The Horses Behind The American Performance Horseman

The Horses Behind The American Performance Horseman

Take a look at the winners of the 2024 event. 

Adan Banuelos and Storyteler were cutting champions, as well as AQHA Fan Favorites at the 2024 The American Performance Horseman. PHOTO: Holly Clanahan

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The American Quarter Horse Journal logo

Story and photos by Holly Clanahan for The American Quarter Horse Journal

 

A major-league baseball stadium, packed full of fans, top-shelf music and major-league performance horses. There’s not much better watching than the 2024 rendition of The American Performance Horseman, held March 8 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. 

The event featured the top five riders from the National Cutting Horse, National Reined Cow Horse and National Reining Horse associations, riding their mounts of choice for $1 million in prize money. Each event winner received $100,000, with purses tapering down to $25,000 for fifth place. The riders were also randomly assigned to a team, with one member from each discipline, and in the team competition, $75,000 went to the top trio. 

But gather round, Quarter Horse pedigree fans, because it does get better. Let’s take a deeper dive into the pedigrees of the horses who made this event pop. 

Cutting and AQHA Fan Favorite Horse

Adan Banuelos rode Storyteler to a score of 230 to win cutting, as well as the AQHA Fan Favorite Horse of the Event award, voted on by those in attendance and presented by AQHA CEO Karl Stressman. 

Storyteler is a 2019 sorrel stallion by Smooth Talkin Style out of Show Biz Kitty by High Brow Cat, bred by Royce Stallcup and owned by Double Dove Ranch of Fort Worth, Texas. 

“This horse is an athlete; he comes to work every day like it’s a game. He loves to work to have fun, and it makes it fun for me and everybody around,” Adan said. In accepting his top horse award, Adan thanked AQHA for supporting the horse. “I appreciate it very much.” 

Now, Adan was the 2023 American Performance Horseman cutting champion on the great mare All Spice, who happens to be a half sibling to Storyteler, both of them out of Show Biz Kitty.

Show Biz Kitty, who was the NCHA leading dam in 2023, 2020 and 2018 and third leading dam in 2022, did not have much of a show record. Yet she's proving to be a blue hen mare. Show Biz Kitty also produced Kittenish, earner of more than a half-million dollars, shown at TAPH by Austin Shepard. Take a look at her stats from Q-Data

With this win, Storyteler’s sire, Smooth Talkin Style, owned by Teton Ridge, will top $6 million in offspring earnings. Smooth Talkin Style, the 2015 NCHA Horse of the Year, is by Smooth As A Cat by High Brow Cat, out of a Docs Stylish Oak daughter. 

Reined Cow Horse

The performance-horse world is a small one, and even across disciplines, there is talk of it being a family. Let’s keep it in the family, then, with this win. Corey Cushing took the golden Smooth Talkin Style son SJR Talkin Diamonds to a hard-hitting win in reined cow horse. 

SJR Talkin Diamonds, bred and owned by San Juan Ranch of Weatherford, Texas, is a 2017 palomino stallion out of Shiners Diamond Girl, a Carol Rose-bred mare by Shining Spark out of Zans Diamond Jackie.  

Corey is a decorated competitor, having won numerous AQHA world championships as well as multiple titles at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity and World’s Greatest Horseman. But this was SJR Talking Diamonds’ biggest spotlight to stand in. 

“I believe in that horse,” Corey said, “ever since I started taking him down the fence as a 3-year-old. We’ve been the bridesmaid quite a few times but never the bride, and tonight was his night. If I had to do it all again, I’d turn right around and call on him again because he’d give me everything he has got again.” 

In accepting his trophy buckle, Corey thanked Teton Ridge for the opportunity, as well as his fans, his family, wife Kristen and “let’s not forget about these incredible animals that we just got done showing the whole world.”

Corey and SJR Talkin Diamonds had a combined score (reined and fence work) of 439, winning by just a half point over Justin Wright and Scooter Kat, the highest money-earner ever in NRCHA with lifetime earnings (before TAPH) of $526,889.  

Reining

Casey Deary and Down Right Amazing walked into the pen as the only returning-champion duo from 2023. But Casey was less interested in defending that title. It was more about living up to the 2017 sorrel stallion’s reputation. 

Last year, Casey and Down Right Amazing won not only The American Performance Horseman, but also the NRHA Derby and the National Reining Breeders Classic Derby – all of which were $100,000 wins – giving the horse a lifetime earnings of more than $600,000 (before the 2024 TAPH). 

So, yeah, he lives up to his name, scoring a 226.5 and another American Performance Horseman title. “His temperament is fantastic. Nothing rattles him,” Casey says. “He shows up to work. He has just been a real honest soldier.” 

Bred by Curtis Performance Horses and owned by DAG Ventures LLC of Crowley, Texas, Down Right Amazing is by Colonels Smoking Gun out of Shesouttayourleague by Walla Walla Whiz. 

Colonels Smoking Gun, better known as “Gunner,” is the No. 1 all-time reining sire and a member of the NRHA Hall of Fame. His offspring have earned more than $14.5 million.

Team Competition 

With two individual event winners on Team Royal Blue, it’s no surprise to see them at the top of the podium. The winning team members were Adan, Casey and reined cow horse competitor Clayton Edsall. 

“It’s unbelievable,” said Clayton, who rode Bet He Sparks, by Bet Hesa Cat, owned by Kathryn and Layn Phillips. “I get help from both these guys,” he said, gesturing to Casey and Adan, “and I look up to them, and I’m just so thankful for them.” 

Adan echoed those comments about the importance of camaraderie. “To me, it’s all about family, it’s about keeping your chin up, making somebody feel good on your way out of the arena,” he said. 

The five teams were selected randomly, each with one representative from each discipline. 

Tune In

The American Performance Horseman will be broadcast at 11:30 a.m. Eastern March 16 on Fox Sports 1. The American Rodeo will air at 1:30 p.m. Eastern March 16 on Fox.