T
///////// THE RUN FOR A MILLION
HE FIRST CUT By Callie McCarthy-Boevers & Kate Bradley Byars • Photos by Primo Morales
Eight riders punched a ticket to The Run For A Million Cow Work Challenge at the Teton Ridge Stallion Stakes qualifier.
T
he first qualifier for the 2022 The Run For A Million Cow Work Challenge brought out the big guns under the bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada, at the 2022 Teton Ridge Stallion Stakes. In early 2022, the National Reined Cow Horse Association announced 16 riders will be invited to The Run For A Million Cow Horse Challenge from two qualifiers: the first at the Teton Ridge Stallion Stakes and the second at the DT Horses Western Derby. Out of an 83-horse field, it took a 440 composite score to earn an invitation to the cow horse event, which will be held August 17-20. Nick Dowers, of Dyer, Nevada, rode Santiago Time (One Time Pepto x Reymanising x Dual Rey), owned by Clinton Marshall, to top the field with a 444 and secured a check for $8,835. Dowers, who competed in the inaugural event in 2021, entered three bridle horses in the pursuit of a qualification. “My goal was to get qualified; that was the plan. All the prize money throughout all three classes was a bonus,” he said. “[The Run For A Million] is one of the biggest events. As an event, it is one everyone wants to see. We were a part
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of it last year, and I definitely wanted to be part of the spectacle this year. It is so big for our sport, just like the World’s Greatest [Horseman] Finals, you want to be in there.” As the last set wound down, there was one horse and rider team that could bump the seventh- and eighth-place horses into a tie, and Shawn Hays rode MoonshineAndTwoAdvil to a score that did just that. Justin Wright and Scooter Kat (Kit Kat Sugar x Scooters Daisy Dukes x Dual Smart Rey), owned by Eric Freitas, and Phillip Ralls on Sarah Davis’ gelding Short N Catt (Sophisticated Catt x Shortys Sugar Sue x Shorty Lena) made the event exciting as the two faced a runoff to decide the final eighth hole. Ralls and Short N Catt secured the final spot. The eight riders qualified for The Run For A Million are: Dowers; Todd Crawford from Blanchard, Oklahoma; Luke Jones from Allerton, Iowa; Kyle Noyce of Blanchard, Oklahoma; Corey Cushing of Scottsdale, Arizona; Randy Paul from Los Alamos, California; Shawn Hays of Weatherford, Texas; and Phillip Ralls from Paso Robles, California. “It was a thrill to have so many great bridle horses in our arena vying for a
spot at The Run For A Million,” said Anna Morrison, NRCHA executive director. “It’s exciting to see the recognition that events like this put on the finished bridle horse, the ultimate goal of reined cow horse sport.” Dowers echoed those thoughts as he expressed both excitement and thanks for the chance to take part in the event. “As soon as people give cow horse a chance, and see it live, they’re hooked,” he said. “The more people can see it, the more people we bring to the sport. That is what NRCHA has done the last couple of years, getting the promotion, the Cowboy Channel, that is the difference. Our sport is trending because it is out there, and people can see it is so exciting and so hard; the ball is rolling in the right direction.” An additional eight qualifiers will be invited from the qualifier at the DT Horses Western Derby in Scottsdale, Arizona, June 1-12. The rider can choose to compete on the horse he qualified on or enter another mount. Follow nrcha.com and the NRCHA social media channels for updates on this event, including horse-rider combination announcements.
