of the preliminary rounds on Sunday. The current leaders for these events are:
Tamarack Ranch Open 4-Year-Old Open Stakes – Cade McCutcheon & Trashya Quik – 223
(Gunnatrashya x Nestle Quik Chic)
Owner: Vaughn Zimmerman, Breeder & Nominator: William Newman, Jr
Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Novice Horse Open Derby – Gennaro Lendi & Stepin Out Gunnin – 221
(Gunnatrashya x Barbies Stepin Out)
Owner: Marc & Kathy Gordon, Breeder & Nominator: Marc Gordon
Open Prime Time: Matthew McDowell & Xtra Voodoo Dr – 221 (includes handicap)
(Shiners Voodoo Dr x Wound Up Wimp)
Owner: Mona Bodaness, Breeder & Nominator: Silver Spurs Equine
Open Chrome Cash: Trevor Elliot Dare & Gangsta Sixtysix – 223.5
(Inferno Sixty Six x Rush N Cat)
Owner: Julio Mora Hernandez, Breeder: Lorenzo Lotti, Nominator: Slide or Die LLC
The top 30 (plus ties) in the Open Levels 4-1 will advance to the clean-slate finals on Saturday, June 24. The draw for the Finals will be decided at the Platinum Performance Open Draw Party on Friday, Saturday 23, at 10 a.m.
For complete results and a competition live stream, visit NRHADerby.com.
Photo by Chelsea Schneider Media.