The Western sports world is running out of superlatives for Jose Vitor Leme’s 2020 season, which is shaping up to be one of the best in the history of Professional Bull Riders (PBR).
Leme went a perfect 5-for-5 at First Interstate Arena at Metrapark in Billings this weekend, winning his third PBR Unleash the Beast (UTB) event in a row, along with Saturday’s 15/15 Bucking Battle.
Beginning in 2021, AQHA shows will be able to offer additional age divisions in ranch riding: For horses 3 years of age and older, the class can be offered as Level 1, junior, senior or an all-age open-division class. For youth and amateur exhibitors, options include an all-age class for Level 1 youth, youth, 13-&-Under and 14-18 youth, Level 1 amateur, Level 1 Select amateur, Select amateur and amateur. The rule change is designed to enhance the showing experience by providing more opportunities for exhibitors in this ever-popular class.
Smooth As Mercedes and Matt Gaines scored 224 points to win the 4-Year-Old Derby finals of the 2020 El Rancho Futurity on Monday, September 8, in Rancho Murieta, Calif. It was the third 2020 championship win for the duo. TF Reysin Chex and Morgan Cromer claimed the reserve championship and won the Gelding division with 222.5, while WR This Playgunsmart and Monty Buntin placed third with 220.5 points.
The National Reined Cow Horse Association proud to announce that WestWorld of Scottsdale will host the 2021 NRCHA Derby presented by DT Horses LLC, home of NRCHA champion stallions Hickory Holly Time and Nineteen Ten. A multi-year agreement between the world-renowned equestrian facility and NRCHA makes Scottsdale, Arizona, home to the NRCHA Derby, which features 4- and 5-year-old reined cow horses, beginning in June 2021 through 2023.
Casey Deary's career sky-rocketed when he won the National Reining Horse Association Futurity on Americasnextgunmodel. Deary and the incredible mare accumulated nearly $300,000 in earnings, so it was a poignant moment for the Weatherford, Texas, trainer when he rode one of her colts, Americasnexttopgun, owned by Jody Puno of Puno Performance Horses, to win the National Reining Breeders Classic Open Championship on Saturday evening.
Indy Roper is still glowing from her big win just months ago in Oklahoma City when she won the National Reining Horse Association Derby Non Pro Level 4 Championship on her horse Spooks Show Time. The pair are on a role, because on Friday afternoon, they added another line to their resume with the NRBC Non Pro Level 4 title.
Ancillary Competition Heats Up at NRBC
The competition in the Affiliate Regional Championship and ancillary classes continued at the National Reining Breeders Classic, with several more winners being crowned on Friday. The crown jewel of the day was the NRBC Open Classic Challenge, which ran concurrently with the $25k Open.
Friday night's Open Classic Challenge and $25k Open featured 17 exemplary horses and riders that had the crowd at the edge of its seat from the beginning. Whoops and hollers emanated from the Ford Truck Arena, with some of the loudest being for Andrea Fappani.
Fappani made the most of it, winning the $25k Open on Modern Gun, and taking second in the Open and winning the Open Classic Challenge with Platinum Vintage.
Modern Gun, a former NRBC Open Champion who had lifetime earnings exceeding $213,000 prior to the event, earned $7,166, while Platinum Vintage, with more than $308,000 in lifetime earnings, took home $15,438.
The field is set, the players are named. The 2020 National Reining Breeders Classic Open preliminaries wrapped up Thursday evening after two tough days of competition. More than 180 horses entered the Ford Arena of the Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and that was whittled down to the best of the best who will compete in Saturday's clean-slate finals.
The National Reining Breeders Classic Open Preliminaries began Wednesday, September 2, at the Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The field of 194 will be narrowed to the top 30 in each division at the conclusion of Thursday's competition.
A quick perusal of the draw sheets quickly tells of the tough competition in the Ford Truck Arena. Holding the top spot at the end of the first day is Casey Deary on Gunnabeabrightstar with a 225. Gunnabeabrightstar, by ARC Gunnabeabigstar out of Abbie Be Tuff, is owned by Neiberger Performance Horses LLC.
The 2020 National Reining Breeders Classic, being held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the current year, is off to a great start. The Non Pro preliminary round wrapped up Tuesday evening, and the field for Friday's clean-slate finals is set. The 188 entries were whittled down over two days to the crème de la crème, and in the end, Indy Roper and Spooks Show Time lead the field with an impressive score of 222. In addition to a finals berth, the pair won a go-round check for $7,151.
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