Category: Futurity

Competition for the National Reining Horse Association CINCH Non Pro Futurity began Sunday, November 28, with the first section of the first go. At the end of the first section, Jennifer Gilliam, of Pine Grove, California, sits atop the leaderboard.

Gilliam is riding Surprizing Sixty Six, a 3-year-old mare by Inferno Sixty Six out of Dun With Surprizes, bred and nominated to the NRHA by Valentin Rascon. The pair marked a 219.5, which tops Levels 4 and 3. Gilliam and Surprizing Sixty Six, owned by Janiene Borror, won the Level 4 and Level 3 Championship earlier this year at the High Roller Reining Classic.

NRHA’s newest Million Dollar Owner Andre De Bellefeuille of Equine Plus leads the Non Pro Level 2 and Prime Time with a 216.5. De Bellefeuille, of Canada, rode Its All Gun, by Its All About Smart out of De Bellefeuille’s producing mare Snow Gun. Snow Gun is the dam of De Bellefeuille’s stallion, Electric Snow, earner of more than $100,000.

Earlier this year at the North American Reining Stakes, Mathieu Buton piloted Its All Gun to the Level 3 Championship at the North American Reining Stakes.

Stephen Everett and It Dunn Happend Here lead the Level 1 with a 213.5. It Dun Happend Here is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Pale Face Dunnit and out of It Will Happen Here.

Leading the Youth and sitting well in Levels 4-2 is Carlee McCutcheon and A Nite N Hollywood. The pair marked a 216. A Nite N Hollywood, owned by McCutcheon’s parents Tom and Mandy McCutcheon, is by NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Gunners Special Nite out of Hollywood Starburst.

Competition continues Monday with the second section of the Non Pro Futurity preliminaries. The top 25 in Levels 4-1, top 20 in the Prime Time, and the top 15 from the youth advance to the clean-slate finals on Friday, December 3.

Non Pro entries to the finals have one more shot through the CINCH Non Pro Futurity Consolation, which is held Wednesday in the Adequan® Arena. There, the top five in each level will move on to the Non Pro Finals.

For complete results, visit NRHAFuturity.com.

Competition in the Adequan® Arena of the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City continued Saturday with the Rookie Professional and Limited Open classes of the Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships.

Nikki Tyndall Wins NRHA Adequan® NAAC Rookie Professional on Stars At Midnite

Nikki Tyndall and Stars At Midnight won the NRHA Adequan® NAAC Rookie Professional for the second year in a row. The pair also took co-championship honors in the ancillary class, bringing their total earnings to more than $716. Thanks to generous sponsors, Tyndall took home a variety of great prizes, including a saddle from Bob’s Custom Saddles, a Montana Silversmiths buckle, product from Dr. Joe Carter, Platinum Performance and Classic Equine, and a gift certificate for Bluebonnet Feed.

Tyndall and Stars At Midnight also placed in the NAAC and Ancillary Limited Open which ran concurrently, worth an additional $475.

“She was really good. I mean, I think she just threw it on the table today. I probably ran the best circles I’ve ever run on her. She was just phenomenal on that, then she stopped big and turned clean both ways, and was just really good,” Tyndall recounted the 218-point run.

Stars At Midnite, owned by Edward Frawley, is an 8-year-old mare by NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Gunners Special Nite out of Chic Olena Starbuck. “She came back from sickness this spring, but she came back 100 percent and is feeling great,” Tyndall explained. “She is just so kind. If a little kid would picture their ideal horse, that’s what she is. She’s always friendly with her ears forward and is just a joy to be around. She’s also super safe. You can throw anyone on her.”

For Tyndall, winning an NAAC is about more than just adding a line to a resume. “We get up every day and work for this, but training horses and working with people can be hard, and some days you just feel like you failed,” she admitted. “Then you keep going back the next day and going back again. To have this as a payoff for all the days where you thought maybe you should give up but you didn’t. It just really means a lot.”

Tyndall added her thanks to several influential people. “I thank my boss Dave Moore, our whole team, and of course Ed Frawley,” she said.

Finishing second in the NAAC Rookie Pro was Lea Inhaber-Courchesne on Magnum Moonstone with a 217. Magnum Moonstone, owned by Louis Zamboli, is by NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream and out of Shining Moonstone.

Jesse Gentile Wins NAAC Limited Open Championship on Taking A Mistress

Winning an Adequan® NAAC Championship is always an accomplishment, but to do it on a horse you’ve picked out and trained his whole career makes the achievement even more special.

That was the case on Saturday evening, when Valley City, Ohio’s, Jesse Gentile won the NAAC Limited Open Championship on Taking A Mistress with a score of 221. The duo won $592, as well as prizes including a saddle from Kyle Tack, a Montana Silversmiths buckle, product from Dr. Joe Carter, Platinum Performance and Classic Equine, and a gift certificate for Bluebonnet Feed.

The pair’s score also held for the win of the ancillary Limited Open, worth an additional $556 for owner Bevin Zimmerman.

“It means a lot. This is one we found as a yearling and trained up the whole way. I didn’t really get him shown well as a 3-year-old, but he’s really come along this year and had a good year,” Gentile explained.

Gentile and Taking A Mistress, by Taking A Rest out of Gangster Mistress, showed in Thursday’s Intermediate Open. “He was pretty good then, but maybe a bit tired, so for this class, I just didn’t prepare him much at all. I just got on, jogged around, then went in, and he was pretty good,” he said. “He’s kind of lazy, and he likes to sleep a lot, so I make sure to not ride him too much and give him plenty of rest time.”

Gentile and Taking A Mistress will show one more time in the Adequan® Arena when they compete for another title in the Novice Horse Open classes on Sunday.

Gentile qualified another of his entries for Friday’s Bob’s Custom Saddles Intermediate Open Showdown, and he noted that the inaugural bonus rounds were definitely a factor when deciding to travel to Oklahoma City. “Especially with both of the horses I have, I’d say it was a factor. I am lucky enough to still be eligible for the Intermediate Open, so I wanted to try to go for it because that’s a lot of money added and a definite incentive to come and go for it,” he said.

“First and foremost, I thank Bevin Zimmerman and her husband Ray. They’ve been great customers for a few years now. I also thank my wife, Stephanie. She does all the behind-the-scenes stuff and helps get the horses ready and me ready so I definitely thank her, too,” he said.

Taking the NAAC Limited Open Reserve Championship was Cody Garrison and Reiningwiththestars, owned by Emily Morris. The pair marked a 218.5, which not only won the NAAC Reserve title but also tied for second in the ancillary division, worth $682. Reiningwiththestars is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Whiz out of Wimpys Memorabilia.

Naike Bell and Smart Chicago Spook, also by Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of Smart Chicago Lena, tied for second in the ancillary Limited Open with a 218.5, winning $296. Smart Chicago Spook is owned by Thomas Tucker.

Morgan Moser Wins Ancillary Rookie Professional Co-Championship on Magnums Chexy Dream

With a score of 218, Morgan Moser and Magnums Chexy Dream tied for the win of the ancillary Rookie Professional, which was held Saturday in the Adequan® Arena. The pair also tied for fourth in the Limited Open, bringing the day’s take to $475.

“My mare was really easy. She warmed up like she normally does, and let me cruise her through like she typically does,” Moser said. “We have had her at Sam Smith’s for a year now. We got her through Casey Hinton last year at the Futurity.”

Magnums Chexy Dream is by NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream out of Big Gold Chex. The 4-year-old mare is owned by Michelle Schuck.

Moser, of North Carolina, added, “I thank my parents, of course, as well as Sam and Kelle Smith for helping me.”

The field of entries vying for a $350,000 first place paycheck has been narrowed substantially, as the first round of the National Reining Horse Association Open Futurity wrapped up Saturday, November 27. The field of nearly 400 entries was whittled down to the top 75 in each level, which now advance to either the Level 1-3 Semi-Finals on Monday, November 30, or the Level 4 Open Semi-Finals sponsored by Not Ruf At All on December 1.

Building on a record-breaking year in 2020, the NRHA Futurity has continued to grow. Total entries for the Open levels are up by 117, or more than 12 percent. The total Open purse, now above $1.8 million, is an increase over 2020 by more than 20 percent.

Former NRHA Open Futurity Champion and NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider Casey Deary piloted Ten Thirty to a 225, the high score of the round. By NRHA Five Million Dollar Sire Gunnatrashya out of Dainty Little Step, Ten Thirty is owned by Rancho El Fortin.

The talented colt wowed spectators will his relaxed but spectacular demeanor during his run. Bred by Reining Horse Foundation Board Member Brooke Wharton, Ten Thirty (then named Gunna Go Rogue) is an NRHA Markel Futurity Sale Graduate, having been through the sale ring in 2019 as part of the Select Yearling Sale.

More potential superstars like Ten Thirty can be found in the 2021 NRHA Markel Futurity Sales on December 2. Find out more information at Auctions.NRHA.com.

Dan Huss and This Joe Got A Gun, who competed on the first day of competition, held on to the top spot of the Level 3 and Open Prime Time. This Joe Got A Gun, owned by Jamie Walters, is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Lil Joe Cash out of This Girls Got A Gun.

Tying for the lead of the Level 2 Open with scores of 220 are Jesse Beckley on Trashinyurdreams and Joao Felipe Lacerda with Plain Genes. Trashinyurdreams, owned by Norma Siebert, is by Gunnatrashya out of This Chicsdundreamin. Plain Genes, owned by Andre Tripoloni, is by SG Frozen Enterprise out of Taris Designer Genes.

Linde Von Koeding and Dollys Inferno finished with the high score of the Level 1 with a 217.5, earning a spot in the semi-finals for all four levels of the Open. Dollys Inferno, by Inferno Sixty Six out of Wimpys Lil Doll, is owned by Patricia Ruemmler.

It took a 217.5 to advance to the Level 4 Semi-Finals sponsored by Not Ruf At All, while a 214 was the magic number in the Level 3. Riders marking a 210 or higher earned a spot for Level 2, and Level 1 riders with a 200.5 also moved on.

Find complete results, news, and more at NRHAFuturity.com.

The National Reining Horse Association Open Futurity preliminary rounds continued Friday, Nov. 26, with the second section of the first go. More than 140 horses walked through the gate of the Jim Norick Coliseum at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City.

NRHA Professional and Six Million Rider Andrea Fappani currently leads the Level 4 Open preliminary round with Winding Inferno. The duo marked a 224.5 late Friday evening to take a half-point lead over Two Million Rider Brian Bell and Cool Couture (Lil Joe Cash x Couture Tag).

Fappani and Winding Inferno, owned by Teton Ridge and nominated by Giorgia Codeluppi, are coming off a recent Level 4 Open Championship at the High Roller Reining Classic. The stallion, by Inferno Sixty Six, is out of Wind Her Up Chic, who currently holds the 16^th spot on the NRHA Lifetime Producers list and is the leading NRHA Producer for 2021.

While embryos to Wind Her Up Chic are not offered to the public, owners and NRHA Corporate Partners Tim Anderson and Kim Niven have donated an embryo to the Live Auction that will be held at Sliders’ Night Out presented by Toyon Ranch. Interested buyers unable to attend Sliders’ Night Out can still bid at Auctions.NRHA.com.

Dan Huss and This Joe Got A Gun are part of the four-way tie for second in the Level 4 and top the Level 3 and Open Prime Time. This Joe Got A Gun, owned by Jamie Walters, is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Lil Joe Cash out of This Girls Got A Gun.

Currently tied for the lead of the Level 2 Open with scores of 220 are Jesse Beckley on Trashinyurdreams and Joao Felipe Lacerda with Plain Genes. Trashinyurdreams, owned by Norma Siebert, is by Gunnatrashya out of This Chicsdundreamin. Plain Genes, owned by Andre Tripoloni, is by SG Frozen Enterprise out of Taris Designer Genes.

Continuing to hold the lead of the Level 1 Open with a 216.5 is Colin Fitzpatrick on Flamethrow, owned by Brian Bell and Chuck Swain. Flamethrow is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Lil Joe Cash out of Freckled Whiz. 
The first go of the Open Futurity continues Saturday, Nov. 27. Following Saturday’s competition, the top 75 (plus ties) in Levels 1 – 4 will advance to the semi-final round, hoping to earn a spot in the clean-slate finals on Saturday, Dec. 5.

On Friday, Nov. 26, the Limited Non Pro competition of the National Reining Horse Association Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships took place in the Adequan® Arena at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In addition to the aged event taking place in the Jim Norick Coliseum, the NRHA Futurity features exhibitors from across North America who qualify to compete for prestigious titles in Oklahoma City.

In addition to incredible prizes from NRHA Corporate Partners, the champion of each of the 17 NAAC classes are presented an Adequan® Championship vest the following day in the Jim Norick Coliseum as a show of support for these successful affiliate riders.

Glen Roach, of Spanish Fork, Utah, topped the Adequan® NAAC Limited Non Pro riding Freckles Nu Lil Gun to a 218 for earnings of $727. Roach also won the ancillary Limited Non Pro class that was run concurrently for another $222. The pair also won prizes including a saddle from AM Superior, a Montana Silversmiths buckle, product from Dr. Joe Carter, Platinum Performance and Classic Equine, and a gift certificate for Bluebonnet Feed.

“This mare had a really good run and then buried it on all three stops at the end. It was a fun ride,” he recalled.

The pair competed as draw 13 of the 111-horse class. “I was ok until they got to draw 70 or 80 and I realized I was holding the lead. That made me a little nervous so I spent the last hour pacing and waiting to see who would pass me, but that didn’t happen,” he said. “So, it’s great!”

Freckles Nu Lil Gun, owned by Kathleen Roach, is by Lil Gun out of Nu Bar Freckles. The 13-year-old mare has had an extensive show career, over which she has earned more than $63,000.

“We bought her a few years ago and my wife has shown her and I’ve shown her. We’ve bred her and so we have some babies from recip mares, and we’re very excited about that,” Roach said. “She’s just so easy going and tries her heart out to do whatever you ask her to do. She’s not afraid of anything, and doesn’t get excited, so that’s probably the best part about her.”

Roach added that he and Kathleen spend a lot of time riding outside the arena, including trail riding through the mountains. “We do all sorts of things to keep them fresh so they’re not in the arena all the time,” he explained.

The week’s not over; Roach and Freckles Nu Gun will show next week in the NAAC Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro. “We’ve just been meeting a lot of people and hanging out,” Roach said. “I thank my wife. This is her horse and she’s awesome to share her with me. She always takes the horse that’s less broke and let me ride the broke one.”

Taking second in both the NAAC and Ancillary Limited Non Pro were Tiffany Peterson and Neverthoughtiwould. The pair’s score of 216.5 resulted in checks totaling $578. Neverthoughtiwould, a 6-year-old gelding, is by NRHA Two Million Sire Pale Face Dunnit out of Shine Tini.