Mike McEntire won the 18^th Annual Gordyville Breeders Cup aboard Robert LaPorta’s stallion Mr Boomerjac.  The championship, held in Gifford, IL on March 18, was the second of three qualifiers for the Adequan/USEF Open Reining Championships.

With a score of 227.5, McEntire took the gold medal over a field of 15 entries.  Steve Schwartzenberger aboard Linda Wise’s stallion, Country Bay Berry, took the silver.  Shawn Flarida and Keith Crawford’s stallion, Rowdy Yankee, received the bronze.

These reiners and their mounts are now one step closer to competing at the 2006 Adequan/USEF Open Reining Championships held in Lexington, KY on June 24.  The results of this event will determine who will go to Aachen, Germany to represent the U.S. Reining Team in the 2006 World Equestrian Games.  Reiners who did not qualify at the Gordyville Breeders Cup can still qualify for the Championships in Lexington at the National Reining Breeders Classic.  The NRBC will be held in Katy, TX from April 18 to April 23.

Riders are also accumulating points toward the FEI Masters, to be held in Denver, CO in October.  The FEI invites the top two point-earning riders from each country to compete at the Masters each year.

Riders earn points by competing at Concours de Reining International (CRI) in their home nation.  There are three more CRI’s where riders can earn points in the U.S., the NRBC in Katy TX; the USEF Championships; and the Central New York Reining Horse Association’s Ride and Slide in Syracuse, NY.

Pictures from the 18^th Annual Gordyville Breeders Cup CRI can be viewed at www.waltenberrys.com.