Since the very first National Reining Breeders Classic Champion was crowned in 1998, the title has included a one-year’s use of a 4-horse trailer for the Open, and a 2-horse trailer for the Non Pro provided by Twin Cities South Trailers. This year, for the 25th anniversary, slated for April 17-24 in Katy, Texas, the tradition carries on.
The sponsorship began with a lifelong friendship between owner Gary Raak and NRBC Founder and current Board Member Tim McQuay. Tim said, “Besides being a tremendous friend to me and my family, Gary’s Twin Cities has been the NRBC’s oldest and most loyal sponsor, and this is his 25th year to provide trailers for the show. He’s always been easy to deal with and really wants to see the show – and all the reiners – do well.
He continued, enthusiastically, “Now that he’s relocated Twin Cities South Trailers to Pilot Point, Texas, we get to see him more.”
Being one of the very first sponsors of the NRBC, it is the continuate dedication that means most. “One thing is for sure; Gary is still there to help us. So many reiners over the years have met him through the shows and come to be loyal customers just because he has that attitude,” Tim added.
Twin Cities South Trailers Twin Cities South Trailers has been in the business for 30+ years, serving customers throughout the United States and Canada. They take pride in providing quality service and their goal is to be your one-stop trailer solution. When you deal with Twin Cities, you are dealing with a company that provides the following:
Aluminum trailers to serve your every need
Horse, livestock, flatbed, skid-loaders, motorcycle, car haulers, utility, and custom-built trailers
Huge inventory of both New and Used trailers for easy one-stop shopping
Aggressive trade-in policy
Knowledgeable Sales and Support Staff
Full shop facility for customization and warranty work
Easy financing with approval while you wait
Trailers delivered anywhere in the 48 states
Twin Cities South Trailers is a full-service operation selling both new and used trailers and providing servicing and financing. Twin Cities South Trailers is located at 8448 Highway 377, just south of Pilot Point, TX. Contact them at (855) 585-6548 or visit the website at TwinCitiesSouthTrailers.com.
The 25th Annual National Reining Breeders Classic will take place April 17-24 at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas, and at its end, the event will have paid out over $25 Million in its history. For information on the NRBC, visit the website at www.nrbc.com or call 580-759-3939.
There’s a lot to celebrate during the National Reining Breeders Classic, slated for April 17 – 24 at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center. One of the ultimate celebrations occurs on Thursday, April 19, when attendees gather together for the excitement of the Open Draw Party.
This year, the party is sponsored by longtime NRBC supporters Matt and Karen Mills of Matt Mills Reining Horses. “We’ve been sponsors of the NRBC for coming on 20 years now. First off, just from the beginning, this show has been a game-changer, giving us a place for our derby horses to be shown for a significant amount of money. That, combined with great management, makes it not only a major event, but one that goes really smooth,” Mills said. “It’s just a great environment.”
Mills, a National Reining Horse Association Million Dollar Rider, has been one of the trainers featured on Paramount Network’s “The Last Cowboy” and was a part of The Run for a Million in 2019 and 2021. He trains and shows futurity and derby horses. He also coaches non pro and youth riders and is always in high demand for clinics in the United States, Europe and Mexico.
The Mills have recently relocated from their home in Arizona to Texas. “It’s been a bit chaotic because we packed up 25 years of training, and brought everything to Texas,” he explained.
Matt Mills Reining Horses is now located at Taylor Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch in Weatherford. “It’s a great place to be. The facility is great, as is the location. There’s action everywhere, and I feel I am able to produce a better, more seasoned horse,” Mills said. “I’m really excited for this.”
The Matt Mills Reining Horses Open Draw Party will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Sponsor Pavilion, although everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Mills is always busy, and one of his very successful projects, his popular online instructional videos, can be found at MattMillsReining.com. With all of that going on, Mills is consistently ranked on the NRHA Top Twenty Professionals Riders list and is regularly a finalist at major NRHA events earning multiple titles including NRHA Intermediate Open Futurity Reserve Champion. For more information visit MattMillsReining.com, or email TeamMattMills@gmail.com.
The 25th Annual National Reining Breeders Classic will take place April 17-24 at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas and at its end, the event will have paid out over $25 Million in its history. For information on the NRBC, visit the website at www.nrbc.com or call 580-759-3939.
The American Paint Horse Association’s Chrome Cash is coming to the 2022 National Reining Breeders Classic, set for April 17-24 at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas. The program will feature $3,000 in added money just for Paints!
“We are pleased to welcome the APHA back to the NRBC,” said NRBC Secretary-Treasurer Cheryl Cody. “The show has enjoyed a long-time relationship with APHA and we love being able to provide our exhibitors with more incentives!”
American Paint Horse Association Member Care Director Freddie Alexander will be on-site at the NRBC on April 19-23 to get exhibitors signed up for Chrome Cash classes and to help register or transfer Paint Horses. He said, “We love coming to the NRBC. People have enjoyed the buckle incentives we have done there in the past so we wanted to do something more to put dollars into the exhibitors’ pockets and continue to build the breed.”
The Chrome Cash incentive program provides exclusive payouts to the highest-placing registered Paints in a specific slate of classes, along with a trophy buckle for the highest-placing Youth. Chrome Cash is run as a class within a class during the competition.
Learn more at apha.com/programs/chromecash. Chrome Cash paid out more than $250,000 to Paints in reining, cutting and cow horse events in 2021.
At the NRBC, the winners in the Novice Horse Non Pro on April 20, the Limited Non Pro and Rookie L1,L2 and Prime Time on April 21, plus the Non Pro and Intermediate Non Pro and Prime Time on April 23 will receive Chrome Cash as will the NRBC Classic Open and Non Pro divisions. Participants in youth classes who sign up will be eligible to win a buckle.
– Horse must be registered with APHA or have registration pending with APHA. Both Regular Registry and Solid Paint Bred (SPB) horses are eligible. -Owner and exhibitor must be a current APHA member -Must enter the Chrome Cash class at the event, along with your regular class.- Full details here: apha.com/programs/chromecash
To sign up for the NRBC Chrome Cash, or for questions, contact Freddie Alexander atfalexander@apha.com or 817-222-6419.
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international equine breed association, registering more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories since it was founded in 1962. APHA promotes, preserves and provides meaningful experiences with Paint Horses.
Since its inception, the NRBC has grown to include over 225 subscribed stallions with over 30 new sires coming into the program in the past year. The 2022 NRBC Show will take place April 17-24 at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas. For information on the NRBC, visit the website at www.nrbc.com or call 580-759-3939
John and Nancy Tague and their Toyon Ranch have been active supporters of Rookie competitors in National Reining Horse Association competition through their sponsorship of the NRHA Rookie of the Year Program. Now partnering with the National Reining Breeders Classic, that commitment to the Rookie riders continues with the creation of the NRBC Toyon Ranch Free-For-All Rookie classes.
Through this sponsorship, riders in both slates of Rookie classes at the NRBC will have their entry fees and judges’ fees paid!
John Tague said, “Supporting NRHA classes across the board has been a priority for Toyon Ranch. This NRBC sponsorship is a great way to deepen our support for Rookie competitors – extending from the Toyon Ranch Rookie of the Year.”
“John and Nancy have consistently supported Rookie riders in reining competition,” said NRBC Secretary-Treasurer Cheryl Cody. “This expansion of their support into NRBC will help make showing a little easier and more affordable for Rookies. We are so glad to welcome them on board with this new sponsorship for NRBC.”
Tague continued, “The NRBC Rookie Free-For-All fits well with the significant recent efforts many supporters have made to target industry growth and enhance experience. Together these efforts make a difference. We want to continue to create growth from the entry-level classes to the top level.”
In addition to the mare program, Toyon Ranch stands several of the industry’s top stallions: No Smoking Required, Shine Chic Shine, Inferno Sixty Six, Gunner Dun It Again, Shine N Spook, Gunna Stop and Colonels Smart Spook. For information on Toyon Ranch, visit the website at https://www.toyonranchllc.com/.
The NRBC was born in the fall of 1997, and through the support of the breeders and exhibitors of the reining industry, has grown to become one of the top three reining aged events in the world and the most successful stallion incentive program in reining history. Now known as the Million Dollar Show, the NRBC has paid out over $24 Million in the past 24 years. To learn more about the NRBC visit nrbc.com.
The National Reining Breeders Classic has been enrolling foals in its program since 1997. The enrollments climbed steadily through 2008 then, like the rest of the equine industry, experienced a large drop in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Since then, the numbers have gradually trended upward.
The enrollments are just being finalized for 2021, and the news is exciting! With 2,633 foals enrolled, 2021 has become the third-highest enrollment year in the history of the NRBC, exceeding 2020’s enrollments by 180 foals, and nearing the high numbers set in 2007 and 2008.
“We are excited to see this recovery and upward trend for our industry,” said NRBC President Tom McCutcheon. “All the exposure that reining is getting nationally is reflected in enrollments and the reining horse business in general.”
NRBC Secretary-Treasurer Cheryl Cody agreed. “That impulsion has made it more important than ever to have foals in the NRBC. We are so glad that the reining world has recognized the significance of enrollment and how it adds value to foals.”
“With the eligibility for the Classic now including 4, 5, 6 and 7-year-old horses, the benefit has been substantially enhanced. Plus, enrolled horses 8-years-old and over are eligible for advancement to the Classic Challenge program, which continues to reward their performance.”
In another aspect of the NRBC program, the large number of new stallions coming into the program, it appears that upward trajectory has extended to stallion enrollments. “Although stallion enrollments are not due until February 1, our best preliminary projections show an increase from previous years,” Cody added.
The NRBC was created in the fall of 1997, and through the support of the breeder and exhibitors of the reining industry, has grown to become one of the top three reining aged events in the world and the most successful stallion incentive program in reining history. Now known as the Million Dollar Show, the NRBC has paid out over $24 Million in the past 24 years.
This year’s NRBC is slated for April 17-24 at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas and the Silver Anniversary event marks the 25th year for the NRBC!
The National Reining Breeders Classic will celebrate its 25th-anniversary event April 17-24 at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas. Known as the Million Dollar Show for its annual payout in excess of a million dollars for each event since 2005, the show added money is funded by the NRBC stallion and foal enrollments. The NRBC program has long been regarded as the most successful of its kind in reining history, paving the way for similar entities.
Since 1997, fees and structure for NRBC foal enrollments have stayed constant with no increases or changes. However, according to NRBC Secretary-Treasurer Cheryl Cody, there will be a change in 2022. Cody explained, “After 25 years, we are finally going to have a slight fee increase of $50 for the weanling foal enrollment, changing it to $250.”
What is unique about NRBC foal enrollments is that 100% of the enrollment funds go directly into the show’s purse, so this change will impact the amount of money that is paid out to riders of all levels. Cody continued, “Knowing how fee increases can impact breeders, the Officers and Board of the NRBC have been very slow to make any changes or fee increases, but we all definitely want the NRBC to keep up with other events in terms of payouts.”
She outlined the organization’s structure. “Per our original by-laws, NRBC foal enrollment money is placed into FDIC insured Certificates of Deposit until the foals’ 4-year-old year, just prior to the show. When we began, the interest rate was such that the money grew substantially in three-and-a-half years and really enhanced the purse. In recent years, with interest rates so low, that type of interest growth has been stagnant, so we are excited to track the impact this will have on the purse in 2026!”
Fees for other age foal enrollments – yearlings, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds and up – will remain the same as they have been since the NRBC’s beginning in 1997 – and foal enrollments will continue to be due each year by September 15. NRBC enrolled foals have four years of eligibility and can be shown as 4, 5, 6 and 7-year-olds; then can be advanced into the Classic Challenge program to continue showing throughout their careers. For more information or to enroll foals, go to nrbc.com or call 580-759-3939.
Down Right Amazing’s run in the National Reining Breeders Classic Open Prelims was exactly that. Under the expert hands of NRHA $2 Million Rider Casey Deary, the 5-year-old stallion by Gunner and out of Shesouttayourleague marked a 225.5 to top the first section of Open horses in the 25th NRBC at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas. Down Right Amazing is owned by DAG Ventures LLC.
Sitting second in the Level 4 is Cira Baeck, a Belgium native who travelled to the United States to compete this year. She made her NRBC Open debut a loud one, scoring a 224.5 on Americasnextcovrgirl (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel), the 5-year-old mare she finished reserve on at the 2021 NRHA European Futurity. Americasnextcovrgirl is owned by Maria Cecilia Fiorucci.
A pair of 222s lead the Level 3—Ruben Vandorp and Mr Farenheit (Magnum Chic Dream x Wimpy Little Girl), owned by the partnership of Morin and Vandorp, are tied with Nathan Piper and Patriot (Smart Spook x Dunit A Lil Ruf), owned by Shannon and Hershel Reid.
The Level 2 is also tied, with Billy Williams on Hit The Walla (Walla Walla Whiz x Dun It By Chick), owned by Mark Bradford, and Austin Jewell on Face Chics Love (Pale Face Dunnit x She And Chic Dunit), owned by Ali Dances, both marking a 219.5.
Haley Franc sits atop the Level 1 with a 216.5 on J Jameson (Star Spangled Whiz x Lime A Rita), owned by Arno Honstetter. The NRBC Development Division Championship is decided during the preliminary round. Trevor Dare holds the No. 1 spot with a 220.5 on Redhot Vintage (Platinum Vintage x Redhot Walla), owned by Sandy Vargo.
Leading the Open Prime Time is Duane Latimer on Roxanne Koepsell’s Hesa Rockin Whiz (Topsail Whiz x A Bueno Poco Dunit) with a score of 222.5 (includes handicap).
The second section of Open Classic prelims begins at 8 a.m. Thursday, April 21, and Finalists will be drawn that evening in the Matt Mills Reining Horses Open Draw Party at 7:30 p.m. in the Sponsor Area.
Reiners have been enrolling foals in the National Reining Breeders Classic Program since 1997. After so many years, enrollment in the NRBC has become an integral part of raising reining horse prospects, adding value and creating opportunities. Last year, 2,645 foals from around the world became a part of the program, pushing the total number of horses enrolled in NRBC to nearly 54,000.
The first enrollment deadline of the year doesn’t come until September 15, but many foals are now enrolled upon birth. The first one to become an official 2022 NRBC enrollee, a foal by Jacs Electric Spark out of Wind Her Up Chic, was born on January 3 and enrolled within weeks of her birth by owner Tim Anderson of Milbank, South Dakota.
Wind Her Up Chic (Smart Chic Olena X Wind Her Up Doc) is on the National Reining Horse Association’s Leading Dam Top 10 List with $752,894 in offspring earnings and Jacs Electric Spark is an NRHA $3 Million Sire, so the lovely bay filly has a bright future ahead of her.
Anderson didn’t get to keep her long. He explained, “She was born at Toyon Ranch, and Mike McEntire got to see her before I did. He was down there and fell in love with her. He called and wanted to buy her for Shenandoah Ranch, in Plymouth, Calif., which he manages. I usually don’t keep fillies for the most part, so we made the deal. After I saw her in person, even though I know she’s going to a great program, she was so good-looking that I wasn’t sure I had done the right thing!”
But the purchase was complete, so Tim immediately enrolled her in the NRBC. He said, “I’m a strong supporter of the NRBC. It’s a great program and the show is a great model for any event.”
Interestingly, Anderson’s first trip to the NRBC was with another Jacs Electric Spark mare he owned, Lost In Tinseltown, that was the high scoring mare of the 2011 L4 Classic.
Since its inception, the NRBC has grown to include over 225 subscribed stallions with over 30 new sires coming into the program in the past year. The 2022 NRBC Show will take place April 17-24 at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas. For information on the NRBC, visit the web site at www.nrbc.com or call 580-759-3939.
As the first horse out in the final set of Saturday night’s adrenaline-charged NRBC Open Classic Finals, Tinker With Dreams and Dany Tremblay held the approval of the crowd from start to finish to secure a dream win. The 7-year-old stallion sired by Tinker With Guns and out of This Chicsdundreamin is owned by Shane and Kalicia Walters of Diamond Dub Quarter Horses and was bred by Rhodes River Ranch.
Tremblay and Tinker With Guns, aka “Cilantro,” were awarded $62,500 to add to the stallion’s NRHA lifetime earnings coming into the NRBC of $194,000. Tremblay says the elite equine athlete absolutely rose to this prestigious occasion. “The last couple of days we really tuned up and he knew what we were here to do. He went into that pen and it was like he knew exactly what we were doing. He knows the sound of the crowd and he’s just a show horse,” said Tremblay.
Tremblay, a two-time NRBC Open Level 3 Champion, who has also won a Level 4 Reserve Championship, says it’s a great feeling to earn the ultimate crown. “I’m glad that I did it with Shane and Kalicia,” he said. “They are great customers. They are awesome.”
Kalicia was on hand to express her mutual appreciation. “We are such big fans of Cilantro and Dany and the team together, so we knew this win was coming. We just didn’t know when, but I’m so glad it’s right now. The crowd was with us, we had our friends, and it was so exciting.”
“He loves the crowd,” said Tremblay. “It’s super fun to show that kind of a horse and I don’t think there are many of those types. They are happy to do it and work harder for you.”
Beyond high praise for Cilantro, Tremblay said, “Thank you to my team here. Thank you to Shane and Kalicia. They trust us with the horses, and they make it easy and fun.”
“Shane and I would like to thank Fred and Dany Tremblay for doing an amazing job,” added Kalicia. “Their program and the whole team is amazing. There is so much support; it’s the best I’ve ever seen, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”
When the announcement of a 228.5 score was made, Tremblay says that he, like Vanlandingham, was comfortable with opting to accept the co-championship rather than running it off in anticipation of more high-stakes runs in the near future.
Jason Vanlandingham
Level 4 Open Co-Champion – Jason Vanlandingham & A Vintage Smoke
NRHA Triple Crown winner A Vintage Smoke (A Sparkling Vintage x Lady Smoke Peppy x Mr Dual Pep) entered this evening’s Finals with the chance at becoming a two-time NRBC Open Classic Champion—and pulled it off. Ridden by NRHA $2 Million Dollar Rider Jason Vanlandingham, A Vintage Smoke set the pace at draw No. 26 with a masterful 228.5 performance that held through the 34-horse field.
Making a statement with their run-in entrance and endless sliding stop, A Vintage Smoke and Vanlandingham had the audience on the edge of their seats until the end. “Any time I go through the gate on that horse, the crowd is great,” said Vanlandingham. “And it was no exception tonight. They were behind us the whole way. When you have a special horse—and I heard them with Dany tonight, too—the crowd can really step up and I think the horses feed off of that energy. Definitely the great horses, they step their game another level when the crowd is that involved.”
A Vintage Smoke is owned by Diane Messmer of Colorado and was bred by Karl and Debbie Hapcic. The six-year-old black stallion added $62,500 tonight to his NRHA lifetime earnings coming into NRBC of $393,761.
Of how this win compares with he and A Vintage Smoke’s first NRBC Level 4 Open title, Vanlandingham says there’s a stark contrast. “The first time, he was a four-year-old coming straight off a win at the Futurity and it was the young horse going against the older horses,” he said. “Now it’s the opposite. He’s the older, more mature horse but now I have to keep everything together.”
Vanlandingham takes nothing for granted with respect to the caliber of horsepower underneath him, which in part played into this decision to share the championship with Tremblay rather than to run it off. “He’s all heart and guts and I know what I have,” he said. “We’re both planning on showing these horses more this year, so why waste it? They are both champions right now and we will save that run for the next one.”
Vanlandingham summed up the night with gratitude for the horseflesh and the opportunities that he has to make his livelihood as an elite reiner. “Thank the good Lord and Diane,” he said. “We are blessed to do what we do. For me to be able to it with my family and with my wife by my side, I’m just blessed.”
Gunny Mathison
Level 3 Open Classic Champion – Gunny Mathison & Shes Reddy On Line
Level 3 Open Classic Champions Gunny Mathison and Shes Reddy On Line stepped up in response to the electric atmosphere at this evening’s NRBC Open Classic Finals. Mathison and the 2016 mare, sired by Shine On Line and out of Guns R Reddy, owned and bred by Mary Jansma, were awarded $21,875 and a plethora of first-class awards thanks to their 225 score.
“I saw all the people in the crowd, and it just changes your perspective,” Mathison said of the increased confidence he felt after hitting his first stop on the run-in Finals pattern. “I ran in and stopped, and it felt good because she’s a great stopper. It felt amazing.”
The charismatic horseman, a Houston-area native, stepped up in response to performing in front of a hometown crowd, but says he knew he had to achieve a flawless performance in order to win the ultra-competitive Level 3 Open. He was pleasantly surprised to finish fifth in the Level 4 for $22,500. “I knew I could, but it feels good to pull it off once in a while,” he said. “The hardest part is staying focused enough just to get it done.”
Mathison Reining Horses makes its home in Tioga, Texas, where Mathison says he’s grateful for the support team behind his winning program. “Mary Jansma for breeding this horse, my owners Tom and Cindy at Bozidar Ranch who have been with me literally through thick and thin. I know they always have my back,” he said adding an emotional tip of the hat to his other half. “I’d like to thank my wife, Monica, for all she does for me. All of my employees—Hava Vital and Dakota Guthridge. There are so many people to thank. I don’t think I really deserve the credit for this. It’s all the people that helped me get here and the horse, she deserves it, she didn’t quit.”
Eduardo Salgado
Level 2 Open Classic – Eduardo Salgado & Isnt She Dreamy
Eduardo Salgado and Isnt She Dreamy achieved a score of 219.5 to tie for the Level 2 Limited Open Classic championship. Owned by Renata Lemann, the five-year-old mare is by NRHA $6 Million Sire Magnum Chic Dream and out of Miss Silver Gun.
“I’m very proud of Eduardo and mare,” said Renata Lemann. “The mare has a very strong heart and gives everything. She is very special. I have known Eduardo since I was in Brazil, and I think he has a gift of knowing the horses and knowing which horse will fit the client best, he knows how to take the best from each horse and make it better.”
“The run, I thought it was perfect,” said Salgado. “She is stopping so good. She gave it all to me tonight. “I have ridden her for two years. The mare wasn’t shown much before this. This is the first show to show hard, and I love her. She was amazing.”
Salgado, who said this is his first major win at NRBC, said, “For me this is the best show in the reining world, the best horses and best trainers.”
Salgado began training reiners in Brazil in 1999 before moving to the United States in 2013. He now trains out of Gainesville, Texas, and said he appreciates the support of his clients, Diane Boeckman and Renata Lemann. “I have some good horses for this year. Thank you for everything to my team and my wife, my kids, my customers Renata and Diane.”
Leo Kellerman
Level 2 Open Classic – Leo Kellerman & Blazed By Magnum
With a solid 219.5 performance in Saturday’s NRBC Open Classic Finals, it was Leo Kellerman and Blazed By Magnum claiming the Level 2 Limited Open win, which paid 6,866.
The NRBC is Kellerman’s second show with the 2016 stallion owned by Diane Yoder and bred by Holy Cow Performance Horses, Texas, LLC. After marking a 214.5 in the prelims, Kellerman called harder on the son of NRHA $6 Million Sire Magnum Chic Dream out of Blazed By Commander and Blazed By Magnum answered the call. “We didn’t run as fast as in the first go as we did in the second go,” Kellerman said. “He was good both times, we just ran a little faster this time.”
The first-time NRBC Open finalist is enjoying the ride. “I really love it, it’s really fun. He’s a really special horse. He’s a big stopper and really good-minded,” Kellerman said.
Kellerman has been a member of the elite Fappani Performance Horses team for the past two-and-a-half years and began showing in 2020. The native of Brazil says he started riding reining horses at the age of 11 and moved to the United States at age 19. “I really love working at Andrea’s,” he said. “We always have him by our side to teach us and help us through everything. He gives us advice all the time with everything.”
Kellerman thanks God first and foremost, as well as his family and the entire team at Fappani Performance Horses in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is particularly thankful to Andrea for mentoring him. “I thank Diane Yoder, the owner of the horse. We are really happy to have this horse with us.”
Lucio Pontes Casalecchi
Level 1 Classic Open – Lucio Pontes Casalecchi & Ruffed Up Spooks
Capturing the NRBC Level 1 Open Classic win was Lucio Pontes Casalecchi riding Ruffed Up Spooks for owner Ixtul Quarter Horses, LLC. Ruffed Up Spooks and Casalecchi marked a 217.5 to win the division. Ruffed Up Spooks, sired by NRHA $2 Million Sire Spooks Gotta Gun and out of All Ruffed Up, is a 2016 stallion that was bred by Silver Spurs Equine.
Casalecchi and Ruffed Up Spooks also made the Level 2 Finals. “[This is] my second time to show here at the NRBC.,” Casalecchi said. “I made the L1 Finals the first time, but this year I made Level 1 and 2.”
“I think he gave me everything he had,” Casalecchi said of the horse’s effort in the Finals. “He stopped really big, and it was all good. Ruffed Up Spooks is a five-year-old now and is a real consistent horse. I love him. I have been riding him for one year.”
Casalecchi, who is 24 and hails from Brazil, has ridden reiners since the age of 12. “My uncle is a horse trainer, so I started to ride with him. I came to the United States two years ago where I work for Thiago Boechat. I thank my boss, Thiago Boechat [in Purcell, Oklahoma], and the owner of the horse, Lorenzo Vargas.”
When asked how he felt about competing at NRBC, Casalecchi replied, “It’s awesome. I love this place!”
Casalecchi is looking forward to the upcoming NRHA Derby and said he plans to stick the same winning strategy he employed here at NRBC. He qualified two horses to the Open Classic Finals; the other is Xtra Voodoolicious owned by Boechat, which he guided to a top 10 finish in the Level 1.
Shawn Flarida
Development Division – Shawn Flarida and Americas Got Talent
Prime Time Open Classic – Shawn Flarida and Shine Colt Shine
Emerging as the winner of the Open Classic Development Division with a score of 221 to earn $9,606 was NRHA $6 Million Rider Shawn Flarida and Americas Got Talent. Americas Got Talent, by NRHA $12 Million Sire Wimpys Little Step and out of Americasnextgunmodel, is a 2017 stallion owned by Marie H Whitmarsh and bred by Arcese Quarter Horses USA.
Americas Got Talent came to Flarida’s program in January. “He has an enormous amount of talent. This is the first time I’ve ever shown him. He circles amazing. What a fun horse,” said Flarida, adding that he looks forward to gaining more show experience with the feely equine athlete. “I pretty much just treated him like a three-old-old that I’ve never shown before and made sure that he was pretty comfortable.”
Flarida kept his win streak running hot when he topped the Prime Time Open Classic aboard Shine Colt Shine with a 222. The five-year-old stallion is sired by Shine Chic Shine out of Gunners Miss Oak and is owned by Gaynia Revenberg and bred by Amabile & Strusiner. “This is a great horse and I’m just happy to be in this position,” Flarida said. “I was second in the reining futurity on him, this has been an awesome horse for me.”
Coming back with three Level 4 finalists was right in line with the leading rider’s passion for competition. “I love to compete,” he said. “This is obviously my life. This is the toughest event there is and it’s an honor to get three back.”
Flarida said the huge-stopping colt did not disappoint on Finals’ night. “He’s a tremendous athlete, obviously his stop is his best deal and he’s big and gorgeous. He’s out of a Chic mare on the bottom with a Gunner so that just helps him with his maneuvers. He’ll go from here to the NRHA Derby.”
“There are so many people I need to thank,” added Flarida. “All my sponsors. The owner of Americas Got Talent, Marie Whitmarsh, she’s been awesome and so supportive. The owners of Shine Colt Shine, Gus and Gaynia Revenberg, have been tremendous supporters for my entire career. My wife, my two sons and daughter; my family is the backbone of my business, and all of my help. It wouldn’t be possible without all of them.”
When the curtain closed on the Level 4 Non Pro Classic Finals, it was NRHA $2 Million Rider Mandy McCutcheon and JLosa scoring a 224.5 to cinch the championship and $30,000. JLosa, by Arlosa Whiz and out Spook N Jessie, is owned by Mandy and her husband Tom McCutcheon.
“I bought her last fall from Fred Thommson and Josefine Spangfors,” Mandy said. “They did all the work on her; I’m just getting to enjoy the glory. I tried for a long time to buy her.”
JLosa made a special first impression on Mandy. “Her stop is what caught my eye and I just watched her the whole time Josefine had her. I loved the look in her eye. It looked like the thoughts in her mind would be good thoughts.”
After showing JLosa at the Cactus Classic in the Open, Mandy said she gained valuable experience and adjusted a few things accordingly. “I used that run really to learn how to show her,” she said. Her changes paid big dividends by the time they arrived at NRBC.
Unofficially, McCutcheon is nearing NRBC earnings of $700,000. This year marks her eighth NRBC Non Pro Classic championship, but Mandy said it’s especially meaningful considering her daughter Carlee’s success in the Finals. “That part was amazing. That put it right over the top for me,” she said of Carlee earning dual Non Pro championships.
In the time leading up to NRBC there was some horse-swapping amongst the McCutcheon ladies, but the final decisions regarding horse and rider pairings were good ones. “Cade said, ‘Mom, you’ve got to give her Dununzio [Dun With Guns].’ Her big brother was looking out for her,” Mandy said. “She had three horses in the finals today and she showed every single one of them so smart. She showed each horse to its ability and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
While a little horse trading is customary among the McCutcheons, Mandy said with a smile, “I’m not sharing JLosa. For now, momma’s keeping her. That’s the plan anyway.”
Mandy expressed her gratitude to the team behind her on her journey to the NRBC winner’s circle. “My parents, my husband, Cade, Carlee, the crew at the barn, my crew that stays home and makes it so we can be away showing. They make it possible for us to do what we do.”
Carlee McCutcheon
NRBC Level 3 & Level 2 Classic Champion – Carlee McCutcheon & Dun With Guns
Keeping the winning trend going strong in her family was Carlee McCutcheon, 15, of Aubrey, Texas, who won the Level 3 and Level 2 Non Pro Classic championships. Carlee rode Dun With Guns to a 218.5 to earn a combined $18,500. By NRHA $4 Million Dollar Sire Gunners Special Nite and out of Belle Star Dunn It, Dun With Guns is owned by Carlee’s parents, Tom and Mandy McCutcheon, and was bred by Turnabout Farm, Inc.
McCutcheon, who has been in Katy, Texas, since January attending the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show with her hunter/jumpers, shifted gears into reining with ease as she prepared in the week leading up to NRBC. “Pin Oak started in January, so I haven’t ridden many reiners since then. I just have to focus as much as I can and switch over,” she said.
Of her performance in the Finals, Carlee said her parents told her to go have fun, and that is exactly what she did. “It was a lot of fun. My horse was with me every step. He’s super smart and honest, and I just trust him.”
Carlee thanked her parents and grandparents, Tim and Colleen McQuay, as well as her brother Cade for all their help and support, along with Sara Willeman of Turnabout Farms for breeding Dun With Guns.
Anna Harris
NRBC Level 1 Non Pro Classic Champion – Anna Harris
Sixteen-year-old Anna Layne Harris from Sheridan, Arkansas, made her first NRBC count when she captured the Level 1 Non Pro Classic Championship riding Ready N Willing with a 215.5 in the Finals. The 2015 gelding sired by NRHA $3 Million Sire Walla Walla Whiz and out of Dainty Dunit is owned by Delaina Harris and was bred by Arcese Quarter Horses USA.
“I didn’t know what to think coming in, but I was really excited that everything went smooth. Overall, I was just happy that he performed,” Harris said.
Harris, who rides with Yonathan Baruch, invested a lot of time and miles into preparing for the NRBC. “We drive every weekend to Texas, it’s about four hours [one way] so we drive about eight hours to go ride. We went to Tulsa not long ago and cruised him through and it was really smooth. We watched the videos and saw what we could fix and just went in thinking of how to avoid any mistakes.”
Ready N Willing, aka “Red,” qualified with Baruch to the NRHA Futurity Level 4 Finals before Harris and her family acquired him. “I tried him in December, and we ended up buying him then. He rides a lot like my old horse, so it was very easy to step on him and adjust. He’s very quirky, he likes scratches and anything he can eat.”
Harris said her horse handled the run-in pattern for the NRBC Finals with confidence. “I had run very few run-in patterns, so I was very excited to get to do that. He was really free and his circles were really good. I was nervous about the turns, but he got through it good.”
Harris thanked her parents, Delaina and Shane Harris, the entire crew at Baruch Reining Horses, and “I have to thank God for the talent He has given me.”
Shaunda Rai Blinzler
NRBC Prime Time Non Pro Classic Champion – Shaunda Rai Blinzler & Tagin Stiletto Chics
The Champions of the Prime Time Non Pro was Shaunda Rai Blinzler and Tagin Stiletto Chics with a 219. By NRHA $4 Million Sire Gunners Special Nite and out of the mare Stiletto Tag, Tagin Stiletto Chics was bred by Jennifer Marley.
Blinzler of Scottsdale, Arizona, acquired Tagin Stiletto Chics, aka “Duke,” right before Christmas and has been working to form a partnership that proved to be fruitful at NRBC. “He’s a lot of fun, he’s super honest. I’ve just tried to learn him because I literally haven’t had much time with him. It’s been a crash course in learning,” she laughed.
Of her Finals performance, Blinzler said, “He ran in really good. I’ve been having a little bit of trouble with my spins, but I felt like I got through it good and the rest of the run he was really pure and really honest. There’s just not much more you can ask of them than that.”
Blinzler, a former NRBC Level 4 Non Pro Champion, estimates that she showed at her first NRBC in 2007 but said she hasn’t had a derby horse in several years and is happy to be back with a good one. “It was amazing,” she said. “It feels really good to be back [at NRBC]. It’s fun to be back and to see all of these people again.”
Blinzler thanked her trainer Cade McCutcheon, as well as her husband Ronnie, and the entire McCutcheon team.
