Was the 2023 Run For a Million Qualifier the most competitive reining competition in history? An insiders look at the epic event with the man who called the action, Steve Ross:

The Run For A Million Reining, the brainchild of Hollywood power broker Taylor Sheridan and the culmination of Sheridan’s reality show, The Last Cowboy, filled an entire Saturday at WestWorld’s premier facility and the results have led some to say that it was the most competitive reining ever held. Over 100 horse and rider teams from around the globe descended on Scottsdale to do battle for the ten available spots for the grand finale in August at the South Point Casino’s arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

My role was to provide analysis and a description of the action along with the events creator, Taylor Sheridan. We were assisted at times by NRHA professionals Casey Deary and Craig Schmersal along with Francesca Sternberg.

Five of the reining industry’s top riders had previously qualified via the $100,000.00 added Open Shootout held at last years finale. Shawn Flarida, Casey Deary, Francesco Martinotti, Andrea Fappani, and Jordan Larson were already qualified so not having their presence at the qualifier led some to think it may weaken the field. And boy, were those predictions wrong! Reining enthusiasts were treated to one of the greatest spectacles in the sports long history, I wish everyone would have watched.

Let’s start with some numbers and discuss some notable horses. One of my favorite derby tandems the last few seasons has been the great horse Spooks Gotta Outfire and his Brazilian born trainer Clemerson Barbalho. Spooks Gotta Outfire, if you’ve never seen him in person is visually stunning and one of those rare individuals that makes everyone who sees him stop and stare. On top of being gorgeous, he’s loaded with physical talent and has put together a stellar career thus far. They executed NRHA pattern 14 very well and earned credit on nearly all seven compulsory maneuvers while avoiding costly penalties. For that effort the judges awarded them a well earned score of 220 and the crowd enthusiastically roared their approval. That score of 220 earned this great pair a tie for 60th, 61st and 62nd place. Let that sink in for a moment. A really good horse has a really good 73 1/2-74 type run and not only do they not figure in the placings, they don’t even place in the top half of the event! Unreal!

An unbelievable 63 horses turned in scores of 220 or better!

Before we discuss the horses and riders who did well, I feel it is important to mention just a few who did not make the cut this year. That list starts with last years Run For a Million champion, the great horse Patriot and Nathan Piper. As great as Patriot has been and still is, a half point per judge penalty for an over spin cost him 1 1/2 points off his total score, leaving him with “just a 225 1/2” and causing him to fall a hair short of the necessary 226 1/2 in order to crack the top ten. Ms Dreamy, undoubtedly one of the all-time greats and Arno Honstetter qualified handily for last years finals and yet despite another brilliant effort, she fell a mere point shy of returning.

But enough about the ones who didn’t make it to Vegas. I want to talk about a few aspects that made this unlike any reining I’ve ever seen before.

I touched on the depth earlier but just to give some perspective, nearly sixty percent of the 105 entries to show marked a 220 or higher! I’ve followed this sport closely for the majority of my adult life and I’ve witnessed some incredible finals before but the relentless torrent of great runs was something I’d never seen before this!

You may ask “what made it so tough if five of the top riders weren’t even competing? Where did all these great runs come from?” They came from literally all over the world.

Eight time world champion Bernard Fonck came from Belgium. He took his best shot on his best horse but on this day a 225 1/2 just wasn’t quite enough. Genarro Lendi from Italy swept in on Gordon Quarter Horses’ Vintage Vinny and knocked out a 228 (on a seven maneuver pattern) to secure a top five spot and, more importantly, a much coveted spot in the finals. The European invasion definitely raised the stakes and being able to see so many of these great horse and rider teams compete on equal footing with the American (north and south) teams was something the reiners have waited years to see.

Ultimately, the victory would go to Gunnatstepya and Gina Schumacher. Their performance was electric, precise, dynamic and just damn near perfect. This pair had qualified in 2021 and performed well that year in the finals but a couple small missteps cost them a return trip last year. Hungry for redemption and showing the skill and determination that made her father the most celebrated Formula 1 racing driver in history, Schumacher and Gunnastepya destroyed a great field with one of those rare performances that left everyone in attendance asking “what more could they do?”

As the run unfolded, it was a real treat for me as host of the webcast to hear the raw reaction of two of my cohosts, Casey Deary and Craig Schmersal. They knew they were seeing something very special and the respect from both riders was clear and obvious in their reactions. For once in my life, I had the good sense to just shut up and allow those two legends to react to what everyone was seeing unfold on the arena floor. This young soft spoken, European born woman had stepped onto the largest stage in reining and absolutely crushed it. After she finished her first two maneuvers (the spins) she led the reining. No one had nailed both maneuvers with such incredible precision and high degree of difficulty. As a Formula 1 racing fan, I remember thinking in my head “purple sector” (the racing term for the fastest time on a certain sector of the course.)

I mentioned on-air that nailing those first two maneuvers gave her enough cushion to play it safe in the middle portion of the pattern (the circles) but lets be real, that’s not how a Schumacher thinks. Gina and Gunnastepya left the spins and entered the circles and started pushing full send in the large fast circles, challenging the limits of the equidome layout and running “the perfect racing line.” The second effortless flying lead change signaled the completion of the middle portion of the pattern, the circles. Another purple sector. Three stops down the side to go and I remember thinking “this horse might be the prettiest stopper on the showgrounds. He could close this out here and win it”

And that’s exactly what they did. Without any sign of anticipation and appearing completely in sync with his rider, Gunnastepya delivered two stops with rollbacks and one with a backup that left no doubt who the dominant pair were against this stacked field.

Purple sector, pole position.

What a great win for the CS Ranch team of Michael and Corrine Schumacher, Duane Latimer, Ian Bethke but also, what a win for the sport!

The best thing about this reining was it drew out the best horses and riders in the world, on equal footing and the opportunity to show their cards. No one held back, nearly everyone delivered and everyone associated with reining won. The storyline this event created is now in the hands of one of America’s greatest story tellers. Let’s see what Taylor Sheridan can do with this!

See you in Vegas! Check out who grabbed the 10 qualifier spots here in Scottsdale, Arizona.