Oklahoma City, OK – The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship (NAAC) Show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma continued today with two Adequan® NAAC championship classes, the second go-round, second section of the $540,000-added NRHA Open Futurity and the first go-round, third section of the $260,000-added Cinch / NRHA Non Pro Futurity.
Michael Boyle marked Tuesday’s highest score, a 222.5, aboard Darling 888 Ranch’s Easy Lil Lady (Easy Otie Whiz x Docs Lil Bullet). The NRHA Professional from Princeton, K.Y., now leads the composite standings in the $280,000-added level 4 open division with a 444.5.
Moving to second place in the level 4 open division and leading the $145,000-added level 3 open division is Todd Crawford and Cashn Rooster (Gallo Del Cielo x Booming Cash). The pair earned identical scores of 221.5 for a composite score of 443 for Archie Mangus of Norman, Okla.
Eduardo Salgado rode Gunner Boy (Gunner x Kat Jordan) recaptured the lead in the $75,000-added level 2 open and $35,000-added level 1 open divisions. Salgado rode Jefferson Abbud’s (Sao Paulo, Brazil) Brazilian Quarter Horse stallion to another 220.5 in the second go-round for a composite score of 441.
The top open horse and rider combinations, based on composite scores from the first and second go-round, will advance to the NRHA Open Futurity Finals on Saturday, December 3 where the winner of the level 4 open division will earn $150,000 as well as incredible prizes from NRHA Corporate Partners and award sponsors.
St-Onge and Spooks N Sparks Hold Non Pro Lead
The final section of the go-round in the $260,00-added NRHA / Cinch Non Pro Futurity was held on Tuesday. Veronica St-Onge (Gainesville, Tex.) and Spooks N Sparks (Smart Spook x Whizicle, owner St-Onge Reining Horses, Inc.) ended the second section leading the $100,000-added level 4 non pro and $70,000-added level 3 non pro divisions. Although many seasoned competitors challenged their score of 221 in the third section, they maintained the lead in the end.
With less than 10 horses remaining in the final section, Abby Lengel piloted her Einsteinshersheykiss (Einsteins Revolution x Smart Clark Bar) to a score of 216 and moved into the lead for the $55,000-added level 2 non pro and $30,000-added level 1 non pro divisions.
Javier Melo of Pinecrest, Fla. ended the round with a score of 214 to claim the win in the youth non pro division. Melo scored a 214 on his Wimpy Little Girl (Wimpys Little Step x Dee Cee).
Murnan and O Rourke Crowned Champions
Competition in the Adequan Championship Arena was tough in the Adequan NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro Level 1 with more than 70 entries in the class. Debi Murnan rode her Chromer Simpson (Custom Crome x Chics Nifty Pine) to the win after a run-off with Daphne Ross and her Sv Can Can Olena (Smart Chic Olena x Can Can Lena). Murnan represented the North West region while Ross represented the North East region.
Kaci O Rourke showed her Smart Lookin Juice (Smart Like Juice x Peppys Dandy Doll) to the win in the Adequan NAAC Novice Horse Non Pro Level 2. The team landed the championship for the North East region.
Watch the live webcast, keep tabs on the leaders and find out about the latest news and upcoming events at nrhafuturity.com, facebook.com/nrhareining or twitter.com/nrha.
More About the NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Show
It’s the most elite reining event in the world with more than 3,000 entries competing for nearly $2 million in cash and prizes. More than 1,300 horses and 127,000 visitors come from nearly 20 countries to compete and watch the excitement unfold. During its 10-day run, the show contributes more than $67 million to the overall Oklahoma City economy.
The show features the Open Futurity Finals on Saturday, December 3 when the winning entry is guaranteed a check for $150,000, as well as incredible prizes from NRHA Corporate Partners and award sponsors. The NRHA / Cinch Non Pro Futurity offers an additional $260,000 in added money for non pro reiners, which will be awarded on Friday, December 2. Nearly $100,000 in nominator incentive money also will be distributed to those individuals who originally nominated horses to the NRHA Nomination Program, despite whether or not they still own the horse.
The NRHA Futurity & Adequan North American Affiliate Championship Show offers a variety of spectator events and activities including a western gift market, NRHA / Markel Insurance Horse sales, NRHA Open World Championship Shootout presented by Equine Sports Medicine, Silver Spurs Equine Rookie of the Year and 4R Performance Horses Hometown Heroes Slide & Freestyle Reining benefitting the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Go to nrhafuturity.com for more information or to purchase tickets.
NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Show Supporters
The NRHA would like to thank the following corporate partners for their support of the NRHA Futurity & Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship Show: Adequan, Arenus, Bob’s Custom Saddles; Cinder Lakes Ranch and Reproduction Center; Classic Equine; Darling 888 Ranch; Horse&Rider; John Deere; Kiser Arena Specialists; Markel Insurance Company; Merial; Montana Silversmiths; Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau; Pard’s Western Shop; Platinum Performance; Purina Mills; Quarter Horse News; Rios of Mercedes / Anderson Bean Boot Company; Miller International – Cinch / Cruel Girl; Silver Spurs Equine; SmartPak, Twister Trailer and Xtra Quarter Horses, plus NRHA Futurity & Adequan North American Affiliate Championship Show Sponsors: 4R Performance Horses, Avila’s Pro Shop, Cowdog Saddles, Equine Sports Medicine, eyeD™, Heat-A-Zone, KO Trading, Kyle Tack, Performance Horse Supply, RAM, Sandbur Productions LLC, Scott Cleaners, Shorty’s Caboy Hattery and Soft Ride.
For more information on the NRHA, or the sport of Reining, please visit nrha.com or call (405) 946-7400.