The Last Cowboy reining horses under consideration for the 2021 The Run For A Million horse show include NRHA Futurity champions, a “mystery horse” from Europe and blue-blooded full siblings.
In its debut, The Run For A Million proved it was a show that could draw the equine firepower.
Trainers in the competition brought the best horses they could find – including some equine stars lured out of retirement – to have the best shot at winning the one-run, Million Dollar Competition that is the cornerstone of the show held Aug. 18-21 in Las Vegas.
This year was no different.
Trainers could ride any horse, and the list of horses under consideration for 2021 included winners of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity, the NRHA Derby and multiple winners of the prestigious National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC). A number of horses who competed in the first Million Dollar Invitational – as there was no qualifying at the first event in 2019 – at the 2019 The Run For A Million also are under consideration for this year’s event.
Quarter Horse News interviewed riders in the event to ask which horses they were thinking about taking to Vegas: Brian Bell, Craig Schmersal, Arno Honstetter, Martin Muehlstaetter, Gina Schumacher, Tom McCutcheon, Kole Price, Casey Deary, Nathan Piper, Andrea Fappani, Matt Mills, Shawn Flarida, Dany Tremblay, Jason Vanlandingham and 2019 Million Dollar Invitational Co-Champion Cade McCutcheon.
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Brian Bell
Valley View, Texas
Mr Royal Hollywood
Pedigree: 15S (Hollywoodstinseltown x Cee Miss Hollywood x Custom Crome)
Earnings: $106,408
Career Highlights: Won the 2019 Carolina Classic Derby Level 4 Open and was third in the 2019 Tulsa Reining Classic Level 4 Open and the 2021 NRBC Level 4 Open. Finalist in several other major aged events.
Bell: “He is a horse that can handle the heat, he likes going wide-open and he likes a big arena. He’s a pretty solid horse.”
Fast Fact: Mr Royal Hollywood is a full brother to one of Bell’s other contenders, Cee Mr Stop.
Cee Mr Stop
Pedigree: 15S (Hollywoodstinseltown x Cee Miss Hollywood x Custom Crome)
Earnings: $62,021
Career Highlights: Finalist at the 2020 and 2021 NRBC Level 4 Open and also made several finals in 2019, including at the Carolina Classic, Tulsa Reining Classic and the High Roller Futurity & Derby show.
Bell: “That horse that I didn’t get shown as a three-year-old. I’ve made the NRBC Finals with him twice, I’ve made the Derby finals with him twice and he’s a big strong horse. He’s like riding a Bentley.
Fast Fact: He and Mr Royal Hollywood share a maternal ancestor with two other contenders, Americasnexttopgun and Americas Supermodel. The four horses all trace back on their mother’s side to NRHA Open World Champion Miss Cee Blair, who was the mother of many good horses – including NRHA Open World Champion Cee Blair Sailor, two-time NRHA Non-Pro World Champion Cee Leo Step and NRHA Derby Open Reserve Champion Cee Royal Step.
Gunnabebigtime
Pedigree: 17S (Gunnatrashya x Big Time Jazzy x Shine Big Time)
Earnings: $147,065
Career Highlights: 2020 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Reserve Champion and a finalist in the 2021 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open.
Bell: “He’s been incredible for us so far. The only reason why is he’s the third horse is because he’s four years old
Fast Fact: One of five contenders for this race sired by EquiStat Elite $5 Million Sire Gunnatrashya.
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Craig Schmersal
Scottsdale, Arizona
Face The Attitude
Pedigree: 14M (Pale Face Dunnit x Miss Lil Addy Tude x Whizard Jac)
Earnings: $253,732
Career Highlights: Won 2017 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Championship and made the finals of the 2019 Rocky Mountain Reining Horse Association Summer Slide Futurity and the Best of the West Futurity.
Schmersal: “She won the Futurity of course and then she had a couple years off. We decided to bring her back last year for Addy to show. That mare doesn’t owe me anything but I thought it’d be fun to show her in the shootout or the Run For A Million.
Fast Fact: The mare came out of retirement last year and was ridden by Schmersal’s daughter, Addy, in the Non-Pro ranks. They won the 2020 NRBC Classic Level 3 Non-Pro and were Reserve Champions in that year’s NRBC Classic Level 4 Non-Pro.
No Smoking Required
Pedigree: 13S (Colonels Smoking Gun x Icing Required x Smart Chic Olena)
Earnings: $497,861
Career Highlights: Co-Champion at the Million Dollar Invitational at the 2019 The Run For A Million and Reserve Champion at the 2019 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open. Also made the finals of several other top reining aged events.
Schmersal: “I showed him for the first time this week since last September, and he was really good, I marked a 227.5. He was fantastic. He was so good, it was fun. I think he had fun too.”
Fast Fact: One of five contenders that previously competed in the Million Dollar Invitational in 2019 at the first The Run For A Million show.
Setting Off To Town
Pedigree: 17G (Gunners Tinseltown x Setting Off Smart x Smart Spook)
Earnings: $51,306
Career Highlights: Made the Level 4 Open finals at several events, including the 2020 NRHA Futurity, 2021 Cactus Reining Classic and 2021 NRBC Classic.
Schmersal: “He’s a four-year-old but he’s super trusty and he’s got better and better all along. He’s one of those horses that makes very few mistakes.”
Fast Fact: The gelding is owned by Taylor Sheridan, the founder of The Run For A Million and the co-creator of the hit television series Yellowstone.
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Arno Honstetter
Scottsdale, Arizona
Miss Dreamy
Pedigree: 10M (Magnum Chic Dream x A Gal With A gun x Colonels Smoking Gun)
Earnings: $184,776
Career Highlights: National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) Level 4 Non-Pro Reserve Champion (2016), FEI World Equestrian Games Team Gold Medalist (2018) and FEI World Equestrian Games Individual Silver Medalist (2018).
Honstetter: “She’s the horse I used for the qualifier. I like her because she’s very kind, very dependable and honest.”
Fast Fact: Ms Dreamy went viral when thanks to a video of the 2018 AQHA World Show Senior Reining finals, where her bridle broke apart and then she and then-trainer Dan Huss completed the routine bridleless. Click here to watch a video of that incredible run.
Special Made Whiskey
Pedigree: 13S (Gunners Special Night x Starlight Acres x Paddys Irish Whiskey)
Earnings: $94,416
Career Highlights: NRHA Derby Level 2 Open Champion (2020) and NRHA Derby Level 3 Open Reserve Champion (2020).
Honstetter: “He’s a very good minded horse, I showed him all last year and I really like him because he’s very unique. He’s very physical but he’s very good-minded.”
Fast Fact: Sports a diverse pedigree with ancestors that include Paddys Irish Whiskey, Doc O Dynamite and NCHA Open World Champion Bob Acre Doc.
Gunna Cash Ya
Pedigree: 15S (Lil Joe Cash x Gunners Blonde Chic x Colonels Smoking Gun)
Earnings: $98,782
Career Highlights: In 2019, Co-Reserve Champion at the 2019 OK Ride & Slide Level 4 Open Derby and finalist in the NRBC Level 4 Open
Honstetter: “I don’t know the horse that well but Rick Christen rides him and I’ve only schooled him one him. It feels like a lot of fun to ride but honestly I’ve only ridden him like three times. I’m going to start riding him after the [North Atlantic] horseshow.”
Fast Fact: Placed seventh with Tom McCutcheon in the Million Dollar Invitational at the 2019 The Run For A Million.
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Martin Muehlstaetter
Scottsdale, Arizona
Spooks Grand Slam
Pedigree: 14S (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Shiney Diamond Lady x Shining Spark)
Earnings: $141,887
Career Highlights: Won Level 4 Open at the 2020 Best of the West Futurity, the Cactus Reining Classic Level 3 Open Championship and the 2017 High Roller Futurity Level 4 Non-Pro. Reserve champion or finalist in several other limited age events, including the NRHA Derby and NRBC.
Muehlstaetter: “He’s very talented, he’s got a lot of character. He’s been a great show horse.”
Fast Fact: Successfully ridden in the past by both Muehlstaetter and his wife, Kim.
Seven On Seven
Pedigree: 16S (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Anne Get Your Gunner x Colonels Smoking Gun)
Earnings: $100,540
Career Highlights: Won 2019 North Central Reining Horse Futurity Level 3 Non-Pro, 2019 All American Quarter Horse Congress Futurity Level 4 Non-Pro and finished fourth in the Level 4 Open at the 2019 NRHA Futurity.
Muehlstaetter: “I love that horse. He has the mind, a huge heart. He’s my steady-eddy.”
Fast Fact: One of a number of horses under consideration for the $1 Million Invitational who has competed in both the Open and Non-Pro divisions.
Copyride
Pedigree: 16S (Colonels Shining Gun x Finest Copyshot x I Am Shotgunner)
Earnings: $49,001
Career Highlights: Won 2019 Italian Reining Horse Association Futurity Level 4 Open Championship.
Muehlstaetter: “A little mystery horse I just purchased from Europe.”
Fast Fact: Shipped over from Europe with the goal of competing in the $1 Million Invitational.
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Tom McCutcheon
Aubrey, Texas
Gunners Rockstar
Pedigree: 17S (Gunners Special Nite x Belle Starr Dun It x Hollywood Dun It)
Earnings: $19,754
Career Highlights: 2021 Cactus Reining Classic Level 4 Open Reserve Champion and Reserve Champion in the Futurity Level 3 Open at the Friends of Reining Futurity.
McCutcheon: “He’s the horse I qualified on. He hasn’t won a lot at this point but I think he’s super talented and he just gets better all the time. I think he marked a 224 at the qualifier so he’s certainly in the mix of what it takes to go.”
Fast Fact: McCutcheon rode the father of Gunners Rockstar, Gunners Special Nite, to Team and Individual gold medals at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games.
Spooks Gotta Crush
Pedigree: 15S (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Megas Sugar Baby x Marthas Mega Jac)
Earnings: $140,444
Career Highlights: Reserve Champion in the $100,000 Open Shootout at the 2019 The Run For A Million and won 2020 NRBC Level 3 Open Championship. Finalist in many other aged events.
McCutcheon: “I have never shown him. Ruben Vandorp has given him to me to try for the Million. He’s a super cool horse, Ruben is super easy to follow. I’ve had him for probably a month and a half now and he feels good. He’s super good minded and has been a great show horse over his career.”
Fast Fact: Maternal half brother to PS Mega Shine Chic, who is one of the horses Dany Tremblay is pointing toward this year’s The Run For A Million $1 Million Invitational.
Spooks Gotta Outfire
Pedigree: 16S (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Black Custom Chex x Custom Crome)
Earnings: $57,418
Career Highlights: Third in the 2020 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open and third in Level 2 Junior Reining the 2020 AQHA World Show.
McCutcheon: “I’ve only had him for a couple weeks, and he’s owned by Clemerson Gomes Barbalho.”
Fast Fact: Previously competed with his owner, Barbalho, and fellow $1 Million Invitational qualifier Andrea Fappani.
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Gina Schumacher
Gordonville, Texas
Gunnastepya
Pedigree: 16S (Gunnatrashya x SDP A Lasting Step x Wimpys Little Step)
Earnings: $37,563
Career Highlights: Won 2021 Cactus Classic Derby Level 4 Non-Pro and was Reserve Champion in the Derby Level 3 Open at the 2019 High Roller Futurity & Derby and the Southwest Reining Horse Association Futurity shows.
Schumacher: “He is a very funny little guy; I love his character and the way he rides. He is very athletic and I’ve never had a horse that seemed to be able to do everything so easily.”
Fast Fact: Schumacher qualified for the $1 Million Invitational with Gunnastepya at the 2021 Cactus Reining Classic, making her the first non-pro rider to make the field for the event.
Alittlewhitetrash
Pedigree: 15S (Gunnatrashya x Wimpy Little Girl x Wimpys Little Step)
Earnings: $47,409
Career Highlights: Won Derby Level 4 Non-Pro at the 20219 High Roller Futurity & Derby and a finalist in the Level 4 Non-Pro at the NRHA Derby and NRBC.
Schumacher: “He is a 6-year-old gelding I’ve been showing for two seasons, he is very easy to ride and prepare. He is the kind of horse that loves to be cuddled and get lots of attention.”
Fast Fact: He is the leading earner for his mother, who won the 2011 NRHA Futurity Youth and is a daughter of EquiStat Elite $12 Million Sire Wimpys Little Step.
One Revolution Gun (PT)
Pedigree: 15G (One Gun [PT] x Revolution Chex x ARC Antares Surprise)
Earnings: $3,801
Career Highlights: Third in the Level 4 Non-Pro at the 2020 Italian Reining Horse Association Derby.
Schumacher: “He is a big stopper and a little lazy which makes him easier to show sometimes. I like him because he makes me laugh, he is a little clown!”
Fast Fact: Money on his EquiStat record is exclusively from Europe, with money won in Germany, Switzerland and Italy.
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Kole Price
Pilot Point, Texas
Gunna Stop
Pedigree: 15S (Gunnatrashya x Stop Little Sister x Magnum Chic Dream)
Earnings: $175,633
Career Highlights: NRHA Derby Level 3 Open Champion (2020), Cactus Reining Classic Level 4 Open Champion (2021) and High Roller Reining Classic Level 4 Open Champion (2019)
Price: “I know him really well, he’s always been there for me. I know him like the back of my hand, so I think that’s key. I know he’s a horse that can step up and I can call on him.”
Gunnin For Chicks
Pedigree: 09S (Colonels Smoking Gun x Dun It By Chick x Hollywood Dun It)
Earnings: $79,971
Career Highlights: Level 4 Open Reserve Champion at the Tulsa Reining Classic (2015) and a finalist in NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open (2012), NRHA Derby Level 4 Open (2013 & 2015)
Price: “I’ve never shown him. I loved watching him, he always looked like a really good show horse. He sat for a while which I think will help him because his mind will be fresh, he’s going to feel good. That horse has a ton of maneuvers and I think he can step up and be a contender as well.”
Fast Fact: His mother, Dun It By Chick, has foaled 20 earners of more than $558,871.
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Casey Deary
Weatherford, Texas
Americasnexttopgun
Pedigree: 16S (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel x Colonels Smoking Gun)
Earnings: $175,736
Career Highlights: NRBC Level 4 Open Champion (2020) and Cactus Reining Classic Derby Level 4 Open Co-Champion (2021)
Deary: “That horse doesn’t have a weak spot. If I can get that horse shown he’s probably going to be with best one that I’ve had. That horse is super talented everywhere so it’s just a matter of getting him in the right spot.”
Fast Fact: A breeding stallion in addition to being a show horse, Americasnexttopgun stood his first year at stud in 2021.
Americas Supermodel
Pedigree: 15M (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel x Colonels Smoking Gun)
Earnings: $235,511
Career Highlights: NRBC Level 4 Open Reserve Champion (2020), High Roller Reining Classic Level 4 Open Champion (2020) and third place in the NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open (2018)
Deary: “She has been a consistent contender everywhere she’s gone. I know I can count on her to show up and do her job.
Fast Fact: Second-leading earner for her sire, Walla Walla Whiz, falling just behind his leading earner, Shesouttayourleague, who is the mother of another of Deary’s contenders, Down Right Amazing.
Down Right Amazing
Pedigree: 17S (Colonels Smoking Gun x Shesouttayourleague x Walla Walla Whiz)
Earnings: $110,735
Career Highlights: third in NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open (2020) and NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Reserve Champion (2021)
Deary: “I’ll be using him in the $100,000 deal [$100,000 Open Shootout]. Down Right Amazing is [by] Gunner and out of Shesouttayourleague. It’s kinda the same pedigree [as my others] but flipped over.”
Fast Fact: Deary rode Down Right Amazing’s mother, Shesouttayourleague, to the NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Championship. The horse’s maternal grandmother is Wimpys Little Chic, the richest show mare in the sport and a millionaire producer.
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Nathan Piper
Pilot Point, Texas
Patriot
Pedigree: 15S (Smart Spook x Dunit A Lil Ruf x Lil Ruf Peppy)
Earnings: $234,189
Career Highlights: National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) Level 4 Open Co-Champion (2019), AQHA Junior Reining World Champion (2019) and NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Reserve Champion (2020)
Piper: “He’s my only one on the list. I don’t know what I could say [about him]. He’s an amazing individual that tries hard every day I’ve trained on him and every day I’ve shown him. He’s there for me every single day, he’s a good one.”
Fast Fact: His full brother, Ruf Lil Magnum, finished 11th in the 2019 $1 Million Invitational with trainer Duane Latimer.
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Andrea Fappani
Scottsdale, Arizona
Platinum Vintage
Pedigree: 10S (A Sparkling Vintage x Starjac Miss x Hollywood Jac 86)
Earnings: $324,951
Career Highlights: 2015 NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Champion and third in the 2019 $1 Million Invitational at The Run For A Million.
Fappani: “He will mostly likely be the one unless he doesn’t feel at the top of his game. Right now he’s feeling really good. He’s a little older [11] than ideally what you’d want to show, he’s eleven this year but he feels physically and mentally still at the top of his game. He gave me a couple of great runs last year, we showed him a couple times. He feels like he’s really in good shape and more than that it’s the fact that he was second [behind co-champions No Smoking Required & Custom Made Gun] by half a point two years ago and that was a mistake I feel like I could have avoided.
“It was me, not him, so it never sat right. I wanted to give it another show with him.”
Fast Fact: Platinum Vintage will soon be joined in the show pen by his sons and daughters, as his first foals are 3-year-olds this year.
Starjac Vintage
Pedigree: 16S (A Sparkling Vintage x Starjac Miss x Hollywood Jac 86)
Earnings: $95,195
Career Highlights: Level 4 Open Reserve Champion at the 2021 NRHA Derby and a Level 4 Open finalist at the 2018 NRHA Futurity.
Fappani: “I just came off being reserve with him at the Derby. It’s a full brother to [Platinum Vintage] that’s been really good this year. He won the Open at the NRBC with a 229 and came back and showed really strong at the Derby.”
Fast Fact: His and Platinum Vintage’s mother, Starjac Miss, has produced the winners of more than $523,379. In 2020, one of her sons – Starjac Enterprise (by Shiners Voodoo Dr) – drew a bid of $88,000 to be the highest-selling yearling at the NRHA Markel Futurity Sales.
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Matt Mills
Scottsdale, Arizona
Money Carlo
Pedigree: 15S (A Sparkling Vintage x Chex Drive x Bueno Chexinic)
Earnings: $58,310
Career Highlights: Reserve Champion in the 2018 Tulsa Reining Classic Futurity Level 4 Open and third in the 2018 All American Quarter Horse Congress Futurity Open.
Mills: “He’s a pretty talented horse that’s got a lot of ability. He’s my front runner right now.”
Fast Fact: Second-leading earner for his dam, Chex Drive.
Americas Gunslinger
Pedigree: 15S (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel x Colonels Smoking Gun)
Earnings: $26,325
Career Highlights: Level 4 Open finalist at the NRHA Futurity, NRHA Derby and National Reining Breeders Classic.
Mills: “He’s a horse I’ve had his whole career, so I know him real well. He’s a huge stopper and I feel like I haven’t had that big signature run on him yet but I think he’s going to have it, he’s close.”
Fast Fact: One of at least three full siblings out of NRHA Futurity Open Champion Americasnextgunmodel who are contenders for this year’s $1 Million Invitational. All three were sired by EquiStat Elite $3 Million Sire Walla Walla Whiz.
Peptos Lil Step
Pedigree: 14S (Wimpys Little Step x Peptos Lil Melody x Peptoboonsmal)
Earnings: $14,229
Career Highlights: Finalist at the 2021 National Reining Breeders Classic.
Mills: “He’s a big, strong, solid horse that is always ready to show. I definitely wasn’t going to leave home without him.”
Fast Fact: Peptos Lil Step’s pedigree is a cross between reining and cutting. His father, Wimpys Little Step, is a NRHA Hall of Famer who has sired the winners of more than $12 million in reining events. The maternal grandfather of Peptos Lil Step, Peptoboonsmal, was the 1995 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Futurity Open Champion whose progeny have won more than $25 million in cutting.
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Shawn Flarida
Springfield, Ohio
Hollywooddirtysecret
Pedigree: 15G (Hollywoodstinseltown x Maximum RPM x Einsteins Revolution)
Earnings: $176,571
Career Highlights: Won the 2021 Cactus Reining Classic Level 4 Non-Pro Co-Championship, the 2018 NRHA Futurity Level 1 Non-Pro and several Youth limited-age championships with Flarida’s son, Sam. A Non-Pro finalist is several major aged events.
Flarida: “I’ve helped my son with him a lot as far as getting him ready for the derbies. I think he’s won almost $180,000-$200,000. I’ve been around him a lot.”
Fast Fact: Even though Shawn Flarida has earned almost $7 million in the sport of reining, nearly all of Hollywooddirtysecret’s lifetime earnings came with Flarida’s son, Sam, in the saddle.
Spooks Gotta Spark
Pedigree: 13S (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Dolittle Lena x Shining Spark)
Earnings: $184,439
Career Highlights: Won The Run For A Million Open Qualifier at the 2021 Cactus Reining Classic and was fourth in the $1 Million Invitational at the 2019 The Run For A Million. Level 4 Open finalist in the NRHA Derby and the National Reining Breeders Classic.
Flarida: “I had him as a 2-year-old and he got hurt before the Futurity but I’ve been around him almost his whole life.”
Fast Fact: His mother, Dolittle Lena, has foaled the earners of more than $591,000 – a list that includes several full siblings to Spooks Gotta Spark.
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Dany Tremblay
Overbrook, Oklahoma
PS Mega Shine Chic
Pedigree: 13S (Shine Chic Shine x Megas Sugar Baby x Marthas Mega Jac)
Earnings: $219,655
Career Highlights: Reserve Champion in the NRBC Level 4 Open (2017) and High Roller Derby Level 4 Open (2018). Won The Run For A Million $100,000 Open Shootout in 2019, which qualified Tremblay to compete in the 2021 Million Dollar Invitational.
Tremblay: “Crush is the total package. He’s a phenomenal mover, super athletic and has unique style.”
Fast Fact: Sold for $280,000 as a 2-year-old at the 2015 NRHA/Markel Insurance Futurity Prospect Sale, topping the sale.
Tinker With Dreams
Pedigree: 14S (Tinker With Guns x This Chicsdundreamin x Magnum Chic Dream)
Earnings: $267,159
Career Highlights: NRBC Level 4 Open Co-Champion (2021), AQHA Reining Senior World Champion (2020) and High Roller Derby Level 4 Open Champion (2018)
Tremblay: “He is the best minded stallion ever. He’s an incredible animal with a super brain. He is such a great show horse and he’s won a lot of money in Vegas.”
Fast Fact: Finished 10th in the $100,000 Open Shootout at the 2019 The Run For A Million.
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Jason Vanlandingham
Whitesboro, Texas
A Vintage Smoke
Pedigree: 15S (A Sparkling Vintage x Lady Smoke Peppy x Mister Dual Pep)
Earnings: $532,288
Career Highlights: Reining Triple Crown Winner – won the Level 4 Open at the NRHA Futurity (2018), NRBC (2019) and NRHA Derby (2020). Also tied with Tinker With Guns for this year’s NRBC Level 4 Open Co-Championship, and was Co-Reserve Champion at the 2020 NRBC.
Vanlandingham: “If he’s healthy and sound, he’ll be the one that shows. Lord willing, he’ll stay [sound]. He’s never taken a lame step or had to have anything injected anywhere. He’s a very sound horse.”
Fast Fact: Finished fifth in the Million Dollar Invitational at the 2019 The Run For A Million.
Stopping In Jersey
Pedigree: 17S (Yellow Jersey x Stop Little Sister x Magnum Chic Dream)
Earnings: $26,977
Career Highlights: High Roller Futurity Level 4 Open Reserve Champion (2020) and NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open finalist.
Vanlandingham: “He’s all style and class. He’s super fancy to look at, super fancy going around, does all the maneuvers big and he’s a special horse.”
Fast Fact: His father, Yellow Jersey, just sired the winner of the 2021 NRHA Derby.
Best Shine
Pedigree: 17S (Shine Chic Shine x Best Stop x Custom Crome)
Earnings: $34,619
Career Highlights: Level 4 Open finalist in the NRHA Futurity (2020) and the NRBC (2021)
Vanlandingham: “He’s electric. He’s explosive in his turns and in his stops, he really swallows the ground.”
Fast Fact: His mother, Best Stop, has foaled the winners of nearly $500,000.
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Cade McCutcheon
Aubrey, Texas
Modern Gun
Pedigree: 13S (Gunners Special Nite x Taris Modern Design x Mr Boomerjac)
Earnings: $222,026
Career Highlights: NRBC Level 4 Open Champion (2018) and Reining By The Bay Derby Level 4 Open Champion (2019)
McCutcheon: “He feels really good. I don’t know him very well, but he’s a great horse.”
Fast Fact: Modern Gun’s maternal line includes the great broodmare Taris Little Vintage, who produced the winners of more than $776,000 – including two NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open champions.
Super Marioo
Pedigree: 16S (Gunnatrashya x HA Chic A Tune x Smart Chic Olena)
Earnings: $295,300
Career Highlights: NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Champion (2019) and Cactus Reining Classic Derby Level 4 Open Co-Champion (2021)
McCutcheon: “I know him really well.”
Fast Fact: Super Marioo provided McCutcheon with his first-ever win in the NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open.
Americas Supermodel or Americasnexttopgun
Pedigree: Full Siblings. (Walla Walla Whiz x Americasnextgunmodel x Colonels Smoking Gun)
Earnings: $204,662 (Americas Supermodel) and $175,736 (Americasnexttopgun)
Career Highlights:
* Americas Supermodel – NRBC Level 4 Open Reserve Champion (2020), High Roller Reining Classic Level 4 Open Champion (2020) and third place in the NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open (2018)
* Americasnexttopgun – NRBC Level 4 Open Champion (2020) and Cactus Reining Classic Derby Level 4 Open Co-Champion (2021)
McCutcheon: “Whichever one Casey [Deary] doesn’t show is my number three horse. We’re friends.”
Fast Fact: Their mother, Americasnextgunmodel, won the 2012 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open championship.
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