From the very start of the afternoon, when the Diamond D Cowgirls mesmerized the crowd in the opening ceremonies and the first few riders in the pen marked high scores for stunning runs, the 100X Stakes Open Finals had all the hallmarks of a spectacular reining event, with the Champions of the four levels awarded an MS Diamonds TX custom-made Trophy Ring.
At draw three, Gabriel Borges and OO7 set a high bar with a score of 232 and an unforgettable performance. The excitement in the arena was palpable as Gabriel and ‘Bond’ slid into their first stop and the crowd immediately moved to the edge of their seats, knowing what was coming was sure to be greatness.
When Borges’ score of 232 was announced in the 100X Open Stakes Finals, he got off his horse, Sandy Vargo’s OO7, and bowed to him, while the ecstatic crowd cheered and applauded. While it was a big night with many impressive performances, no one was able to catch Borges and ‘Bond,’ who held the lead from draw three all the way until the very end.
“Every night when I go to sleep, I dream about this,” said Borges, “about being part of a big win.”
That dream came true on Saturday during the 100X Stakes Open Finals, but it’s about so much more than just winning. Borges considers Bond to be a friend and a partner; he wanted the world to see what an amazing horse he is.
“His whole life story is just a blessing,” shared Borges. “I can understand him every time, everywhere. He helped me to be better even with other horses. That’s why he’s so special to me: he teaches me every day. I communicate with him just like a friend.”
Bond is a son of a mare that Borges showed in the futurities named Solidly Spirited and was sired by Gunner Dun It Again, a stallion that began his career in Brazil just like Borges.
Borges and Bond had a few bobbles that cost them points in the prelims, so Borges’ game plan going into the finals was to run clean—but after the team’s explosive first stop, he knew he could ask for more.
“The minute we backed up then stopped, I looked at him and said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’ He was like, ‘Okay, let’s do this,’” Borges recalled.
Borges added $150,000 to Bond’s lifetime earnings with the winning run. Borges thanked Bond’s owners, Mike and Sandy Vargo, for believing in him, as well as his customers and everyone who’s a part of the Borges Performance Horses’ team. He especially thanked his wife, Macy, and said, “I wish she were here with me. She wanted this just as bad as I did.”
Martin Muehlstaetter & Spooks Ghost Ryder
100X Stakes Level 3 Co-Champions
226 | $62,500
Aboard Spooks Ghost Ryder, NRHA Million Dollar Rider Martin Muehlstaetter was part of a three–way tie for the title of 100X Open Stakes Level 3 Open champion. The pair’s score of 226 also placed them in a tie for fifth in the Level 4 Open.
Bred by Smoking Roosters PH LLC and owned by Madalyn Roberts, the 2019 stallion has a lifetime earnings of $23,479, a number that will nearly quadruple with the $62,500-check from the 100X Stakes Finals.
“He was a little bit the underdog all along,” said Muehlstaetter. “And then he made it to the finals and did really good.”
Spooks Ghost Ryder is by Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of Got Cash In My Genes. Once the pair get home, Muehlstaetter plans to work on his left turn before heading to the High Roller in Las Vegas.
Muehlstaetter thanked his team, his wife, and Madalyn Roberts for helping him achieve this, and everything else that he has accomplished in his nearly 15 years in the industry.
Josh Tishman & Magnum With Addytude
100X Stakes Level 3 Co-Champions
226 | $62,500
In a nail-biting three-way tie, Josh Tishman finished as one of the 100X Open Stakes Open Level 3 Champions. Tishman rode Magnum With Addytude, piloting the colt to an impressive 226, earning a total of $62,500.
“Well, he’s not a big horse,” said Tishman about Magnum With Addytude. “But he circled just as pretty as he could, and guided through the whole pattern with ease.”
The four-year-old gelding is by Magnum Chic Dream and out of Dunnit With Addytude, and is owned by High Meadow Ranch LLC.
“He was just pure good in the pen, so I’ve just got to keep him that way,” said Tishman when asked about his upcoming plans.
Tishman thanked his wife Layton, his assistants, and High Meadow Ranch for the opportunity to show Magnum With Addytude.
Gabe Hutchins & TR Designer Genes
100X Stakes Level 3 Co-Champions
226 | $42,500
Gabe Hutchins was part of a three-way tie for first in the 100X Open Stakes Level 3 Finals, but his horse, Tamarack Ranch’s TR Designer Genes, was one of just a few in the finals, he also won the Lawrence Ranch Level 3 Open Mare Bonus.
This isn’t just any mare, but one that’s near and dear to Hutchins’ because she’s a homebred out of the great show horse and producer, Taris Designer Genes—a mare that’s also special to Hutchins. TR Designer Genes is by NRHA Five Million Dollar Sire Spooks Gotta Whiz and Hutchins has been involved in her life story since the very beginning, making this win all the more precious.
“When it started as a thought, ‘I think this will be a great cross,’ and you’re there when it’s born and then you go through the whole process…” shared Hutchins. “I mean, it’s always rewarding when you win, but when it’s something you’ve raised and thought would really work and it does… It’s at the top of the list for us.”
Hutchins and TR Designer Genes scored a 226 in their Finals run for a total paycheck of $42,500—and Hutchins said he didn’t do much to prepare beforehand. “I had my trust in her and she showed better for me with each maneuver. She just got better and better and better and I just kept asking her for a little more on each maneuver, and she just kept giving me more and more and more.”
Luca Fappani & Gunna Chic Dream
100X Stakes Level 2 Champions
223.5 | $46,000
With his ‘good boy’ Gunna Chic Dream, Luca Fappani won the 100X Open Stakes Finals Level 2 at the 100X Reining Classic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The pair also finished seventh in the Level 3 and twelfth in the Level 4.
The pair’s score of 223.5 in the Finals earned Fappani and Gunna Chic Dream another $46,000 to add to their respective lifetime earnings of $543,991 and $65,540.
“He was with me for every maneuver, and he kind of showed off what he has in there,” said Fappani. “He was super honest and just really performed, I couldn’t have changed anything that he did.”
Gunna Chic Dream, by ARC Gunna Sparkya and out of Magnum Chic Dunit, is owned by Diane Yoder. The 2019 gelding was bred by Rabboni Reining Horses.
Fappani thanked God for the ability to ride, his girlfriend for keeping his horses pretty, as well as Casey Deary and his dad, Andrea Fappani, for coaching him.
Sean McBurney & Addys Lil Dream
100X Stakes Lawrence Ranch Mare Bonus
222.5 | $16,375
Sean McBurney and Addys Lil Dream, owned by David Stroud, won the 100X Open Stakes Lawrence Ranch Mare Bonus for $5,000. Addys Lil Dream is by NRHA Nine Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream out of the great producer Miss Lil Addy Tude.
McBurney said mare bonuses such as this one are taking the industry in a positive direction.
“It’ll get bigger for the mares because, obviously, we need them,” shared McBurney. “I think it’s really good for the industry as a whole. We’re breeders, so I love having an avenue for the fillies.”
McBurney and the mare won an additional $11,375 for placing in the Level 3 and Level 4 Finals.
When asked who he wants to thank, McBurney said, “Oh, God. Everybody. I mean, the owners, Terry and David Stroud, and my wife, Jordan, and my daughter, little Millie May.”
Edouard Winne & Pale Face Blazin
100X Stakes Level 1 Champions
219.5 | $32,750
Prior to the 100X Reining Classic, Edouard Winne had never won a buckle. That changed in the 100X Open Stakes Finals when he finally crossed that goal off his ‘buckle list’ with a 219.5 to take the Level 1 Championship. In addition to the Level 1 title, Winne also tied for fourth in the Level 4, and topped the Lawrence Ranch Level 1 and Level 2 Open Mare Bonus for total earnings of $32,750.
His mount was Pale Face Blazin, by Pale Face Dunnit out of Blazing In Black, owned by Hills Ranch Reiners, and known as ‘Cassie.’
Winne rides with NRHA Four Million Dollar Rider Craig Schmersal, and he’s only been riding Cassie for about a month. Despite that, he wasn’t nervous for either his go round or his finals run; the first because he didn’t know what to expect and the latter because he trusted his mare.
“I wasn’t really stressed at all,” remarked Winne. “I knew she was really nice in the show pen… There’s nothing bad to say about that mare. She’s awesome.”
Some of Winne’s success in the show pen could perhaps be attributed to the ‘lucky’ saddle pad Cassie was sporting, one that NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider Jason Vanlandingham won approximately $300,000 on. Vanlandingham’s daughter, Emma, let Winne borrow the pad when he couldn’t find one to match his red show shirt.
“It brought me luck, I guess,” said Winne, who was pretty content with his showing in the Open Finals. “I could maybe have tried to go a little harder, but I’m really happy with what I got. I’m Level 1, so, you know, it’s all I needed. I know she has more in her, but for now, after only a month of riding her, it’s pretty awesome, I think.”
As for the shiny buckle Winne won for his Level 1 title, he said: “I finally got one.”
By 100X Reining Classic Press Release
