08/17/2026
Wow!!! Definitely want to save this to the timeline. Congratulations to all!!! ๐ค ๐
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There are nights in sport that feel scripted. The kind where the stories are almost too perfect, the pressure too great, the athletes too extraordinary, and the ending too cinematic to have happened by chance.
Last night was one of them.
I don't think anyone could have written a better script for The Run For A Million 2026.
The anticipation surrounding this year's Million felt different before the first horse ever walked through the gate. The horsepower. The riders. The countries represented. The pedigrees. The comeback stories. The young horses being asked to become legends and the older horses returning to remind us why longevity matters.
Sixteen horses. Sixteen riders. And not one combination you could confidently count out.
For a few unforgettable hours, generations of breeding decisions, years of training, thousands upon thousands of miles, early mornings, late nights, disappointments, injuries, sacrifices, second chances, and impossible dreams all converged in one arena.
It was a cinematic culmination of the magic of unicorns and the people who believed in them long enough to get them there.
Young and old watched from the edges of their seats. For one night, it felt like the entire reining world was holding its breath together.
This is reining.
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When Taylor Sheridan first created The Run For A Million, there was no shortage of reservation. There was criticism. There was angst. There were questions.
Taking cowboy culture, our culture, and putting it beneath the brightest lights for the rest of the world to see was equally unnerving and exciting.
Would the outside world understand it? Would Hollywood change it? Could something built for a larger audience still honor the horsemen, horses, breeders, and traditions that created it?
Those were fair questions. But last night offered an answer.
Because what unfolded inside that arena was not a manufactured version of reining. It was reining at its absolute highest level.
Perhaps the greatest gift of Taylor Sheridan's vision is deceptively simple. He created a place where the best horses can still be the best horses.
Regardless of age. Regardless of where they were born. Regardless of where their rider came from. Regardless of whether their greatest moment happened yesterday or years ago.
They have somewhere to meet.
One arena. One night. One million dollar stage.
And now, with this event reaching the general population through CBS, people far beyond our industry's traditional borders will have the opportunity to witness what happened.
That is a win for reining.
Whether you show at the weekend level or the highest level. Whether you're a breeder, trainer, non pro, youth rider, owner, veterinarian, farrier, fan, or the kid sitting on the fence dreaming about someday riding through that gate, visibility matters.
Last night gave the world something worth seeing.
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Golden Coins, the Stallion. Kole Price. 237ยฝ.
Sometimes a score tells only part of a story. This one will tell a story for generations.
Golden Coins has become synonymous with consistency. He is a machine of an athlete, expertly managed by Price Performance Horses and believed in by Coin Toss LLC. But last night wasn't simply another great performance.
It was flawless when flawless was required.
One enormous maneuver at a time, the realization began spreading through the arena and through living rooms, watch parties, phones, and computer screens around the world.
We might be watching history.
The circles. The turns. The stops. The confidence. The horse underneath him looked almost like someone had been asked to dream up the phenotype and genotype of the modern reining horse and then bring it to life.
That makes his story even more meaningful.
Golden Coins was bred by Silver Spurs Equine, one of the programs that has spent generations investing in what the reining horse can become. Last night, that investment met opportunity.
Price Performance Horses and Golden Coins marked a 237ยฝ, breaking a legendary benchmark that had endured for 19 years.
Records that survive nearly two decades aren't supposed to fall easily.
This one didn't.
It took a horse like Golden Coins. It took a horseman like Kole Price. It took an ownership group willing to believe. It took an entire team. And it took a stage worthy of the moment.
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Before Golden Coins rewrote history, Gabriel Borges and Spooks Gotta Ice had already delivered the kind of performance that could have been the ending to the movie.
Borges' story embodies another beautiful piece of what this event has become. A Brazilian horseman with extraordinary talent who came to America and pursued the highest levels of western performance sport.
The American dream in a cowboy hat, boots, and spurs.
His partner, Spooks Gotta Ice, owned by Kathy Page, is by Silver Spurs Equine owned sire SG Frozen Enterprize and out of Spooks Gotta Lady.
Borges is certainly no stranger to great horses or winner's circles, but this performance felt like watching a young star step completely into his own.
There was one detail that told the story.
His hand.
Quiet on that horse's neck. Barely moving. Around circles that looked like someone had drawn them with a computer.
You could see the hours in that hand. The repetitions. The mistakes nobody witnessed. The corrections. The sweat. The patience. The blood, sweat, and tears that exist long before anyone applauds. The belief.
They marked a staggering 236ยฝ.
For a moment, you couldn't imagine anything topping it. Then somehow, impossibly, something did.
That is what made this reining so extraordinary.
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Before either of those performances, Draw 4 brought another storyline into the arena with Andrea Fappani and Alpha Viking.
Alpha Viking a son of Gunnatrashya, owned by the Alpha Vargo partnership, is electric to watch. He is an incredibly physical animal whose athleticism seems almost tailor made for Fappani's style.
Foot speed. Power. Presence. Precision.
They marked a 234. That horse emptied his guts out for him and left it all in the arena.
Think about that for a moment. A 234 was third.
That sentence alone explains the horsepower assembled in Las Vegas.
There was also something fitting about having Andrea Fappani in this particular field. The horseman whose legendary record had stood for nearly two decades was there on the very night history finally moved forward.
That's sports.
Records aren't diminished when they're broken. Their longevity is exactly what makes breaking them matter.
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Then came Ben Beckett and Custom Made Whizkey by Whizkey N Diamonds.
Romel reins. Lightning fast turnarounds. Precision. Degree of difficulty. Poetry in motion.
Beckett arrived at his first Run For A Million and rode like he had been preparing his entire life for that exact moment. There was no shrinking beneath the lights. No hesitation. Just confidence and ice in his veins.
Custom Made Whizkey, owned by Rinck J Heule, answered every question.
They marked a 231.
Fourth place at the richest and deepest reining of the year with a score capable of winning major events almost anywhere else.
A run to hang your hat on without a doubt.
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Beside them at 231 stood another reminder of what makes The Run For A Million different.
Italian horseman Mirko Midili and the unforgettable Luk Skywalker.
Owned by Janice Laney and Thiago Boechat, "Sky" is part of a 7 Lakes program whose depth of horsepower has become impossible to ignore.
He is the kind of horse who commands your attention everywhere he goes. He knows his job. He appears to love his job. Beneath the biggest lights in the sport, he and Midili delivered.
Another European rider. Another international connection. Another horse getting the opportunity to show the world exactly who he is.
230ยฝ AND WE'RE ONLY AT SIXTH
Then came Dany Tremblay and Americas Superstar.
Dany has built a reputation for finding the best inside a horse, and last night he found it again.
Smith Ranch's Americas Superstar, by Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of Americas Supermodel, delivered a judge's card of 77, 78, 76ยฝ, 76ยฝ, and 77 for a total of 230ยฝ.
Sixth place.
Again, absorb that.
A 230ยฝ was sixth.
The depth of this field was almost difficult to comprehend.
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Then came one of my favorite arguments for why Taylor Sheridan's concept matters so much.
Smoking Trash.
Ridden by Francesco Martinotti and owned by Enj@y LLC, the Gunnatrashya son out of the legendary Snip O Gun is "aged" by conventional industry standards.
And yet there he was.
Relevant? I would argue something much bigger than relevant.
Vital.
He walked onto the industry's biggest stage and marked a 229ยฝ at 10 years old.
This is precisely why an event without traditional age limitations matters. We talk constantly about longevity. Soundness. Durability. Mental fortitude. Heart. Then our industry needs stages where horses possessing those qualities can actually demonstrate them.
Smoking Trash did exactly that. Breeders should pay attention.
We need horses that can do this. Horses that can remain athletes. Horses that can have careers. Horses whose stories don't have to end because a futurity or derby eligibility window closed.
Taylor Sheridan gave those horses somewhere to remain visible, and Smoking Trash reminded everyone why that matters.
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At eighth came Cade McCutcheon and Outta Yur League for Theorem Ranch.
The buckskin stallion is by Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of the phenomenal Shesouttayourleague, a mare whose own performance record and producing ability make this pedigree feel like reining royalty stacked upon reining royalty.
They marked 229 and looked picture perfect doing it.
But there was another layer to it.
Look around this field and you saw dynasties everywhere. Human families. Equine families. Breeding programs. Training programs. Knowledge passed from one generation to another.
This sport is built on inheritance, not simply genetic inheritance, but inherited horsemanship.
Last night put all of it on display.
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At ninth was Jason Vanlandingham and Plus Me Im Shiny, owned by 2Star Investments LLC.
Jason is almost surgical in the show pen, and The Run For A Million is certainly familiar territory for him.
Plus Me Im Shiny, by Colonels Shining Gun and out of Plus One Chex, began in a smaller breeding program back East of Layla Choateโs and became part of a much bigger dream for a lot of people.
They marked 228.
Another reminder that a unicorn doesn't care about the size of the farm where the dream began.
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Then came Draw 16. The last horse. The youngest horse in the field. A four year old.
The loudest, most electric atmosphere you could possibly choose to ask a young horse the biggest question of his life.
And riding him was Deary Performance Horses. You can never count Casey out.
His partner Belissimo, bred and owned by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, carries a pedigree that makes the story almost poetic.
He is by Magnum Chic Dream and out of Americasnextgunmodel, the mare who played such an important role in launching Deary's career.
Now her son carried him into The Run For A Million. That's the kind of full circle story horses give us. The trust between horse and rider was visible in Deary's fluid style. No panic. No forcing. Just feel.
They marked 227 for tenth.
On a four year old. In that arena. From the last hole. That horse grew up last night right before our eyes.
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Martin Muehlstaetter and Smoky Mountain Rein marked a 226 for Rancho Oso Rio LLC.
Another European horseman taking advantage of a global stage and another Spooks Gotta Whiz.
Smoky Mountain Rein is a horse whose rรฉsumรฉ spans enormous accomplishments with both non pros and open riders. A soldier. A war horse.
The kind of animal whose rรฉsumรฉ becomes more impressive the longer you study it.
Then Spooks Gotta Whiz showed up yet again.
Arno Honstetter and G***k Forty Five, owned by Story Book Stables, also marked 226.
Generations matter. Last night was filled with them.
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Then came Trevor Dare and Tricked My Ride.
There is something special about watching a horseman walk into an arena like this aboard a horse developed through his own program.
Tricked My Ride, owned by Anita Horn, is by Tricked Out Spook and out of Xtra Voodoo Sailor.
Trevor rides with an effortless confidence that makes incredibly difficult things appear simple. Quiet. Precise. Smooth.
They marked 222ยฝ.
But the number isn't the entire story.
The story is getting to walk onto a world stage and display your program, your philosophy, and your life's work.
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Few people entered this year's Million carrying a story quite like Fernando Salgado.
He was supposed to compete last year. Then a broken leg before the 2025 event took that opportunity away.
Imagine waiting. Rehabbing. Watching the event happen without you. Then earning your way back.
Last night, Salgado finally rode through that gate aboard Spook Lil Whiz, owned by Renata Lemann.
Another Brazilian horseman. Another Spooks Gotta Whiz. Another example of someone crossing borders and chasing an opportunity at the very highest level of an American western sport.
They marked 222.
A year after Salgado was forced to watch an event he was supposed to compete in. Sometimes victory is simply getting back through the gate.
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Then came Gina Maria Schumacher and Gunnastepya. "Billy."
A woman riding into a field filled overwhelmingly with men and looking completely at home there. Ice in her veins. Love for her horse obvious. Confidence without theatrics.
They marked 222, coming into the event after Billy completed a busy breeding season at Oswood Stallion Station.
The Gunnatrashya son out of SDP A Lasting Step answered every question Gina asked.
And somewhere, little girls were watching. That's important.
Because before you can become something, sometimes you need to see someone who makes you believe you belong there.
Gina showed them. Dream as big as you want. You can ride through that gate too.
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Rounding out this extraordinary field was European qualifier champion Alessandro Frassa and Shining Guns N Roses, owned by 23 Quarter Horses SRL.
They crossed an ocean for this opportunity.
The mare, by Colonels Shining Gun and out of Roses For Einstein, carried international blood, international dreams, and an international team into an American arena.
They marked 213ยฝ. And they belonged there. Because this stage is no longer simply about finding the best horse in one age group, one region, or one country.
It is about bringing extraordinary horses together. Period.
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There is another story hidden inside these results if you look at the pedigrees.
Spooks Gotta Whiz. Gunnatrashya. Colonels Shining Gun. Magnum Chic Dream. SG Frozen Enterprize. Tricked Out Spook. Whizkey N Diamonds. Maytheforcebewhizyou.
Then look behind those stallions.
Electric Cha Ching. Snip O Gun. Shesouttayourleague. Americasnextgunmodel. Plus One Chex. Sprats Electricspark. SDP A Lasting Step.
Generation after generation. Breeder after breeder. Decision after decision. Last night's Million didn't begin last night. It began decades ago.
It began in breeding sheds and foaling stalls. In veterinary clinics and sale rings. In training barns and breeding contracts. It began inside the minds of horsemen and women stubborn enough to believe they could make the next generation better than the one before it.
Last night was their night, too.
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And that is why, no matter what lens you view The Run For A Million through, I believe there should be gratitude.
No event is perfect. No vision arrives without criticism. Nothing that changes an industry comes without making some people uncomfortable.
But gratitude is deserved where gratitude is due. Thank you, Taylor Sheridan. Thank you for believing our horses were worthy of a stage this big.
Thank you for believing our horsemen and women were compelling enough for the world to watch.
Thank you for creating a place where an older stallion can stand beside a four year old and both have a legitimate chance.
Where a Brazilian horseman can chase the American dream.
Where European riders can cross an ocean.
Where a woman can ride into one of the deepest fields imaginable and show the next generation of little girls what is possible.
Where a horse can remain relevant simply because he remains great.
And where the best horses we have spent generations creating can finally meet one another without an age limit deciding the story before they ever enter the arena.
Last night proved something.... The vision was needed.
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Maybe that's why last night felt so emotional. It wasn't just about the money. It wasn't just about a 237ยฝ. It wasn't just about breaking a record that had stood for 19 years.
It was about seeing what happens when generations of investment finally collide with opportunity.
It was Golden Coins sliding into history, while a little boy watched his Dad do the unthinkable and a wife saw her husband's long days and nights pay off.
It was Gabriel Borges making us wonder if perfection could possibly be topped.
It was Andrea Fappani reminding us what greatness looks like while watching a record he helped define finally fall.
It was Ben Beckett announcing himself beneath the brightest lights.
It was international horsemen proving there are no borders around exceptional horsemanship.
It was Smoking Trash proving age doesn't erase greatness.
It was a four year old Belissimo being trusted with the biggest assignment of his young life.
It was Fernando Salgado finally getting the ride injury stole from him a year earlier.
It was Gina Maria Schumacher showing little girls that the gate is open for them too.
It was sixteen horses reminding us why we fell in love with this sport in the first place.
These animals are extraordinary.
They are the culmination of science and instinct, genetics and environment, veterinarians and farriers, breeders and trainers/assistant trainers, grooms, barn help, owners and riders, opportunity and sacrifice.
But every once in a while, one becomes something that none of those things completely explains.
A unicorn.
Last night, an arena was full of them. And now people far beyond our world will have the opportunity to see what our industry already knows.
There is nothing quite like a great reining horse.
There is nothing quite like watching one and his rider become completely in sync when everything is on the line. There is nothing quite like the moment an entire arena realizes it is witnessing history before the final stop is even finished.
Whatever corner of this industry you come from, whatever level you compete at, whatever breed or bloodline you believe in, last night gave us something worth celebrating together.
A showcase for the horse. A showcase for the horseman. A showcase for the horsewoman. A showcase for generations of breeders. A showcase for western culture.
And perhaps the greatest reining we have ever had the privilege to watch.
What a night. What a field. What a horse. What a reining.
This is reining.
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