NRHA Futurity NRHA Futurity - Cont from page 10
Sally Amabile receiving $5,637. The Shine Chic Shine colt, out of Gunners Miss Oak, lived up to the high expectations of being the 2018 Markel Insurance Prospect Sale high seller. The colt is owned by Gaynia Revenberg.
The Other Open Championships
On October 6, Jacob Ballard took Flash- in Benjamins into his training program. He was familiar with the horse, who he started as a 2-year-old, but the stallion had spent the last year-and-a-half with Kole Price. The pair only had two months to sync back up before the NRHA Futurity, but Ballard rose to the challenge, and the duo scored a 218 to win the Level 1 Open, place in Levels 3 and 2, and earn $52,389. “I’ve dreamed about being in the finals of
the [NRHA] Futurity forever, and to pick off the Level 1 was pretty exciting,” said Ballard, who is 26 years old. “I can’t describe it.” Prior to running pattern 10, Ballard said he knew if he could execute the run-in, stop, and back-up well, everything else would fall into place. The horse didn’t let him down, turn- ing even better under the bright lights than he did in the warm-up arena. “After I loped off [from my turns], I knew that he was locked in and I could go and push him in his circles,” Ballard said. “By the time I got done with my second lead change, I knew I was home free. All I had to do was turn the cor- ner and go stop him. He just killed the ground like he does every time.”
Ballard, who apprenticed under Price before going out on his own at the beginning of 2019, said it was a testament to Price’s pro- gram that he was able to click with the horse so quickly. Since he only had two months be- fore the NRHA Futurity, he knew he needed to make every ride count. Schooling at his local college gave him a place to practice in a show setting, which he thinks gave him an advan- tage.
Flashin Benjamins (Gunnatrashya x Shin- ers Hot Flash) was owned by Leann Spurlock at the time of the NRHA Futurity and was nominated by Nicole Miller, who will receive $2,619. Ballard said the horse’s owners have been very involved, which he respected and appreciated.
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“You can’t get to where I am without having good owners,” he
All-Around Novice Amateur
said. “Everyone
wants to talk about the horse and other factors, but the owners are a huge part of it.”
The stallion may be moving on to new things, as his owners received an offer on him at the NRHA Futurity. Bal- lard has some other
prospects
waiting in the wings, but he won’t forget the colt he started and then rode to an NRHA Futurity L1 Open Championship.
“I remember stopping him
Martin Larcombe & Shines Like Spook
Beth Von Brecht & Melody
Larcombe and
when he first got sliders on, and he stopped really smooth — about 10, 12 feet,” he said. “He has that same effect, only now he does it with 25 feet. He hasn’t changed a whole lot as far as tal- ent goes, just a lot of the buttons are different and more progressed. “It’s been a long road of ups and downs, but I’m thankful for all of it,” he added. “I wasn’t sure it was the best move in January [to go out on my own], but God is on my side as far as the events and people he’s put in my life to get me where I am.” The Level 1 Reserve Championship was
won by Josh Tishman and Lanas Lil Joe, by Lil Joe Cash and out of Elanachics. Lanas Lil Joe, owned by Steve Carr, won $29,493. Rainbow Ridge Equestrian, nominator of Lanas Lil Joe, received $1,474. It didn’t take much convincing when
Rosanne Sternberg, and NRHA Million Dollar Owner,* asked Martin Larcombe to ride Shines Like Spook. The royally bred colt is by NRHA Six Million Dollar Sire Smart Spook and out of Ebony Shines, who recently became one of two NRHA Million Dollar Dams. “Rosanne bred this horse, and owns both the sire and the dam, so this is a pretty good promotion for her brand. You can imagine in April when she said she had this colt that it didn’t take much to get me to try him,” Larcombe said with a laugh.
SouthWest Horse Trader January 2020
*During the Level 4 Open Finals, Rosanne Sternberg unofficially became an NRHA Two Million Dollar Owner. Rosanne is only the second owner to reach this milestone, following Arcese Quarter Horses that reached the Two Million Dollar mark in 2012.
Shines Like Spook qual- ified for the Level 4 and 3 Open Finals, as well as the Prime Time. Their score of 220 equated to good checks in the Lev- el 4 and 3, and the win in the Prime Time. All totaled, the pair took home $2,033 in finals cash. “I’ve taken him to a couple pre-futurities, and he’s been respect- able. I know he has a
lot of ability and a lot of stop. I think he will mature a bit more and get more solid as a show horse,” Larcombe shared. “Even saying that, I can’t complain about how good he’s been this week. He has stepped up all week. He’s going to be a show horse.” Sternberg and Larcombe have a long
history together. They got to know each other when Larcombe was training reiners in Eu- rope, and the relationship continued when his family moved to the United States. “I thank Rosanne. She’s had horses with me the past few years and has been a great customer. I also thank my crew, which is basically my family,” he said. “I also thank my great customers who support me.”
Larcombe went one-two in the Prime
Time, taking Reserve on One Sensation- aldream, owned by Neylon Performance Horses LLC. The pair marked a 217.5, worth $11,410, with nominator Kathy Bagnell re- ceiving $498. One Sensationaldream is by Magnum Chic Dream and out of Dun Up Sen- sational. w
Waltenberry
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