Todd Bergen went to the 2003 NRHA Futurity in Oklahoma City with NRHA Lifetime Earnings approximately $41,000 shy of the magic number that it takes to become an NRHA Million Dollar Rider. Despite bringing two horses to the Futurity Finals, Bergen went home to Eagle Point, Oregon, still $15,000 short of this coveted milestone. That would be rectified at the 2004 National Reining Breeders Classic, held April 20-25, 2004, in Katy, Texas.
“I was stewing about that last $15,000 all winter long,” admits Bergen. “I felt like it took me longer to get the last $15,000 than it did the first $985,000!” Bergen’s co-reserve championship in the NRBC Derby Open Division on Arcese Quarter Horses USA’s Saturdaynight Custom put him over the top. He earned $37,360.25 in the Finals with an additional $2,592.73 earned in the qualifying round. “I knew my horse was capable,” says Bergen. “I knew he could get the job done. It feels great. Reaching this milestone is something we all strive to achieve.” And Todd Bergen, in true NRHA fashion, is an over-achiever.
Bergen earned his first NRHA paycheck in 1993. He earned his first of two NRHA Futurity Open championship titles in 1995 on Tetsuro Kawashima’s Todaysmyluckyday. In 1998, Todd was back in the NRHA Open Futurity winner’s circle with Chic Please, owned by Arcese Enterprises. Bergen has no less than three NRHA Futurity reserve championship titles to his credit. In 1997, he was the Co-Reserve Champion on Im So Tari owned by the Lazy E Ranch, Inc. In 1999, Todd guided Vaughn Zimmerman’s Roosters Wrangler to the Futurity Reserve Champion position, then, in 2000 he repeated that feat with Ricochet Rooster, also owned by Arcese Enterprises. In addition, Bergen is a two-time Open Derby Champion. In 1995, he rode Jon Sather’s Lean With Me to the Open Derby win, and then he and Jerry Lees Surprise, owned by Blue Sky Ranch/Doug Holmes, earned the Open Derby championship title in 1996.
There are now five NRHA professionals who have reached the celebrated NRHA Million Dollar Rider milestone: Bill Horn (1995), Tim McQuay (1997), Shawn Flarida (2003), Duane Latimer (2003), and now Todd Bergen has joined the small, but very select group.
