The Derby features an estimated purse well over $340,000 and one reiner who will be taking careful aim at the top prize is Duane Latimer of Marietta, Oklahoma. Latimer, who won the 1999 and 2000 Derbies, will be going for an unprecedented "three-peat"! His championships on Topgun Whiz (1999) and Conquistador Whiz (2000) each netted over $20,000!

The Derby is the NRHA’s premiere showcase for 4 and 5-year-old reining horses, and with the Friday night Intervet Semi Finals of the Cosequin/United States Equestrian Team Reining Championship presented by Bayer, it becomes one of the most important stops on the "Road to Gladstone", as well. The top 20 finishers from the Semi Finals will qualify for the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions $100,000 Reining Championship June 21-24 in Gladstone, New Jersey.

Not all the action takes place center-stage in the State Fair Arena, though. The Derby Trade Show provides a variety of shopping opportunities with vendors displaying a wide range of wares, from artwork to tack, western clothing and jewelry.

For shoppers with bigger-ticket items in mind, the NRHA Derby Spotlight Sale on Saturday will feature some of the country’s finest reining horses and prospects, as well as broodmares and stallions.

Derby days also include freestyle reining exhibitions, plus the Annual NRHA World Champion Awards Banquet, slated for May 17th, to be held at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Special ceremonies will recognize the 2000 World Champion Reiners and the induction of NRHA past president Frank Costantini into the NRHA Hall of Fame.

The National Reining Horse Association, headquartered in Oklahoma City, is the governing body of the sport of reining, distributing over $4 million in prize money each year, at over 345 approved events worldwide.

For NRHA Derby ticket information contact the NRHA at 405-946-7400.