Guaranteeing his spot in the L4 Finals and topping that division with a composite of 448 was NRHA Million Dollar Rider Brian Bell and Gunnabebigtime. Bell and Gunnabebigtime marked a 223.5 in the first round and a 224.5 in the semi-finals. Gunnabebigtime, by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Gunnatrashya out of Big Time Jazzy, is owned and was nominated by Tami Nelson.
Holding down top honors in the L3 Open was Kole Price riding Trendsettter owned by Thomas Moffit and Kole Price. Trendsettter, by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Whiz out of Timed To Shine, scored a 223 in the first go to combine with a 219.5 in the semi-finals for a 442.5. Cinder Lakes Ranch nominated Trendsettter.
Arno Hostetter held on to the top spot in the L2 Open on Blue Inferno, owned by Story Book Stables. Blue Inferno, sired by Inferno Sixty Six and out of Showtimes Lil Step, scored a 220.5 in the first go and was a 219 in the semi-finals for a 439.5 composite. The nominator of Blue Inferno is Jeffrey Palmer.
Dallas Cunningham and RFR Voodoos Fuego, owned and nominated by Peter Smith, claimed the top spot of the L1 with a 435.5, thanks to a 219.5 in the first go and a 216 in the semi-finals. RFR Voodoos Fuego is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Shiners Voodoo Dr and out of Show N Tag.
Magnums Custom Dream, ridden by Casey Hinton for owner Nancy Murfin-Moxley, tied for the high composite score in the Prime Time Open thanks to a 218 in the first go and 217.5 in the second for a cumulative 441.5. Magnums Custom Dream, by NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream and out of Gunna Be Custom, was nominated by Garth Hystad.
Gunna Whoa, ridden by NRHA Million Dollar Rider Todd Sommers for owners Stephany S. Monteleone and Martin Bonneson, is by Inferno Sixty Six and out of Whoawhiz. Gunna Whoa scored a 217 in the first go and a 218 in the second for a 441.5. The nominator of Gunna Whoa was Doug Milholland.
The score needed to earn a spot in the L4 Open Finals was a 438.5, while it took a 433.5 to advance in the L3. Riders with a score of 428 in the L2 earned a spot in the Finals, as did L1 riders who marked at least a 420.5. Making the top 10 for the Prime Time Open were scores of 436 or more.

Bell and Salgado Tie for Win of NRHA Open Futurity First Go

An elite field of entries has been whittled down to the top 75 of each division after the first go-round of the 2020 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Open Futurity. Competition began Thanksgiving Day at the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, with the top 3-year-old reining horses in the nation competing not only for the prestige, but also for some big paychecks. This year, the NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity Champion will be decided during the clean-slate MS Diamonds TX Level (L) 4 Open Futurity Finals on Saturday, December 5. Then, for the first time in NRHA history, the champion will receive a check for $250,000.Now, many are one step closer to that goal.

Unofficially, it took a score of 217 to advance to the semi-finals of the Level 4 Open, which will run Wednesday, December 2.

Currently leading the Level 4 Open are NRHA Million Dollar Rider Brian Bell and Fernando Salgado, who both marked a 223.5.

Bell, who competed in the first section on Thursday, rode Gunnabebigtime to the high score. Gunnabebigtime, owned by Tami Nelson, is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Gunnatrashya out of Big Time Jazzy.

Salgado rode Vinny Gun, owned by Guillermo De Anda Martinez, during the second section on Friday. Vinny Gun is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire A Sparkling Vintage and out of Dolled Up Gunner. The talented colt is a graduate of the 2018 NRHA/Markel Select Yearling Sale.

It took a 213.5 to advance to the semi-finals of the L3, and Kole Price and Trendsettter topped the level with a score of 223, which was good enough for a third-place tie in the L4. Trendsetter, owned by Price and Thomas Moffitt, is by NRHA Two Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of Timed To Shine.

A 210.5 was the score to have or beat in the Level 2, and Arno Honstetter and Sean Johnson, who each marked a 220.5, lead the field going into the semi-finals round.

Honstetter rode Blue Inferno, while Johnson showed River Of Diamonds. Blue Inferno, by Inferno Sixty Six out of Showtimes Lil Step, is owned by Story Book Stables. River Of Diamonds, by HF Mobster out of Starlight N Diamonds, is owned by Denise and Terry Martin.

Level 1 exhibitors with a score of 203 or better earned a semi-finals berth. Dalton Cunningham piloted RFR Voodoos Fuego to a 219.5 to lead the division. RFR Voodoos Fuego, owned by Peter Smith, is by NRHA Million Dollar Sire Shiners Voodoo Dr and out of Show N Tag.

Duane Latimer riding CSboomboomwalla, and Casey Hinton on Magnum Custom Dream, both have a score of 221 (including handicap) to top the Prime Time Open division. CSBoomboomwalla, owned by XCS Ranch LLC, is by NRHA Three Million Dollar Sire Walla Walla Whiz out of Cheeky Boom. Magnum Custom Dream, owned by Nancy Murfin-Moxley, is by NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream and out of Gunna Be Custom.

The semi-finals for Open Levels 1 – 3 will be held Monday and Tuesday, while the Level 4 Open Semi-Finals sponsored by Not Ruf At All and Tamarack Ranch will be held Wednesday, December 2. The top 30 from the composite of the first go and semi-finals in Levels 1 – 4 will earn a spot in Saturday’s clean-slate finals, as will the top 10 in the Prime Time Open.

By Edited NRHA Press Release

Photos courtesy NRHA Media Office/©Waltenberry