With a record payout exceeding $2.8 million, the National Reining Horse Association Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championships made history. Thanks to that historic payout, it also unofficially pushed multiple horses and individuals into new tiers of earnings, including sires Smart Spook and Shiners Voodoo Dr.
Gennaro Lendi recorded his first earnings in the National Reining Horse Association in May 2004, when he won the Non Pro class at the Italian Reining Horse Association Derby on OT Taris High. Less than two decades later, Lendi joined the elite list of riders who have won more than one million dollars in competition.
Recent wins at the 2020 European Futurity, the Austrian Futurity, the German Breeders Futurity, the IRHA Maturity, and ARTA Futurity propelled him past that milestone.
“As I got closer to the million, it became all the more stressful as I wanted to surpass that mark as fast as I could. I put pressure on myself – especially after the pandemic stopped our shows – and it affected my performance in the show pen,” Lendi admitted.
In front of a full house on Saturday night in Cremona, Italy, the 37th edition of the $426,264 IRHA/IRHBA/NRHA Futurity closed with the $289,181-added Open Futurity Finals.
First to go in Section 2 of the Open $196,686-added Level (L) 4 Open Finals, Mirko Midili set the bar by posting a 221.5 on Frozen Natrashya, a stallion owned and bred by Angelucci Quarter Horses by NRHA Five Million Dollar Sire Gunnatrashya out of Frozen Tari. Eighteen horses later, Midili burst into the oval arena of CremonaFiere with Spark Made Whiz, a stallion by Spark N Whiz out of Mare Made owned by Luga Quarter Horses and bred by Silvano Ronzullo. With an explosive ride, the Italian Professional bested his own score by performing to a 223 which remained the top score with four horse and riders left to go.
The $136,083-added Italian Reining Horse Association (IRHA)/IRHBA (International Reining Horse Breeder Association) /NRHA (National Reining Horse Association) Non Pro Futurity Finals closed an exciting day of competition in Cremona, Italy.
Taking the $72,295-added Level (L) 4 and $37,210-added 3 Non Pro Futurity Championships was young Andreu Nogue Puig of Spain riding to a 220 score his hard-stopping mare Simple The Best 66 (Inferno Sixty Six x ARC Yellow N Lime) bred by Ambrosini Quarter Horses of Italy.
The 3-year-old 2021 IRHA/IRHBA/NRHA Futurity filled the day at Cremona Fiere, Cremona, Italy, with the second go round of the $289,181-added Open Futurity. Held in a two go round format and seeded finals,122 horse-rider combinations across the four levels (L4, 56 entries; L3, 47 entries; L2, 69 entries; L1, 46 entries) took the reins performing for a spot in the finals.
The National Reining Horse Association’s newest Million Dollar Sire Not Ruf At All’s career started with a bang when he won the 2013 NRHA Futurity. The following year “Ruf” claimed the NRHA Derby Championship. Just two years later, he added the National Reining Breeders Classic Open title to become only the second horse to win the three major events.
By NRHA $2 Million Sire A Sparkling Vintage and out of All Ruffed Up, the sorrel stallion is owned by NRHA Hall of Famer Vaughn Zimmerman. Always ridden by NRHA $2 Million Rider Jason Vanlandingham, he would become one of NRHA’s highest money-earning stallions, with $456,437 in lifetime earnings.
Following the closing of the 2021 NRHA European Futurity, the second day of the 3-year-old IRHA/IRHBA/NRHA Futurity welcomed the first go round of the $289,181-added Open Futurity. Held in a two go round format and seeded finals, the first go counted 122 horse-rider combinations across the four levels.
The $340,214-added 2021 NRHA European Futurity concluded in Cremona, Italy, with the Non Pro Futurity Finals on Sunday. With 27 finalists looking for the perfect score and the Championship titles across the four levels, two riders wrote their names on top of the final rankings: Stephanie Blessing and Vittorio De Iulio.
After an exciting Saturday evening featuring the NRHA European Open Futurity Finals, the action in Cremona shifted gears to focus on the 3-year-old rising reining stars. The $136,083-added Italian Reining Horse Association (IRHA)/IRHBA (International Reining Horse Breeder Association) /NRHA (National Reining Horse Association) Non Pro Futurity qualifier saw two young Italian riders take the lead in the competition.
With the final numbers added up, the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Futurity held in Cremona, Italy, managed by the Italian Reining Horse Association (IRHA) offered an impressive $340,214 purse.
The Open Finals on Saturday night kept the public glued to their seats until the very last horse. Once the last combination to go, qualifier leaders NRHA Million Dollar Rider Cira Baeck and Americasnextcovrgirl, closed their run with a 222.5, the $109,354-added Level (L)4 Open title was confirmed for Mirko Midili riding GD Peptos Olena Blue, an American Quarter Horse stallion by past NRHA Non Pro Champion Spat A Blue out of Miss Peptos Jacky— owned and nominated by Domenico Giannitti—who had posted a 223 earlier in the draw.
The second day of the $340,214*-added 2021 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Futurity presented by NRHA Corporate Partner Markel Insurance and sponsored by NRHA Corporate Partner Cardinal Reining Horses saw 64 horse-rider combinations in the Non Pro Futurity Qualifier in Cremona, Italy, battling for a spot in the Non Pro Futurity Finals on Sunday, November 14.
Managed by the Italian Reining Horse Association (IRHA), the European Futurity is held concurrently with the IRHA 4-year-old Futurity and the Italian Quarter Horse Association Futurity—the latter held in one go round.
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