Nominate as Foals - Benefit for Years
Oklahoma City, OK – April 3, 2008 – A major change in the National Reining Horse Association’s (NRHA) Futurity and Derby nomination program is expected to provide endless benefits for reiners for many years to come.
The new NRHA Futurity/Derby Nomination Plan, just approved by the NRHA Board of Directors, is expected to help strengthen the NRHA Futurity and NRHA Derby. The Futurity/Derby Nomination Plan Task Force spent the better part of a year working to develop a solution to bring more money and increased stability to the NRHA Futurity and NRHA Derby. The new Futurity/Derby Nomination Plan features increased and deeper payouts especially in the Intermediate Open, Limited Open, Intermediate Non Pro and Limited Non Pro divisions.
Tom McCutcheon, NRHA Board of Director member and task-force chair, feels they have come up with a nomination plan that will provide a substantial amount of prize money for Open and Non Pro riders in both the Futurity and Derby. “A common misconception is that it’s all about the ‘big guys’ and it’s not. The increased payout goes into the Intermediate and Limited Open and Non Pro divisions, which ultimately is the best thing for the industry. The new nomination plan will double the prize money for those levels.”
NRHA Derby Intermediate Open division Champion and World Champion Pete Kyle said there will be an adjustment period, but it will be well worth the investment for everyone. Kyle said, “Over a period of time everyone will see how successful the program is and how well it’s working. There are several programs out there that are doing this already and have a lot of success and are able to generate a lot of money for their shows without taxing the exhibitor. Then it creates a lot of money to be won back. When you can win more money, it makes your horses worth more money.”
Kyle continued to say the plan makes good business sense. He stressed even if the economy is in a downturn it would be to every reiner’s advantage in the long term to get involved. “If you don’t have your horses nominated in the program, in a couple of years people aren’t going to want to buy them. The new nomination plan will help you market your horses especially if you get in the program now. It’s here and it’s happening and it’s going to be successful.”
NRHA Executive Board Member Dale Lopp submitted one of the first formulas that he felt would help restructure the NRHA Futurity and Derby. He says he’s happy with the final nomination plan because it will bring more people to the sport and in turn more money to benefit the Futurity and Derby. Lopp said, “A plan like this will open up more doors for more people to come play, including younger trainers, and create a place for more horses to compete.”
McCutcheon agreed, “One of the issues with the reining horse industry right now is the incredible growth of our membership. There has been a lack of quality trained Non Pro horses and with this plan we believe there will be a greater incentive for more horses to be trained and taken to the Futurity and Derby which therefore provides a larger number of horses in the future for the grassroots level.”
The new mandatory nomination program will begin with 2008 foals. A $300 one-time nomination fee paid as weanlings makes them eligible to enter the NRHA Futurity as a three-year-old. The one-time nomination fee also makes them eligible to enter the NRHA Derby as four, five and six-year-olds. All other applicable entry fees and judges fees must be paid in addition to the nomination fee when the horse is of age to enter that event. No substitutions will be allowed. The nomination fee for ’08 foals must be postmarked by December 31, 2008. The nomination fee payment deadline will be December 31 every year after.
One of the most exciting parts of the new plan is the Nominator Incentive in which the person or entity that nominates the foal will receive five percent of that horse’s winnings in any division of the Futurity or Derby whether they still own the horse or not. “You can sell that colt as a yearling and receive checks on it for up to five years later,” said McCutcheon.
The new NRHA Futurity/Derby Nomination Plan will add long-term stability for the Futurity and the Derby. The financial support is guaranteed and once that is in place the Futurity and Derby will remain solid year after year.
For more detailed information about the new nomination plan go to www.nrha.com. Or call NRHA Futurity and NRHA Derby Supervisor Susie Trimmer at 405-946-7400 ext. 131 or email at strimmer@nrha.com.
The NRHA Futurity/Derby Nomination Plan: Nominate as Foals - Benefit for Years!
