For Immediate Release – October 15, 2021 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Even if you are away from home during the NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Show, enjoy a meal with your reining family at the Thanksgiving Buffet hosted by the Reining Horse Foundation. The buffet is offered Thanksgiving Day, November 25, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Sale Arena at State Fair Park.
Over the past decade, exhibitors have come to appreciate the meal as a relaxing way to mark the holiday without leaving State Fair Park or searching for other dining options. The delicious buffet prepared by Impact Catering features traditional Thanksgiving dishes like turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables and two flavors of pie—pumpkin and pecan. The turkey carving station is back!
The Reining Horse Foundation, the charitable arm of the National Reining Horse Association, hosts the event to provide goodwill to the reining community. Donors to the Foundation’s annual fund, the Reiners Club, can receive complimentary meals at the Contributor, Partner and Champion levels of $1,000 and above.
Futurity participants and trade show vendors are encouraged to make advance reservations on or before November 24 to take advantage of the lowest pricing: $35 per adult, $14 for children 5-12; and free for ages 4-and-under. The Reining Horse Foundation underwrites children’s meals to encourage families to keep the holiday tradition of dining together.
New in 2021, pay for the event online when making advance reservations.
Advance reservations for this event help make sure there is enough food and seating. Walk-up pricing increases to $55 per adult and $20 each for children 5-12.
If you’re in Vegas for TRFAM, stop by the RHF booth to bid in the Silent Auction. The proceeds from the Silent and Live Run For A Million Auctions will benefit the Reining Horse Foundation.
Excitement for The Run For A Million presented by Teton Ridge is growing, and while the high-stakes event is drawing reining enthusiasts from around the globe to Las Vegas, it’s also sparked a philanthropic push.
Recently the Reining Horse Foundation, the charitable arm of the National Reining Horse Association, and TRFAM event management announced the creation of the Raise A Million Auctions to Benefit the Reining Community. Donations for incredible items – ranging from a breeding to 2019 TRFAM Co-Champion No Smoking Required to awe-inspiring jewelry – flowed in, and expectations are high for the event, which will feature live and silent auctions.
Then a generous group of donors elected to up the ante even more.
“A group of donors stepped forward to contribute funds to match the first $15,000 raised through the auctions, and gifts were pledged from $500 to $2,500,” noted RHF Executive Director Leslie Baker. “We have the best odds in Vegas because the auction is already a winner from the start.”
Baker added that, as more RHF supporters heard of the pledge, more donations rolled in, and currently there is $16,500 pledged.
“These are unrestricted gifts, and all will be accordingly recognized through the RHF Reiners Club. If someone wants to contribute to growing the match even more, that’s possible,” Baker said, noting that the best way to reach her during the event is by calling 405-946-7400 ext. 106, or e-mailing rhf@nrha.com.
Current Donors Include: $2,500 Tim Anderson & Kim Niven Rick Clark Jennifer Greenleaf John & Nancy Tague Jamie Walters
$500 Gary & Marian Carpenter John & Dawn Foy John & Terri Mainey Santa Hill Ranch Andrea & Mirjam Stillo Frank & Susan Costantini Pro Management Inc./Cheryl Cody Joe & Emmy Wolfe
While both the Live and Silent Raise A Million Auctions will be open to in-person bidding only, Baker and the RHF team offer a proxy bid service. That way, even if a person is unable to travel to Las Vegas, they can still participate from afar. A link to the proxy bid form can be found here.
The Live Auction will be held Friday, August 20, at 3 p.m. at the start of the Million Dollar Draw Party.
The Silent Auction, featuring approximately three dozen quality items, will be set up near the VIP Pavilion inside the South Point Arena, beginning Wednesday, August 18. It will wrap up at 4 p.m. Saturday, August 21, just prior to the million-dollar competition.
“Thank you to TRFAM Show Manager Amanda Brumley for facilitating The Run For A Million Auctions, which sparked the idea for donor matching from some incredible benefactors,” Baker said. “We look forward to the auctions and are excited about the positive impact the funds raised will have on our reining community.”
The mission of the Reining Horse Foundation is to care for and honor the reining community. Core programs include the Dale Wilkinson Memorial Crisis Fund to benefit reiners enduring hardships such as major illness, accidents and disasters; youth leadership development and scholarships for members of the National Reining Horse Youth Association; and perpetuation of the sport’s history through the NRHA Hall of Fame. For more information about the Reining Horse Foundation, visit ReiningFoundation.com.
Hosted by the prestigious South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, the 2021 The Run For A Million presented by Teton Ridge takes place August 18 through 21. Fifteen riders, including some of the most accomplished NRHA Professionals in the history of reining, will compete for a purse of $1,000,000. In addition to the Million Dollar Competition, The Run For A Million event also includes the $150,000 Teton Ridge Invitational Fence Work Challenge; $100,000 Platinum Performance Open Shoot Out; $50,000 Farnam Invitational Freestyle; $50,000 Non Pro Championships; and Bloomer Trailers Rookie Championships.
Performances can be watched live at horseshowglobal.com. For more information, go to the event’s website or contact brumleyevents@gmail.com.
The National Reining Horse Association Markel Futurity Sales represent the elite of the western performance horse industry. Lucrative for consignors and a gold mine of potential for buyers, the event is a must-attend during the NRHA Futurity each year.
The 2021 NRHA Markel Futurity Sales are set for Thursday, December 2. As in the past, the sales will offer an outstanding group of two-year-old reining prospects, yearlings, stallions, broodmares, and show horses from leading breeders, owners, and trainers.
The deadline to consign is August 31, and this year’s selection process has been streamlined with the elimination of photography and video requirements for yearlings,* and modified 2-year-old preview opportunities.**
All sales are managed by the NRHA staff with support and direction from the NRHA Sales Task Force. Rick Clark, John Tague, Rosanne Sternberg, Frank Costantini, Tim Anderson, Rick Ford and Jake Dahl serve on this task force along with NRHA Senior Manager of ReinerSuite and Futurity Sales Angie Honeywell.
The quality and integrity of the NRHA Markel Futurity Sales is reflected in the records of exemplary graduates of previous sales and those horses have won millions in NRHA earnings since the first 2-year-olds were sold in 1993. To represent the elevated quality of horses sold in each sale, the Sale Task Force has renamed three of the four sales. The Select Yearling Sale will now be the Elite Yearling Sale, the Select Breeders Sale has been renamed the Preferred Breeders Sale, and the Marketplace Sale will now be known as the Premier Sale.
It’s more than semantics, as contemporary reining horses and prospects truly represent the culmination of years of development for the breeding industry. “The Sale Task Force felt these names were a better representation of the high-quality horses we have. Sale graduates from each sale have been incredibly successful in the show pen and breeding barn, and they wanted every aspect of the NRHA Markel Futurity Sales to reflect that,” noted Honeywell.
To read more about the NRHA Markel Futurity Sales, including more exciting changes for 2021, click here. For consignment information, visit NRHA.com/Sales.
*Video and photograph requirements will not be compulsory as part of the yearling consignment application procedure. Please note that videos, photographs, and radiographs will still be required prior to the NRHA Markel Futurity Sales for marketing materials and to be available for buyers. New guidelines will now govern yearling placement. Foals of dams with $25,000 or more in progeny and/or lifetime earnings will be placed in the Elite Yearling Sale, while those not meeting that threshold will sell in the Premier Sale.
**Two-year-old preview opportunities have expanded into two-hour sessions in Arena 6. To provide ample time for consignors to present their horses in a controlled environment, these sessions will be held on November 30 and December 1 at the conclusion of each day’s Futurity Semi-Finals.
Over the past few weeks, graduates of the National Reining Horse Association Markel Futurity Sales have excelled in the show pen. At the 2021 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel and the 2020 NRHA European Derby, these top horses have scored high, won titles, and earned a lot of cash.
Futurity Sale Graduate Whizin Off With Guns won theLevel 2 Co-Championship and Level 1 Championship atthe 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel.
In Oklahoma City, there were 12 Open and six Non Pro sale alums qualified for the finals of the 6666 NRHA Derby presented by Markel, and several others who cashed in while competing in the Tamarack Ranch Open Stakes, the Colston Paving Non Pro Stakes, and the GlycoGuard Novice Horse Derbies.
The high-earning Open sale graduate of the Derby was Whizin Off With Guns, ridden by Franky Vazquez, who won more than $30,350 for owner Bethanie Penning. In the preliminary round Whizin Off With Guns, by Tinker With Guns out of Whizin Off Sparks, marked a solid 217 to qualify for the finals of Levels 3, 2, and 1. There, the talented gelding tied for the Championship of Level 2, took sole honors in Level 1, and finished sixth in Level 3.
Whizin Off With Guns walked through the NRHA Markel Futurity Sale ring in the 2017 Select Yearling Sale (now Elite Yearling Sale). Consigned by Sterling Ranch and purchased by Koby Kempel, the colt commanded a price of $30,000.
The Non Pro high money earner was Roseswhiz, who with Raeanna Thayn added $26,342 to her lifetime earnings. The duo qualified for the finals of Levels 4, 3, 2, and Youth, and also won money in the Colston Paving Non Pro Stakes. Roseswhiz, by NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Whiz out of Rose Electric Step, was consigned to the 2018 Marketplace Sale (now Premier Sale) by the Houde & Tremblay Partnership, and purchased by Robbin Thayn.
All totaled, NRHA Markel Futurity Sale graduates won more than $121,000 at the Four Sixes NRHA Derby.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, sale graduates competed in Austria at the 2020 NRHA European Derby, which had been postponed due to the pandemic.
There were several NRHA Markel Futurity Sale Graduates who qualified for the finals – and finished in top spots – of the Colonels Shining Gun Open Derby.
With Alessandro Roasio at the reins, Il Be Automatic – a 2017 Futurity Prospect Sale graduate – tied for reserve honors in the Level 1, and was a Level 2 finalist. The 6-year-old gelding, by NRHA Seven Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream out of Hickadora, was bred by David Pratt, and then consigned by Bobby Avila, Jr., and purchased by Quarter Dream SRL. He is now owned by Norbert Juhasz.
Tying for third in the Level 3 and winning third in the Level 2 was Hey Joe, ridden by Nimroid Vannietuelt for Steve Vannietuelt and Gine De Pauw. Hey Joe was consigned to the 2014 Select Yearling Sale by Wagman Ranch, Inc, and purchased by 4V Livestock LLC. By NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Smart Spook out of Best Stop, the 8-year-old stallion now has lifetime earnings exceeding $123,000.
Also qualifying for various levels were Spooks Gotta Deal (2016 Marketplace Sale, consigned by Cinder Lakes Ranch), Walla Whiz Dun It (2016 Marketplace Sale, consigned by Heritage Farms), Wrapped In Tinsel (2016 Select Yearling Sale, consigned by Kyle Ranch), and Bugs At Nite (2016 Marketplace Sale, consigned by Gary Putman).
Wimpy Margarita carried Francesca Ferrarol to the Championships of the Smart Spook Non Pro Level 4 and Level 3, while Lil Jo Rush, ridden by Gina Schumacher, tied for Reserve in the Level 4.
By NRHA 12 Million Dollar Sire Wimpys Little Step and out of Custom Margarita, Wimpy Margarita sold in the 2015 Futurity Prospect Sale. The 8-year-old mare was consigned by Judy Box and purchased by Sergio Elia.
Lil Joe Rush passed through the ring during the 2016 Select Yearling Sale. Consigned by ProFit Equine (Agent), the 6-year-old sold for $24,500 to Jonathan Gauthier. The colt is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Lil Joe Cash out of Rush N Cat.
The 2021 NRHA Markel Futurity Sales will be held Thursday, December 2, and the consignment deadline is August 31.
To read more about the NRHA Markel Futurity Sales, including more exciting changes for 2021, click here. For consignment information, visit NRHA.com/Sales.
Purchaser: Gus and Gaynia Revenberg, Oldcastle, Ontario
Even the most magical place on earth couldn’t keep Gaynia Revenberg away from the 2015 NRHA Markel Futurity sales—especially with a prospect like Spooks Gotta Spark available. In previous years, Revenberg spent hours scanning the list of consigned horses, watching preview videos, and discussing prospects. But in 2015, all she wanted was to enjoy a vacation at Disney World with her husband, Gus.
“I was sitting on the balcony at Disney when Shawn Flarida called me and said, ‘There’s a horse here you have to buy,’” Revenberg recalled. “My husband said, ‘Book the flight.’ So, we went to the sale, and Shawn was absolutely correct.”
Since then, Spooks Gotta Spark has held a special place in Revenberg’s heart. “I decided to bring him home so I could ride him myself,” she shared. “I really like this horse, so I asked [NRHA Professional Loris Epis] here in Ontario to show him.”
But as the inaugural Run for a Million in Las Vegas approached, Revenberg knew she couldn’t keep her all-star in Canada much longer. Although she received three inquiries about using her horse in the Million Dollar Invitational, Flarida’s lucrative history with the buckskin stallion made the NRHA Six Million Dollar Rider the obvious choice for Revenberg.
“He didn’t have much time to get him ready, but he did an amazing job,” she said of Flarida’s performance in the Million Dollar Invitational. Spooks Gotta Spark marked a 228, which landed Flarida and the stallion a fourth-place finish and a $65,000 payout.
In February 2020, Bill and Patty Fingland of Rogersville, Mo. purchased the flashy buckskin. With them, he placed in the Top 10 at the 2020 NRHA Open Derby presented by Markel and went on to place 13th in the Level 4 NRBC Open Classic.
It was at the NRBC that Spooks Gotta Spark caught the eye of Kevin Truax and the two bonded instantly. Not long after the team returned from the show, Truax was celebrating the purchase of the most talented reining horse he feels that he has ever owned. “We brought him to our barn the week we bought him. Derek, my daughter, Kiersten, and I each got on him for a bit. He was just so incredible to ride.” Truax said.
As Truax rushed to arrange for Spooks Gotta Sparks’s quickly approaching debut in the breeding barn, Heitland rode the stallion to a Level 2 AQHA Senior Reining World Reserve Co-Championship, and at the 2020 Adequan® NAACs, the talented reiner earned Heitland the NAAC Limited Open title.
Lorenzo Lotti at Foals R Us, in Whitesboro, Texas, made quick accommodations for Spooks Gotta Spark to stand there, and Cam Essick took care of advertisements.
With Spooks Gotta Spark’s future as a sire in the works, Flarida opened up another opportunity for the pair to compete for a million dollars. “Once the next Run For A Million was announced, Shawn worked out a training schedule with Lorenzo. We took Spooks Gotta Spark to Ohio in February and bred with him up there while he was getting in shape.” Truax shared. “In Arizona, we felt good about the qualifier until we found out we were draw number one. I knew it would be tough, so figured we would likely be on the bubble and be nervous all day. After Shawn went, we felt great about qualifying, then realized we may actually win it after abo 70 horses went. To get the high score with all that firepower was unbelievable. Being able to stand in the win picture with all the big names around us was a true dream come true.”
Perhaps Truax’s connection to Spooks Gotta Spark runs even deeper. He said, “My father died last June, so I do feel this has been guided in some way by him. We have been reining for 40 years, but never at this level. We hope to have one more ride in August to really see what he can do. My goal is to have lots of his babies on the ground for others to enjoy.”
For breeding information about Spooks Gotta Spark, go to foals-r-us.com/spooks-gotta-spark/.
