Welcome to the NTR National Finals issue of The Arena. This edition is filled with useful information to help you enjoy your week in Wickenburg and included is the sale catalog for The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio.
At the 2017 NTR National Finals we will be awarding $100,000 to the champion teams in the National 12, the National 9 and the National 8 Finales. To put that in perspective, the $100,000 awarded to the winning teams will tie the USTRC champions' cash award and is second only to the WSTR payoff. The USTRC has been doing this for over 25 years and the WSTR has been working toward their payoff for 11. This is only our third year!
Congratulations to the ropers who have qualified so far and good luck to those at the remaining qualifiers. There are still a few direct entry spots available (limited to 40 direct entry teams). So, if you haven’t been able to make a qualifier this season and still want to rope at the Finals for $100,000, you can find the direct entry forms online—those fees are $1,000 per roper. And, if you don’t have a partner, don’t worry we can draw you one.
The #10 National Finale is new this year. We provided this division for a group of ropers who wanted to compete against fewer teams. Entries in this roping are $1,000 per roper with 80% payback. One wrinkle also new this year, if you win over $1,000 at a #10 Megabucks or #10 National Qualifier, the entry fees to enter the Finale are only $500 per roper.
Remember, ANYONE can enter the NTR National Finals, and there are chances to qualify for the big money Finales right up to the start of those $100,000 dollar ropings.
We are excited to once again host The Horse Sale at Rancho Rio. This
year there are 56 performance horses on consignment for every level of
roper. We will be erecting the same “Big Top” tent, hanging chandeliers
from the ceiling and bringing in the best auctioneer in the business,
Steve Friskup. It’s guaranteed to be the most-fun a performance horse
lover could want.
The Horse Sale preview is Wednesday, March 8, at 3:00 p.m., and The Horse Sale starts
at 5:30 p.m., on Thursday, following the National 9 Finale. Again this
year, we will offer a sizeable big screen in the sale ring to replay the
horse preview while the horses sell.
To help reconcile the standing-room-only problem at The Horse Sale, we will be offering a limited number of VIP tickets. Those will be available for purchase at the Rancho Rio entry office and will guarantee you a premium spot to watch the sale.
