Cade McCutcheon set a precedent when he became the only Open rider to qualify three horses for the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Level 4 Open Finals. But that wasn't all. The youngest NRHA $2 million rider scored a whopping 231.5 points on All Nite Partier from 25th place and held the lead when ten more horses, one of them he rode himself, were in the line.
McCutcheon and All Nite Partier (Gunners Special Nite x Topsail Survivor x Topsail Whiz) are longtime friends, as he was purchased as a weanling by Cade's mother Mandy. Two years later, Mandy sold the 2020 stallion to Sotol Investments LLC, who left him at the McCutcheons' barn to begin his training. McCutcheon has ridden the horse throughout his show career.
“I got out of the lead and lost the Futurity, I got out of the lead and lost the 100X and tonight I got out of his way and he stuck up for me like he always does,” McCutcheon said. “He always tries his best and always tries his hardest and he never lets you down.”
The two-week show in Oklahoma City was grueling for both humans and horses. With temperatures over 90 degrees on many days and lights on all night, it was not effortless for anyone to get some rest. But the newborn trainer from Texas had a trick up his sleeve.
Cade McCutcheon pets his horse after her massive run. * Photo by Amy Olson
“I sent all my horses home after the competition and gave them three days off,” McCutcheon said. “They went home Sunday night, came back Wednesday night and then I rode them Thursday, Friday and this morning. I tried to trust my horses as much as I could and I'm just very lucky to have great horses that I can trust and it's been a great two weeks.”
He didn't take the decision lightly, saying he tried it in his first year as an Open rider when he won the Futurity. He joked, somewhat seriously, that he might have to make the exercise a regular part of his training regime.
“The horses' welfare is everything, you know, they do their best for us. So I try to take care of them as best as I can and the lights are always on here. It's just not the same as home. I mean, it's the same as a human sleeping in their own bed,” McCutcheon explained. “They've been able to recover or reboot a little bit and then come back here and feel great.”
The 231.5 was an electrifying score that could be heard over the loudspeaker. McCutcheon had only scored over 230 once before. He wanted to absorb the realization of his result, but he still had Thee Assassin (Shiners Voodoo Dr x Jerrys Sippin Soda x Jerry Lees Surprise) to show in the final heat of the evening.
“It's a different feeling when you go in there and know you're the winner. It was special, but I wanted to beat him with the next horse,” McCutcheon said. “All of those horses have great clients who trust me with their horses, and I try not to favor anyone. Every time we go in there, we want to get the best result possible.”
He scored a 227 with Thee Assassin, which placed eighth. McCutcheon has taken home more than $120,000 in his three rides, but he doesn't have much time to process it. The trainer travels to the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) World Show in Fort Worth, Texas, next week, then flies to Paris, where he will compete in the first European 100X show.
Runners-up
Trevor Dare was the reserve champion of Open Level 4 with 229.5 points on Ice Face (SG Frozen Enterprize x Dun Painting My Face x Pale Face Dunnit). Closely followed by Down Right Amazing and Casey Deary, who scored 229 points and took home $40,152. Unofficially, Down Right Amazing could become the highest-earning reining horse in the EquiStat database.
