The sixth day of the 2022 National Reining Horse Futurity wrapped up Tuesday, Nov. 29, 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. 3. There, more than $2 million will be paid out, breaking the previous record by more than $200,000!
Punching his ticket to the Finals and securing his chance to win a few big checks is NRHA Million Dollar Rider Todd Sommers. As the very last draw of the day, Sommers rode Dont Give A Flinn, by In Like Flinn out of SL Lenas Chic, to a Semi-Finals score of 219 for a 435 composite. That placed them firmly at the top of the lead of Levels 3, 2, and Open Prime Time. The stallion, owned by Stephany Monteleone, was bred and nominated by Methogest, Inc.
Topping the Open L1 Semi-Finals were Diego Gaona on Rush Gotta Whiz and Wade McDonald on Itsmistertou. Both finished the Semi-Finals with a composite score of 433.
Rush Gotta Whiz (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Rush N Cat), owned by Joseph Paukner, was nominated by Lorenzo Lotti.
Itsmistertou (PS Mega Shine Chic x Misters Temptress), owned by David White, was nominated by Adh-Mor Ranch.
All four Open Level purses are record-breakers in 2022. The L4 increased by more than $20,000, and the L3 Open rose to a new high of $385,499; the previous record was $289,541, set in 2012. The L2 Open purse, which hit its peak in 2021 at $134,868, has climbed once again to $193,924, and the L1 Open, at more than $74,000, beats the previous record from 2019 by nearly $20,000!
While that’s huge news, the guaranteed payouts for all Open Levels are impressive, including the Level 3 Open Championship check for $70,000 and the Level 2 Championship prize of $50,000.
The Open Guaranteed Payouts for Levels 1, 2, and 3 are:
- Level 3 – Champion/$70,000, Res. Champion/$50,000, 3rd/$35,000
- Level 2 – Champion/$50,000, Res. Champion/$25,000/3rd $15,000
- Level 1 – Champion/$13,000, Res. Champion/$7,000
For complete results, visit NRHAFuturity.com.