It was a great day for Brian Bell at the National Reining Breeders Classic. In the National Reining Horse Association Novice Horse Open Level 1 competition, he tied for first place – with himself! Bell scored a 146 on both Electrical Spark, owned by Klein Performance Horses, Del Mar, California, and Topsail Footwork, owned by Troop Quarter Horses, Marietta, Oklahoma.

Taking two titles was a relatively simple process for Bell, who was mounted on two great horses.

“They were both pretty smooth and easy,” the Marietta, Oklahoma, trainer said. “Electrical Spark has been shown a lot. That’s kind of his comfort zone: He’s comfortable at a 72.5 or 73. Topsail Footwork was kind of green as a 3-year-old. He hasn’t been shown very much, so I was trying to season him and teach him where to go and what to do.”

Bell was the last rider to show in the NRBC Classic Open preliminaries the night before being the first draw in the Novice Horse competition on another entry, Sweet Pepto Nic, and had help from his assistant, Nicole Schneider.

“We brought 11 horses and just me and her, so we’ve worked hard this week,” Bell said.

The Novice Horse Open Level 1 Reserve Champion, with a score of 145, was Easy Okie Dokie, ridden by Greg Gottschalk for Russet Stables Inc., Coloma Wisconsin.

The NRBC also features a full-slate of National Reining Horse Association-approved classes, which run in the East Arena while the Classic is held in the Coliseum. The National Reining Breeders Classic is the most successful stallion incentive program in reining history. In just fourteen years, the NRBC has grown to include nearly 200 subscribed stallions. Annually, the payout at the National Reining Breeders Classic exceeds $1.4 million. For information on the NRBC, visit the web site at www.nrbc.com or call 580-759-3939.