Former National Reining Breeders Classic Champion Lance Griffin came close to snagging his third NRBC Non Pro Championship, finishing with the Reserve title on The Great Tag. The pair marked a 222 – not only winning the Reserve title, but also topping the Non Pro Prime Time. All total, the pair added nearly $25,000 to their lifetime earnings.

“He’d been solid in the go-rounds, and I knew he could be good today,” said the 55-year-old. “He was Reserve in the National Reining Horse Association Futurity, so I know he has a ton of talent. He just needs to be asked, but not over-asked. I hoped I could get from him what he could give me – and it worked.”

“I really wanted to win it on this horse – he’s pretty special to me,” said Griffin of The Great Tag, who is out of Pines BH, the dam of Futurity Champion The Great Whiz. “I won the NRBC Non Pro twice with his sire, Whiz N Tag Chex. This horse is a 6-year-old now, so we can’t compete in the Classic anymore. ”

Still, Griffin has his eyes pointed firmly toward the next big event – the NRHA Derby the last week of June. “I don’t really know what to do with a gelding with this much in earnings. We’ll probably show him in some of the 7-year-old classes, or maybe someone will want to buy him,” he explained.

“This is my favorite show. It’s the best pen to show in and we get to show the best horses in the world. It’s a shame that not more people get to see what goes on here – tomorrow night when the Open Finals go we’ll see the best reining in the world,” said Griffin. Because Griffin owns Whiz N Tag Chex, he also received the signature blue crystal sire award trophy.

Christie Batson and First Class Custom won the NRBC Non Pro Prime Time Reserve Championship with a 220.5, winning $1,050. First Class Custom is by Custom Crome out of Smoking Sophie. Batson also made the Non Pro, Intermediate Non Pro, and Limited Non Pro finals, winning an additional $13,674.

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.