Shiners Dun Juan and Todd Bergen Top Open Prelims at NRCHA Futurity

The results are in and the 2011 National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity Open finalists have been decided. Those lucky enough to earn a ticket to the big dance will compete on Sunday, Oct. 2, in a clean-slate competition for the Open Championship and a piece of the $605,000 Open finals payout. Leading the field of 25 Open finalists is Todd Bergen and Shiners Dun Juan (Smart Shiner x Cremes Chic Olena x Smart Chic Olena). The stallion is owned by Janiejill Tointon of Longmont, Colo.

Bergen holds the distinction of being the only rider to win over a million dollars in both the NRCHA and the National Reining Horse Association, and he's a former Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion who has won numerous NRCHA Premier Event titles.

Bergen and Shiners Dun Juan were solid contenders throughout the preliminary competition. They began the competition with a 220 in the herd work, and followed that with the preliminary rein work high score – a 224. With a 217 in the cow work, their total composite score of 661 gave them a one-point edge in the preliminary competition. They will receive custom designed stirrups sponsored by Terry Ratto in memory of Jason Ratto.

See the preliminary round scores

Forty-one years after tying to win the very first Snaffle Bit Futurity, NRCHA Hall of Famer Les Vogt is back, and he topped the Cinch Intermediate Open preliminary composite with a 654.5. This year he's riding Nic It Smartly (Nic It In The Bud x Shining Smartly x Shining Spark). The 3-year-old cow horse is owned by Luke Jones.

Vogt, along with the other Intermediate and Limited Open finalists, will compete in the finals on Saturday, Oct. 1. He'll turn right around and compete the very next day in the Open Finals.

The Limited Open composite ended in a tie between Trent Pedersen on Stylish Herbie and Nick Dowers on Little Plain Chex, both with a 644 composite. Stylish Herbie, owned by Quail Run Ranch of Bend, Oregon, is by Stylish Rey Gay and out of Gees A Shining Star. Little Plain Chex, owned by Curt and Kelli Van Nest of Bishop, Calif., is by Just Plain Colonel and out of Smart Little Chex.

The cut-off score to earn an Open Final's berth was a 645.5; in the Cinch Intermediate Open, a 639.5 was needed; and a 630.5 slipped in for the Limited Open. The finalist draw order was decided Wednesday evening at the Snaffle Bit Futurity Finals Draw Reception, hosted by Merial products ULCERGARD, EQUIOXX

 

Sept. 27

By Tuesday's close at the 2011 National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity, Sixes First Cat (Waresthecat x First Peg) and Boyd Rice led the Open fence work preliminary round with a 223-point score. This is addition to their 218 in the herd work and a 219 in the rein work, adding up to a strong 660-point composite, which leads the Open field.

Sixes First Cat is owned by Burnett Ranches, LLC in Texas. If Rice and Sixes First Cat maintain their lead, they'll take home a check for $1,500, a Gist Silversmiths buckle sponsored by the Diamond RB Ranch, LLC, and a Mehl Lawson bronze from the Leavitt family. The awards will be presented during the annual NRCHA Hall of Fame Banquet, held at the Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino on Thursday, Sept. 29.  With the conclusion of the cow work today, the top 25 Open entries from the preliminary competition will earn a spot in the clean-slate finals on Oct. 2, where the winner will receive a check for $100,000.

See the preliminary round scores

With a 221.5, Ron Emmons and Wright Stylish have the preliminary cow work lead of the Cinch Intermediate Open. Wright Stylish, owned by Emmon's wife LaDona, is by Lenas Wright On out of Stylish Little Lady.

However, it's former NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion and Hall of Famer Les Vogt who has the composite lead of the Cinch Intermediate Open with a 654.5. Vogt is riding Nic It Smartly for Luke Jones, of Allerton, Iowa. Vogt and Nic It Smartly, by Nic It In The Bud out of Shining Smartly, are also sitting in a third-place tie to make it back to the Open finals.

Riding Savannahboonsmal for the Circle Y Ranch, Benton Bland has the high cow work score of the Limited Open with a 218. Savannahboonsmal, by Peptoboonsmal out of Savannah Hickory, is an NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Select 2-Year-Old Sale graduate. In fact, Savannahboonsmal was the high-seller for 2010.

There is currently a tie for the lead of the Limited Open composite between Trent Pedersen and Stylish Herbie and Nick Dowers and Little Plain Chex. Both entries have a composite score of 644. Pedersen is competing on Stylish Herbie, by Stylish Rey Gay and out of Gees A Shining Star, who is owned by Quail Run Ranch of Bend, Oregon. Dowers is riding Little Plain Chex, by Just Plain Colonel and out of Smart Little Chex, who is owned by Curt and Kelli Van Nest of Bishop, California.

To earn a spot in the Cinch Intermediate Open Finals, riders have to be one of the top 17, and the top 10 will advance to the Limited Open finals. The Finals of the Cinch Intermediate Open and the Limited Open will be run concurrently on Saturday, Oct. 1.

 

Sept. 25

The National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity Open rein work preliminaries continued Sunday at the Reno Livestock Events Center in Reno, Nevada. With only 32 horses left to compete, NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Todd Bergen and Shiners Dun Juan (Smart Shiner x Cremes Chic Olena x Smart Chic Olena) continue to lead the preliminary rein work with a 224. They also sit atop the composite leader board with a 444, having marked a 220 in the preliminary herd work.

Shiners Dun Juan was bred by Carolyn Kupka from Colorado and is now owned by Janiejill Tointon, Longmont, Colo. If the 3-year-old cow horse wins the rein work preliminaries, Tointon will receive a check for $1,500, a Gist Silversmiths buckle sponsored by Ken Wold Training Stables, and a Mehl Lawson bronze from the National Reining Horse Association.

The last three sets of the Open preliminary rein work compete today. The rein work will be followed by the cow work, which concludes Wednesday, Sept. 28. The top 25 Open entries plus ties from the preliminary competition will advance to the clean-slate finals on Sunday, Oct. 2, where the 2011 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion will take home a check for $100,000.

Nic It Smartly (Nic It In The Bud x Shining Smartly x Shining Spark) and NRCHA Hall of Famer Les Vogt currently lead the Cinch Intermediate Open preliminary rein work with a 221.5, and the Cinch Intermediate Open preliminary composite with a 439.5. Nic It Smartly was bred Richard Bell and is owned by Luke Jones, Allerton, Iowa.

Stylish Herbie (Stylish Rey Gay x Gees A Shining Star x Shining Spark) and Trent Pedersen and marked a 220 to take the lead of the Limited Open rein work preliminaries. Stylish Herbie was bred by DeDe Dickinson, Edwards, Colo., and is owned by Quail Run Ranch, Bend, Oregon.

While Pedersen has the high rein work score, Monice DeBie and Cody Christensen lead the preliminary composite with a 429.5.
DeBie is riding Shes The Business (Sophisticated Catt x Little Plain Pep x Mister Dual Pep), a mare bred and owned by Dan Caetano, Hanford, California. Christensen's entry, PRF Spoonful Of Gold (Hes A Peptospoonful x Sons Miss Sprat x Sons Rushette) was bred by Michael Schraeder, Tomball, Texas, and is owned by A & C Racing and Roping, Roosevelt, Utah.

To earn a spot in the Cinch Intermediate Open Finals, riders have to be one of the top 17, and the top 10 will advance to the Limited Open finals. The Finals of the Cinch Intermediate Open and the Limited Open will be run concurrently on Saturday, October 1.

The Open, Cinch Intermediate Open, and Limited Open rein work preliminaries finish today..

 

Sept. 24
The first six sets of the Open preliminary rein work of the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity kicked off Saturday, Sept. 24. At the end of the day, it was Shiners Dun Juan (Smart Shiner x Cremes Chic Olena x Smart Chic Olena) and Oregon professional and NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Todd Bergen holding the highest score for the round. The pair marked a nice 224, and when added to the 220 from the herd work, added up to a healthy 444-point total.

Shiners Dun Juan was bred by Carolyn Kupka from Colorado, and current owner Janiejill Tointon, also of Colorado, purchased the buckskin stallion in July 2009. After Saturday's competition, Shiners Dun Juan was in the lead after the herd and rein works, with a 444-point composite. Their lead was five points ahead of the next-closest entry. The sire, the late Smart Shiner, won a total of $50,128 in the show pen and his offspring have so far posted a half-million on the record, a list topped by Smart And Shiney ($109,700) and Shining Lil Nic ($107,031). The dam, Cremes Chic Olena has one money-earning foal, Nic Chic Olena ($3,846).

After Saturday, second in the Open composite was Guapo Lena (Shiners Lena Doc x Annies Nu Lena) and Gainsville, Texas, cowboy Jay McLaughlin, who had 439 points (herd-216/rein-223). Third was Cat Can Dew (WR This Cats Smart x Dew It Flo) and Todd Crawford, Blanchard, Okla., with a 438.5 (herd-217/rein-221.5)

See all preliminary round scores

The top 25 Open entries plus ties will advance to the clean-slate finals on Sunday, Oct. 2, where the 2011 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Champion will take home a check for $100,000.

The winner of the Cinch Intermediate Open Championship will take home a guaranteed $30,000, and with a rein work score of 221, Shawn Hays and Thecrowdlovesme ( Smart Chic Olena x Shine Smartly x Shining Spark) took the lead of the Cinch Intermediate Open rein work prelims and composite (435). Thecrowdlovesme was bred by Walter Greeman and Tammy Hays, and is now owned by Clinton Anderson from Texas.

Nick Dowers and Little Plain Chex (Just Plain Colonel x Smart Little Chex x Smart Little Lena), had the high preliminary rein work score of the Limited Open with a 215.5, after Saturday's performance. Little Plain Chex is owned by Curt and Kelli Van Nest of Bishop, California.

While Dowers has the high rein work score, Monica DeBie and Shes The Business have a 1-point lead in the Limited Open composite with a 429.5. Shes The Business (Sophisticated Catt x Little Plain Pep x Mister Dual Pep), is owned by Dan Caetano, Hanford, Calif.

To earn a spot in the Cinch Intermediate Open Finals, riders have to be one of the top 17, and the top 10 will advance to the Limited Open finals. The Finals of the Cinch Intermediate Open and the Limited Open will be run concurrently on Saturday, October 1.

The Open, Cinch Intermediate Open, and Limited Open rein work preliminaries continue through Monday, Sept. 26.

 

Sept. 22

Floridian John Semanik might have another Champion on his hands. In 2009, Zane Davis rode Semanik's horse Reymanator to win the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity. On Sept. 21, Davis piloted a new Semanik horse – Chickarey (Dual Rey x Sonita Lena Chick x Smart Chic Olena) – to the high score of the 2011 Futurity's Open herd work preliminaries.

Only 25 horses plus ties will advance to the clean-slate finals on Sunday, Oct. 2. With a score of 222, Chickarey took a two-point lead in the 200+ horse field going into to the second leg of competition. Second in the round ended up in a tie between Boon Lil Royal Blue (Boon A Little x Colonels Lil Sugar x Colonel Sugarnic) and Shiners Dun Juan (Smart Shiner x Cremes Chic Olena x Smart Chic Olena). Boon Lil Royal Blue was ridden by California professional Phillip Ralls, and is owned by Jack Mitchell, Arroyo Grande, Calif. Shiners Dun Juan was shown by Oregon professional Todd Bergen, and is owned by Janiejill Tointon, Longmont, Colo.

Chickarey, a mare, is by Dual Rey, who is also the sire of Reymanator. She was bred by Linda Holmes from Colorado, and Semanik purchased Chickarey in September 2010. According to Equi-Stat, Dual Rey has 657 foals that have earned $19 million, including: Rey Down Sally ($406,2001), TR Dual Rey ($353,174) and Dual Smart Rey ($330,436). Reymanator is Dual Rey's highest earning reined cow horse, with $154,465 on the record. The dam, Sonita Lena Chick, is a cutting mare who Bucki James rode to the majority of the mare's $161,212 in career earnings. To date, Sonita Lena Chick has produced five money-earning foals that have won $65,524.

The preliminary herd work win comes with a check for $1,500, a bronze trophy sponsored by the National Cutting Horse Association, and a Gist Silversmiths buckle sponsored by Lightning L Ranch – Stacy Lynch.

The Cinch Intermediate Open herd work prelims ended in a tie between Nic It Smartly (Nic It In The Bud x Shining Smartly x Shining Spark) and Les Vogt, Pismo Beach, Calif., and Shes The Business (Sophisticated Catt x Little Plain Pep x Mister Dual Pep) and Monica DeBie, Tulare, Calif. This mare is owned by Dan Caetano, Hanford, Calif. Nic It Smartly and Shes The Business marked matching 218 scores, earning $800 for topping the round.

Vogt was riding Nic It Smartly, a stallion bred by Richard Bell, for Luke Jones. Vogt is a two-time Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion. In fact, the NRCHA Hall of Famer tied to win the very first Snaffle Bit Futurity Championship in 1970 on Wrong Key (Salero Bar x Diana Morelock x Del Rio Darke).

Shes The Business and DeBie are also entered in the Limited Open division, and received an additional $1,000. The Cinch Intermediate Open Champion, who will be decided on Saturday, Oct. 1, will receive a guaranteed $30,000.

The Open preliminary competition continues Saturday, Sept. 24, with the rein work, and concludes Wednesday, Sept. 28, with the cow work.

See the preliminary round scores

 

Sept. 21

In the first day of Open Herd Preliminary competition at the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity, Phillip Ralls, Paso Robles, Calif., put together a smoking 220-point run on Boon Lil Royal Blue (Boon A Little x Colonels Lil Sugar x Colonel Sugarnic). The stallion was bred by Beverly Roth and was purchased by Jack Mitchell, Arroyo Grande, Calif., in November 2008.

Looking at that horse's pedigree, Boon A Little is a 1999 Smart Little Lena stallion who was ridden by the the late Bill Freeman to the majority of the horse's $122,245 in lifetime cutting earnings, according to Equi-Stat. As a sire, Boon A Little has 29 money-earning foals that have won $134,662. The dam, Colonels Lil Sugar does not have show or produce earnings recorded in Equi-Stat.

The winner of the Open Preliminary herd work, which concludes later today will receive a Gist Silversmiths buckle sponsored by Stacy Lynch and the Lightning L Ranch, and a cutting horse bronze from the National Cutting Horse Association.

Second in the Open Prelims is currently a tie between Todd Bergen of Eagle Point, Oregon, riding The One Time, and Boyd Rice of Spearman, Texas, on Moonstruck Pepto. Both The One Time (One Time Pepto x Love Em N Lena x Smart Little Lena) and Moonstruck Pepto (One Time Pepto x Moonstruck Cat x High Brow Cat) marked a 219. The One Time was bred by and is owned by Camela Essick, Clements, Calif. Moonstruck Pepto is owned by Cowan Select Horses LLC. Moonstruck Pepto was bred by Arcese Quarter Horses and sold as a yearling for $42,000 to Cowan Select Horses LLC, Havre, Mont., through the second session of the Preferred Breeders Sale at the 2009 NCHA Futurity in Fort Worth.

With scores of 216, Smoky Pritchett and Chris Dawson are currently tied for the lead of the Cinch Intermediate Open. Pritchett piloted Rachels First Pepto (Peptoboonsmal x Miss Dual Bar) for Terry and Brit Ratto, while Dawson was riding his own horse, Travelin Jonez, (Smart Chic Olena x Travelin With Sass).

In the Limited Open division, Nick Dowers and Becky Hurst both marked a 213 on the first day of competition. Dowers was competing on Little Plain Chex, by Just Plain Colonel out of Smart Little Chex, owned by Curt and Kelli Van Nest. Hurst rode Lyndon Farm's Nics The Smart, by Nic It In The Bud out of Shining Smartly.

 

Sept. 19

The Open herd work preliminaries continue Wednesday. The competition runs through Sunday, October 2, at the Reno Livestock Events Center in Reno, Nevada. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office or through Ticketmaster.com. You can also catch the event live via webcast by visiting www.gallopingvideo.com.The 42nd Annual National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity is featured at the Reno Livestock Events Center Sept. 20 - Oct. 2. This unique event perpetuates the tradition of the California Vaquero, blending the heritage of the American west with today's most precise contemporary horsemanship.

And, it is big business. The Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion will receive a paycheck of $100,000 at the end of competition, and the show will pay out over $1.1 million for the fifth year in a row.

The economic prosperity isn't limited to the exhibitors. The Futurity has a monstrous monetary effect on the Reno community. According to the American Horse Council's economic impact formula, with more than 1,100 horses coming to Reno over thirteen days of competition, the event brings over $5.5 million into the community, and the economic impact on Reno exceeds $20 million.

See the schedule

Both because of the tremendous payoff and the "Who's Who" list of entries, which includes the western horse industry's top personalities, the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity is the most visible cow horse event in the world. The three distinct competitions that make up the event - herd work, rein work and cow work - offer an unequaled challenge for equine talent and horsemanship skill. In the herd work, the horse cuts a cow from the herd and shows its ability to control it with little assistance from his rider. In the reining, the horse is judged on precise maneuvers that include circles, sliding stops, spins and rollbacks. The climactic cow work demonstrates the ability to control the movements of a cow down the fence and in the center of the arena.

See the draws

The Best of the West Trade Show, which opens September 24 and runs through the duration of the event, is an ideal place to get started on Christmas shopping. Vendors offer everything from jewelry to furniture to horse equipment and everything in between. If you're interested in a bigger ticket item - like a horse of your own, the Snaffle Bit Futurity Horse Sales, presented by Markel Insurance Company, will be held Thursday, Sept. 29 thru Oct. 1.

There's even a time set aside for remembering great riders and horses of the past, as the headquarters hotel for the Snaffle Bit Futurity, the Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino, hosts the Annual NRCHA Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday, Sept. 29.

Free educational seminars, covering everything from equine nutrition to competition strategy, will be held throughout the show. For those interested in learning about the reined cow horse industry, the NRCHA Owners Committee Reception is open to everyone, Friday, Sept. 30, in the Doc Bar Room at the Reno Livestock Events Center.

On Sunday, Oct. 2, the action in the Reno Livestock Events Center culminates with the Open Finals, as the top finishers from the preliminaries vie for that $100,000 first place check.

Tickets can be purchased through the Box Office, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. To keep up with the action, visit the NRCHA website at NRCHA.com, or "Like" the NRCHA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nrcha.