Shawn Flarida & Wimps Quixote Cody (Shannon Brinkman)
This was the third consecutive year that Flarida, of Springfield, Ohio, has won the Kentucky Reining Cup, which began in 2011.
Flarida’s high score propelled the Ariat Boots team to first place (657.5) among the six teams. His teammates were Sam Smith, on Mister Dual Train, and Jose Vazquez, on Moonshine Juice. This was the first time Flarida has been a member of the winning team at the Kentucky Reining Cup.
The Apex Ranch team (Tim McQuay, Mandy McCutcheon and Sean McBurney, 652.0) finished second; the Cosequin team (Tom McCutcheon, Dell Hendricks and Mandy McCutcheon, 650.5) finished third.
Half of the $100,000 purse went to the top-placed individual riders, and half went to the top-placed teams.
“I thought tonight I showed him really, really well. He’s so quiet that you can really push him on the fast circles,” said Flarida, 43, reining’s first-ever $4-million rider.
Flarida noted that many of his competitors, including Fappani and McCutcheon and their mounts, had participated in an important show in Texas last week. But Flarida stayed home in Springfield, Ohio, to prepare for the Kentucky Reining Cup. “So he came here rested, and that may have been a bit of an advantage tonight,” said Flarida.
Teammate Tom McCutcheon said that he was showing Pretty Peppy Chec for the first time. In fact, McCutcheon hadn’t ridden him before he arrived in Lexington. “But he’s been a good show horse all his life, and he went through there pretty good tonight,” said McCutcheon.
Show manager Brad Ettleman, noting that the starters in the Kentucky Reining Cup had increased from 18 to 24 horses this year, calling it “a benchmark for the sport of reining. We do get the top riders in our industry to come, and I’m sure the prize money helps.”
The Kentucky Reining Cup, which is running alongside the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, features an international Three-Star Reining competition and the incredibly popular World Freestyle Championship. Action begins on Friday night, April 26 with the CRI3* with riders guiding their horses through prescribed turns, sliding stops and flying lead changes.
On Saturday evening, April 27, riders seek the title of World Freestyle Champion as they entertain spectators with choreographed musical performances that have electrified the Alltech Arena crowds during the Championships’ first two years.
USEFNetwork.com presented by SmartPak will present live coverage of the Kentucky Reining Cup. The broadcast schedule is available under the Live Broadcast Schedule tab at USEFNetwork.com. Times are subject to change.
For the third consecutive year, the American Quarter Horse is the “Official Breed of the Kentucky Reining Cup.” The competition is also sponsored in part by Paul Miller Ford
The Kentucky Reining Cup is produced by Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), a non-profit charitable Kentucky corporation that was established initially to produce the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park. Following the success of those championships, EEI established an annual event which quickly evolved into what is today the only Four Star three-day event in the western hemisphere, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. EEI started producing the Kentucky Reining Cup in 2011.
Full results and further information on the 2013 Kentucky Reining Cup is available on line at www.KentuckyReining.com.