Riders not advancing to the finals had the option of entering the $1,000 Added Honorable Mention Futurity, and Ruffinol and Nicole Renick were victorious. The pair marked a 217.5 to top the class and get a bit of redemption.
“We struggled this week in our left turnaround, but today he was on fire for it. We might have a little bit of an overturn, but I would rather have that than him not turn well,” Renick said. “He felt really good today. He was locked in everywhere and circled really good for me. He always stops really big and strong, and he was just with me all the way.”
Ruffinol is by NRHA’s newest Million Dollar Sire Not Ruf At All and out of One Eye Chiccy. With Renick at the reins, the stallion has won more than $7,000. The Honorable Mention Futurity win added almost $500 to that total. Owned by Steven Sandvig, Ruffinol was bred and nominated by Myron Gomulak
“Today I just wanted to have a good, clean run. I know he can go and mark like we did today, so I just wanted that smooth run, and that’s exactly what we did,” Renick said. “We’re going to just take him home and get him ready for the derbies. Our next stop is the Cactus Classic in March.”
Taking second in the Honorable Mention Futurity was Tristan Bagby and Xtra Voodoo Me with a 211. Xtra Voodoo Me, by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Shiners Voodoo Dr out of Call Me Miss Hickory, has won more than $10,000 in competition. The stallion, owned by Ky Lake Trailer Sales Inc., was nominated by Silver Spurs Equine.
Complete results from the NRHA Futurity can be found at NRHAFuturity.com.
The field has been narrowed, and the scene is set for the 2021 National Reining Horse Association Futurity Open finals, to be held Saturday, Dec. 4. More than 396 entries have been whittled down to the cream of the crop, and it’s almost time to see who will come out on top.
The Open first go took place Nov. 25-27, and the top horses from each level advanced to the semi-finals. Levels 3, 2 and 1 went through the pen on Tuesday, Nov. 30, and on Wednesday, the L4 Open semi-finals, presented by Not Ruf At All, featured the top 75 horses, plus ties. From there, the top 30 competitors (plus ties) with the highest composite scores in L4-1, plus the top 10 in the Prime Time, advanced to the clean-slate Finals.
This year, the Level 4 Open exhibitors will be competing for a record-breaking $350,000 during the MS Diamonds TX L4 Open Futurity Finals — the largest limited-age event championship check in the Western performance horse industry. The Reserve Champion will still win a guaranteed $150,000, and third place will bank $100,000. Those places make up a large chunk of the NRHA Futurity’s $2,000,000 purse, made available thanks in large part to NRHA Futurity Challenge sponsors and the NRHA nomination program.
Topping the L4 semi-finals and securing their spot in the finals with a composite 445.5 were NRHA Six Million Dollar Rider Shawn Flarida and Shiner On My Eye. The duo marked a 223.5 in the first round and a 222 in the semi-finals. Shiner On My Eye, by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Shiners Voodoo Dr and out of Flashy Lil Step, is owned by NRHA Million Dollar Owner Robert Santagata. The colt was bred and nominated by Empire Ranch. Flarida and Shiner On My Eye also top the Prime Time Open.
Flarida, a five-time NRHA Futurity Champion, also took second in the L4 semi-finals on Alpha Jac Sparrow (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Chexanicki) with a 445. Alpha Jac Sparrow, owned by Fritz Leeman, was bred and nominated by Alpha Quarter Horses LLC.
In the L3 Open, Matt McDowell rode Xtra Whiz On Ice, owned by Elisha Irwin, to the highest composite, a 442. Xtra Whiz On Ice, by SG Frozen Enterprise and out of Lil Ruf Whiz Qhiz, scored a 221 in the first go and a 221 in the semi-finals. Silver Spurs Equine bred and nominated Xtra Whiz On Ice.
Jesse Beckley held the top spot in the L2 Open on Trashinyurdreams, owned by Norma Siebert. Trashinyurdreams, who was nominated by Rhodes River Ranch, was sired by NRHA Five Million Dollar Sire Gunnatrashya and is out of This Chicsdundreamin. The pair scored a 220 in the first go, which combined with their 220 in the semi-finals for a composite 440.
Shining Like Flinn, owned by Pastorino Hay & Ranch Supply and nominated by Mary Jansma, carried Wade McDonald to the No. 1 placing in the L1 with a 432.5 after marking a 216.5 in the first go and a 216 in the semi-finals. Shining Like Flinn is by In Like Flinn and out of Lil Shining Suzana.
The bubble needed to earn a berth in the L4 Open Finals was a 437.5. In the L3, it took a 433.5 to advance. L2 riders had to mark at least a 425.5, while in the L1, it took a 415 or more. To make the Top 10 in the Prime Time Open, riders needed to earn at least a 435.
Although the preliminary round of the National Reining Horse Association CINCH Non Pro Futurity concluded Monday evening, riders who barely missed qualifying for the finals still had a chance to advance.
That’s because the CINCH Non Pro Futurity Consolation round gives entries that last chance needed to secure a spot in the Finals. In the consolation, the top five from each of the four Levels move on to Friday’s competition.
Ruben Pacheco Cuevas and Shiners Catrey topped the CINCH Level 4 and Level 3 Non Pro Consolation with a 216.5. Shiners Catrey is by Shiners Voodoo Dr and out of Ellie Rey Cat.
Finishing with the high score in the Level 2 Non Pro was Megan Jo Gunther and GT Dun Good (Gunners Tinseltown x Rio Dun Good) with a 212.5.
Marking the high score of the Level 1 was Calla Thomas and her horse Lilymay Cash (Lil Joe Cash x Great Red Juice) with a 210.5.
Bubble scores to advance to the CINCH Non Pro Futurity Finals on Friday, Dec. 3 from the Consolation were a 213 for the Level 4, 209.5 for the Level 3, 207 for the Level 2, and 208 for the Level 1.
Draw positions for the finals will be decided during the Platinum Performance Draw Party on Thursday at 9 a.m. in the Platinum Zone.
Section two of the Non Pro, Intermediate Non Pro and Prime Time Non Pro ancillary classes wrapped up Wednesday morning, and the leaders from the previous night held for the win. Sarah Armenta and Morris Kulmer each added more titles to an already successful showing.
Armenta, who topped the Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro on Hangin On The Line (Shine On Line x Spooks Hangten), won the Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro titles with her score of 222. She collected $1,864 from the Non Pro and another $1,270 from the Intermediate Non Pro with her Mary Jansma-bred mare.
After winning the NAAC Prime Time Non Pro title with NVR What A Lucky Joe (Lil Joe Cash x What A Lucky Hit), who was bred by Gary Vickrey, Kulmer’s score of 218.5 also took the Prime Time Non Pro title. He banked a check worth $232.
Section one of the Adequan® NAAC Toyon Ranch Rookie of the Year, which includes the prelims for the Toyon Ranch Rookie of the Year Showdown; Adequan® NAAC Rookie L2, including the prelims for the Bob’s Custom Saddles Showdown; Adequan® NAAC Rookie Prime Time; and the ancillary Rookie Level 1, Rookie Level 2 and Prime Time Rookie will take place Thursday, Dec. 2 starting at 7 a.m.
Complete results can be found at NRHAFuturity.com.
The sixth day of the National Reining Horse Association Futurity wrapped up on Tuesday, Nov. 30, with the first section of the Open Semi-Finals for Levels 3, 2 and 1. The finalists for all levels of the Open will be determined during Wednesday’s Level 4 Open Semi-Finals sponsored by Not Ruf At All. The top 30 composite scores from the go-round and semi-finals, including ties, will advance to the clean-slate finals on Saturday, Dec. 4.
There, the Open Champion, who will be decided during the MS Diamonds TX L4 Open Finals, will be awarded a check for $350,000 – the largest in the Association’s history.
Holding the No. 1 spot in the L3 Open are Flinn Got Sandy and Peter DeFreitas, who had a 435 composite after marking a 216.5 in the first go and a 218.5 in the second. Flinn Got Sandy (In Like Flinn x Ritas Sandy Jo) is owned by Molly Morgenstern and was nominated by Double Run Farm.
Leading the L2 Open are Lil Voodoo, who is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Shiners Voodoo Dr and out of Little Gun, and Tanner Boyes. The duo scored a 214.5 in the first go and a 219 in the second for a 433.5 composite. Lil Voodoo was nominated by Equine Plus and is owned by White River Ag Products.
The high score in the L1 so far belongs to Shining Like Flinn and Wade McDonald. The horse (In Like Flinn x Lil Shining Suzana), who is owned by Pastorino Hay and Ranch Supply and was nominated by Mary Jansma, marked a 216.5 in go one and a 216 in go two for a 432.5 composite.
The high score of today’s Prime Time Open was a 217 (with handicap), which was posted by Patrice St-Onge riding Mabnum Shining Gun (Colonel Shining Gun x Miss Magnum Pine). The pair also leads the composite with a 436.5 after scoring a 213.5 in the first go. The gelding is owned by St-Onge Reining Horses and was nominated by Marc Andre Bourbeau.
The L4 Open qualifiers will compete on Wednesday, Dec. 2, during the Semi-Finals, sponsored by Not Ruf At All. The top 30, plus ties, will earn a place in the MS Diamonds TX L4 Open Futurity Finals, to be held Dec. 4. There the L4 Open Champion will win $350,000 – the largest Championship payout in NRHA history.
