Co-Champions!A DREAM COME TRUE

The Run For A Million (TRFAM) Million Dollar Invitational was billed as the biggest event in the history of reining. The Las Vegas event, held Aug. 17, didn’t disappoint.

Twelve of the most successful trainers in the sport competed for a $1 million payout aboard a roster of some of the best reining horses to step into a pen in recent years. In the end, the judges could not separate the 229.5-point performances by Cade McCutcheon and Custom Made Gun, and Craig Schmersal and No Smoking Required.

The riders, each mounted on a son of the late Colonels Smoking Gun (Gunner), opted not to run off. They settled for a co-championship, pocketing $307,000 each.

The co-champions were among the eight riders featured in the reality series “The Last Cowboy,” which followed trainers as they prepared their horses for the Million Dollar Invitational. The series finale, which included the results of the Invitational, aired Wednesday, Aug. 28, on the Paramount Network.

Schmersal considered himself fortunate to ride in front of the energetic, packed crowd that traveled to the South Point Equestrian Center to see the dozen riders go for the big prize.

“Not very many people get to do that, and those 12 riders were very fortunate to be able to do that,” Schmersal said. “And, to have my horse fire like he did tonight, it’s a dream come true and a really big deal.”