The Run For A Million: The Richest Event in Reining History
Prepare for an exciting week at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas from Aug. 11-15, as The Run For A Million makes its return. This event is touted as the richest in the history of reining and one of the most significant weeks for cutting and cow horse competitions. The competition features four marquee events: the Million Dollar Competition, the $250,000 Cutting Horse Challenge, the $250,000 Cow Horse Challenge, and the new addition this year, the Breakaway Roping Showcase.
Qualifiers:
Cutting Horse Challenge
Kicking off the marquee nights on Thursday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m., is the Cutting Horse Challenge at South Point Arena. The purse for this event is $250,000, with a single go-round and no averaging. Riders showcase their skills by selecting a cow from the herd, demonstrating their horse’s ability to anticipate and react to the cow’s movements under the arena lights.
The 15-rider field for this challenge qualified at the 2025 Brazos Bash in Weatherford, Texas.
Qualified riders:
- Adan Banuelos
- Monty Buntin
- Cullen Chartier
- Michael Cooper
- Bradey Davis
- Beau Galyean
- Wesley Galyean
- Tosten Peterson
- Kenny Platt
- Kory Pounds
- Kody Porterfield
- Tarin Rice
- Spud Sheehan
- Austin Shepard
- Cade Shepard
Cow Horse Challenge
On Friday, Aug. 14, the $250,000 Cow Horse Challenge takes center stage at South Point Arena. The cow work portion starts at 7 p.m., featuring the fence work where riders must exhibit control, difficulty, and form as they interact with a cow in the arena.
Qualifying spots were determined across three events:
- 2025 National Stock Horse Association Pre-Futurity in Las Vegas, Nevada — five spots
- 2026 National Reined Cow Horse Association Stallion Stakes in Las Vegas, Nevada — five spots
- 2026 National Reined Cow Horse Association Derby in Scottsdale, Arizona — five spots
Qualified riders:
- Todd Crawford
- Chris Dawson
- Nick Dowers
- Shawn Hays
- Kelby Phillips
- Boyd Rice
- Shane Steffen
- Tucker Robinson
- Erin Taormino
- Kyle Trahern
- Jordan Williams
- Jake Telford
- Justin Wright
- Sarah Dawson
- Shadd Parkinson
Breakaway Roping Showcase
Joining The Run For A Million lineup this year is the Breakaway Roping Showcase, in partnership with Premier Women’s Rodeo and Ultimate Calf Roping. This event features 20 competitors vying for a $50,000 added purse on Friday, Aug. 14, at 6 p.m. at South Point Arena.
The field includes eight invited champions and 12 qualifiers, showcasing their roping skills in this exciting event.
Invited:
- Martha Angelone (2026 PWR World Champion, Pro)
- Kaitlyn Torres (2026 PWR World Champion, Challenger)
- Clementine Teague (2026 PWR World Champion, Limited)
- Arina Dee Haugen (2026 PWR Championship Event Champion)
- Taylor Munsell (2025 WPRA World Champion)
- Hailey Jo Hall (PWR Pro Leaderboard No. 1)
- Jessie Hemphill (PWR Challenger Leaderboard No. 1)
- Cheyenne Claxton (PWR Limited Leaderboard No. 1)
Qualified:
- Sarah Angelone (Hamilton LCQ)
- Amy Ohrt (Hamilton LCQ)
- Ricki Engesser Fanning (Hamilton LCQ)
- Timber Allenbrand (Hamilton LCQ)
- Lari Dee Guy (Hamilton LCQ)
- Rylee George (Hamilton LCQ)
- Jackie Crawford (Hamilton LCQ)
- Kennzie Nixon (Hamilton LCQ)
- Blake Weekley (Hamilton LCQ)
- Amber Crawford (Hamilton LCQ)
- Kirsten George (PWR Championship, Fort Worth)
- Harley Pryor (PWR Championship, Fort Worth)
Million Dollar Competition
The grand finale of the week is the Million Dollar Competition on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 6:15 p.m. at South Point Arena. With $1 million up for grabs and $500,000 going to the champion, this event is a thrilling conclusion to the week. The field is limited to 16 riders who earned their spots through various qualifying events over the show season.
Fernando Salgado secured the 16th spot through the 2024 CRC.
Qualified riders:
- Ben Beckett (2026 Qualifier)
- Gabriel Borges (2026 Qualifier)
- Trevor Dare (2026 Qualifier)
- Casey Deary (2025 The Run For A Million)
- Andrea Fappani (2025 The Run For A Million)
- Alessandro Frassa (2025 Equita Lyon)
- Arno Honstetter (2026 Qualifier)
- Francesco Martinotti (2026 Qualifier)
- Cade McCutcheon (2026 Qualifier)
- Mirko Midili (2026 Qualifier)
- Martin Muehlstaetter (2026 Qualifier)
- Kole Price (2025 The Run For A Million)
- Fernando Salgado (2024 CRC)
- Gina Schumacher (2025 The Run For A Million)
- Dany Tremblay (2026 Qualifier)
- Jason Vanlandingham (2025 The Run For A Million)