For Immediate Release
October 12, 2007
National Reining Horse Association
NRHA Million Dollar Owners Griffin and McQuay Make History
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – October 12, 2007 - At the 2007 Canadian Reining Breeders Classic, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Lance Griffin became NRHA’s first and only Million Dollar Owner, but not for long. Griffin’s achievement took place on Friday September 14, 2007, but on Saturday September 15, 2007, NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider and Hall of Famer Tim McQuay set the same Million Dollar Owner milestone at the Las Vegas Reining Classic, Nevada. An amazing achievement for both owners, it is an even more significant milestone since they kept it all in the families – it appears their daughters, Samantha and Mandy, were responsible for the final earnings that put each over the million-dollar-owner mark. You see, Reining is a family affair!
Lance and Terry Griffin’s daughter Samantha earned her first NRHA paycheck in 1997, while Tim and Colleen McQuay’s daughter Mandy McCutcheon, NRHA’s only non pro and female Million Dollar Rider, first banked a paycheck in 1987.
NRHA records show that Lance Griffin joined the association in 1996; for McQuay, NRHA involvement has been somewhat longer – his first NRHA paycheck was earned in 1978. Both men have owned horses that are household names to Reining enthusiasts. For Griffin there’s 2003 NRHA Futurity Open Champion The Great Whiz ($256,470); 2004 Cinch NRHA Non Pro Futurity Champion A Bright Chic ($114,632); 2006 World Equestrian Games (WEG) Team silver medalist and 2003 National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) Non Pro Champion Whiz N Tag Chex ($120,609) to name a few. For McQuay, first on the list has to be Hollywood Dun It ($65,808), the NRHA Five Million Dollar Sire and Hall of Fame inductee whose offspring, many owned by McQuay, have had a profound impact on the reining industry worldwide. And there’s 2005 Cinch NRHA Non Pro Futurity Champion, 2006 NRHA Non Pro Derby Co-Champion and NRBC Non Pro Co-Champion Rawhides Banjo ($135,963), 1998 Cinch NRHA Non Pro Futurity Reserve Champion, 1999 NRHA Non Pro Derby Reserve Champion Onside Kick; 1996 NRHA Futurity Open finalist (3rd place), 1998 Non Pro Derby Champion Mr Tori Kid ($100,117), 2001 NRBC Non Pro Reserve Champion, 2002 NRBC Non Pro Champion, 2003 Non Pro Derby Reserve Champion, NRBC Non Pro Reserve Champion Dont Miss This ($105,657), among countless others.
The successes of the Griffin and McQuay families, one relatively new to Reining, the other with a long NRHA history, attest to the diversity of those involved with Reining and the family values and atmosphere that reiners have in common. Reining – it’s a family affair!
