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.
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 first week of the 2020 National Reining Breeders Classic culminated with the SmartPak Non Pro Futurity on Saturday. Longtime NRBC and Tulsa Reining Classic sponsor, SmartPak opted for the sponsorship of the $27,000 added SmartPak Non Pro Futurity in this transition year. It's a perfect fit for SmartPak at a time when the highly popular "Texas Hold-em" night could not be held due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The pinnacle of futurity competition at the National Reining Breeders Classic was held Friday, August 28, with the incredible $61,000 added Hollywoodstinseltown Open Futurity. The 114-entry futurity featured top riders from all over, and when the last horse had left the arena, there was tie for the win. Abby Lengel and Andrea Fappani had both marked a 224. While they could have elected to run-off for the title, they decided to stay co-champions.
Fappani and Lengel weren't the only co-champions crowned, as Arno Honstetter and Kole Price tied for the Open Level 3 win, and Diego Gaona and Julie Roshelli posted identical scores to top the Open Level 1.
The Reining Horse Foundation Board of Directors has elected Andrea Stillo of Pilot Point, Texas, to serve on the Board of Directors. Under RHF Bylaws, the recommendation was reviewed and approved by the NRHA Board of Directors at the August meeting.
The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Board of Directors met via video conference to conduct association business. The agenda included 2021 rule change proposals, review of the proposed 2021 fees policy and a financial report among other items of business.
Founders, Alex Ramos and Thiago Boechat each have over 25 years’ experience in many areas of the horse industry, including breeding, training, marketing, and the import and export of reining, race and barrel horses. Plus Online Sales brings the convenience and innovation of online auctions to the horse and cattle industry.
As reining events around the world start to organize again, the Italian Reining Horse Association (IRHA) is looking forward to the 2020 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Futurity in Cremona, Italy, November 20–28.
A Vintage Smoke blew into the Jim Norick Coliseum during the Level 4 Open Finals of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby presented by Markel. At the reins was his trainer, Jason Vanlandingham. The newly crowned NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider and the flashy black stallion had already made their mark on the reining industry by winning two of the three largest reining events: the 2018 NRHA Futurity and the 2019 National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC). The only accolade missing from A Vintage Smoke’s resume? An NRHA Derby presented by Markel Championship.
Following the initial deadline for entries, the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby Presented by Markel reports entries are on track for a strong event. The preliminary numbers for 2020 are already at 96% of the 2019 Derby. This count does not include any late entries, which must be received in office by 10:00 am, CDT, on June 3, for the draw to be posted on June 5.
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