Star-Studded List of Entries Ready to Ride at Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup

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Shawn Flarida and KR Lil Conquistador. Photo by Anthony Trollope.

Lexington, KY – Cool and breezy weather provided a welcome change at the Kentucky Horse Park Thursday – perhaps the calm before the proverbial storm we’ll see Friday and Saturday nights as the 2011 Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup gets ready to unleash a roster of star-studded talent in the Alltech Arena.

Twenty horses were presented during Thursday’s reining horse inspection at the Alltech Arena; all horses were accepted and will be vying for the title in the CRI 5* Open FEI Reining on Friday, April 29. The CRI 5* will offer $90,000 in total prize money for the individual and team competition (running concurrently). This is currently the only five-star reining event in the Western Hemisphere scheduled for 2011.

Last year’s Gold medal-winning Adequan U.S. Reining Team returns in its entirety (Tom McCutcheon, Shawn Flarida, Tim McQuay and Craig Schmersal), each rider going head-to-head in a battle to claim this individual title, most of them partnering up with horses other than those we saw during the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

But those aren’t the only crowd favorites. In fact, the entire entry list reads like a “who’s who” in the sport of reining.

“This field is absolutely the top of the top,” said Brad Ettleman, whose efficient management is keeping things running smoothly. “These horses and riders are all wonderful.”

A few of the stand-out human interest stories include Lyle Lovett, the golden-voiced Grammy Award winner who has been a long-time rider and horse owner. This year, he’s out to prove that he’s among the best in the game. He’ll be competing with Smart And Shiney, a horse he co-owns with Tim McQuay. Another interesting note – it will be a family affair for Mandy McCutcheon, who is slated to compete against not only her husband, 2010 USEF Equestrian of the Year Tom McCutcheon, but also her father, reining veteran Tim McQuay. Mandy will be riding Chexy Dun It, owned by Turnabout Farm, Inc., and Don Julio Whiz, owned by Rosanne Sternberg. For a complete list of entries, visit www.kentuckyreining.com.

The CRI 5* reining competition gets underway at 6:00 p.m. Friday in the Alltech Arena.

Watch the competition live (and free): http://usefnetwork.com/2011KYCupReining/.

More information is available on the event website: http://www.kentuckyreining.com/.

United States Equestrian Federation | 4047 Iron Works Parkway | Lexington | KY | 40511

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