A talented bunch of reiners made the lineup for the $50,000 Freestyle Invitational at this summer’s The Run For A Million.
The event will be held Aug. 17 at the South Point Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Riders who have been selected to compete are: Kristin Booth, Randall Dooley, Emily Emerson, Andrea Fappani, Gary Ferguson, Daphne Foran, Tom Foran, Dan James, Drake Johnson, Debi Murnan, Rob Pearce and Bub Poplin.
The freestyle is part of a larger show, scheduled for Aug. 15-17, that also includes a $1 million-dollar invitational, a $100,000 Open Shoot Out, a $50,000 Non-Pro Championship and a Rookie Championship.
Organizers say the $1 million invitational is part of a documentary/reality television series that will follow the 12 riders as they prepare for the show and compete in the one-run finals in Las Vegas.
The working title of the show is “The Last Cowboy.” Organizers say it will air on the Paramount Network.
The $1 million invitational will include nine riders who have earned at least a $1 million in reining, as well as three wild cards.
The million-dollar riders are: Andrea Fappani, Casey Deary, Shawn Flarida, Jordan Larson, Franco Bertolani, Jason Vanlandingham, Craig Schmersal, Tom McCutcheon and Duane Latimer. The wild cards are Abbey Lengel, Cade McCutcheon and Matt Mills.
The National Reining Horse Association voted to approve The Run For A Million, including the $1 million invitational, during a recent meeting.
The Freestyle Invitational was approved as Category 9, and the Non Pro and Rookie Championships were approved as Category 11. The NRHA created a new designation, Category 13, for the $1 million invitational.
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