Category: History

When Dany Tremblay marked a 224.5 on Tinker With Dreams in The Run For A Million presented by Teton Ridge Open Shootout, he not only guaranteed a spot in the 2022 Million Dollar Event but also secured his place in National Reining Horse Association history.

When Tremblay, of Overbrook, Oklahoma, traveled to Las Vegas for the event, he was less than $5,000 away from achieving NRHA Million Dollar Rider status. The tie for fifth place in the Shootout paid $9,991, more than enough to (unofficially) push the NRHA Professional past the career milestone.

Dany shared he was excited about the win but was adamant about crediting his brother, Fred, for his success.

“I remember when I was a kid and I had won my first $100,000, and it was just before I had to pick if I wanted to be a Non Pro or an Open rider. Fred told me, ‘Don’t worry. You got the $100,000, and the next party we are going to have will be for a million,’” Dany recalled. “Honestly, I never believed my brother until today. The reason I am here is because of him; he made everything happen, I was just the rider.”

He added, “We have been a team from the beginning, and are the best team. Fred has taught me so much in life as far as business and has been there and believed in me since day one. He always told people, ‘You’re going to see what my brother can do someday.’”

For Fred, seeing his younger brother reach one million in earnings was the culmination of a dream. “I have wanted this for him ever since he was a kid,” Fred shared following the Shootout.

Dany and Fred’s father, Christian Tremblay, won the 1981 NRHA Futurity Non Pro Championship, so while he grew up riding different types of horses and disciplines, reining was always special.

The Tremblays relocated from Canada to the United States in 2014. Expanding upon their Canadian experience, Tremblay Performance Horses has become a premier reining horse training, coaching, and marketing programs in the industry.

“It was a little hard living in Canada because I always wanted to compete in the United States, so I traveled a lot,” Dany explained. “I used to come a month before the NRHA Futurity to learn more and work with great trainers. Then it was two months earlier, and soon I was splitting my time between the two countries almost equally.”

Dany has trained and worked with some of the industry’s best horsemen, including Mike Flarida, NRHA Million Dollar Rider Dell Hendricks and Two Million Dollar Rider Duane Latimer.

When asked what he credits most for his success, his answer was spending time in the show ring.

“I showed on as many horses as I could. I learned a lot from the good horses, but I think I learned even more from the bad and average ones,” he said. “Showing is probably the key to success. A lot of people can ride good horses but getting them shown is another story. Going into the show pen was where I learned the most. I can tell you that, in reining, I have figured out that you never lose: either you win, or you learn.”

Tremblay’s 10 most lucrative wins include:

• 2021 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open Co-Champion – Tinker With Dreams – $62,500
• 2017 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 4 Open Reserve Champion – PS Mega Shine Chic – $41,000
• 2015 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open 8th – Spooksgottachicolena – $32,110
• 2019 TRFAM Open Shootout Champion – PS Mega Shine Chic – $26,337
• 2013 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open 11th – The Wizster – $22,800
• 2013 NRHA Futurity Level 3 Open Reserve Champion – The Wizster – $21,899
• 2019 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 3 Open Champion – PS Mega Shine Chic – $21,370
• 2017 National Reining Breeders Classic Level 3 Open Champion – PS Mega Shine Chic – $20,589
• 2018 NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open 12th – Thug Life – $20,392
• 2017 NRHA Derby Level 3 Open Champion – Magnums Guns R Reddy – $18,586

Known for their heart pounding music, beards, hats, and sunglasses, ZZ Top is a legendary rock band that was formed in Houston, Texas, more than 50 years ago. On July 28, 2021, the unexpected passing of the band’s bass player, Dusty Hill, shook fans around the globe.

Hill was a true rock and roll icon, and was honored for his career when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 with the rest of his band.

What might come as a surprise, though, is that the Texan co-owned a reining horse named Hot Lil Codie.

It all started when Hill’s 13-year-old daughter, Codie, wanted a horse. Hill and his friend, Jeff Lewis, first purchased a white half-Arabian, but another followed soon after. “Dusty went to some horse shows with me and knew that I showed reiners. He became interested in getting more involved,” Lewis recalled. “I was at the NRHA Futurity Breeders Sale, and a filly came into the ring that was named Hot Lil Codie (The Hot Express X Candid Cody). Her name was spelled the same way as Dusty’s daughter Codie, so it seemed like fate. She was just young, but with her breeding we decided it was worth the chance, so we bought her together. She turned out to be a really nice horse.”  

Hill and Lewis sent the mare to trainer Robert Chown, a multiple World Champion in both reining and reined cow horse events. The mare competed in many regional events, as well as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. In Houston, Hot Lil Codie pulled double-duty, with Chown taking the Open title and Lewis claiming a victory in the Non Pro. “We won quite a few of the regional shows, and Houston was quite a big deal at the time,” Chown recalled. “We also showed quite a bit at the Texas Reining Horse Association and Southwest Reining Horse Association shows.”

Although Chown mostly worked with Lewis, he still recalled Hill’s down-to-earth demeanor. “I remember him more as quiet to be around. Every time I was around him, he was gracious and very nice,” Chown shared. “I went to a ZZ Top concert in Dallas and after watching them play, we went backstage with him and it was really cool. He didn’t have the big rockstar attitude that you would expect – loud and boisterous and everything else. He was just a really nice guy to be around.”

After her show career, Hot Lil Codie (a full sister to Hot Coded Candy, the dam of standout show horse and sire Electric Code) became a broodmare and is now retired at Lewis’s ranch in Texas. “She’s getting a little swaybacked, but she’s a sweetie. We have had a couple foals from her that Shelli Ries put time on and did well with,” Lewis said.

Hill enjoyed attending many reining events with Lewis throughout the years, including the National Reining Breeders Classic. Lewis also was able to spend time in Hill’s rock and roll world, but laughed when he added, “It could be hard to keep up with Dusty. I always said he was on rock and roll time.”

Although Hill never rode competitively, he could be found in the saddle from time to time. “He never really had any ambitions to show. I would have to classify him as an owner with an appreciation of the reining industry,” Lewis said.

John Rotz passed away on July 12, 2021, at the Rotz Farm in Warrensburg, Illinois. A member of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, Rotz lived a storied life. Renowned for his humble demeanor and talent with a horse, Rotz, known by his nickname “Gentleman John,” had an extraordinary career as a jockey.

He was also a National Reining Horse Association World Champion.

Rotz was born on December 16, 1934, in Niantic, Illinois. After graduating high school in 1952, he went to work as a groom, hotwalker and exercise rider at Fairmount Park Racetrack in Collinsville, Illinois, before becoming a professional jockey in 1953.

During Rotz’s 20-year racing career he won a total of 2,907 races. In 1962 he won the Preakness Stakes on Greek Money and then the Belmont Stakes on High Echelon in 1970. He rode in the Kentucky Derby six times; his best finish was fourth on Native Charger. In both 1969 and 1970 he won more stakes races than any other jockey in American racing.

In 1973, Rotz received the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, given to a jockey who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack. He retired from riding that year following surgery for a foot injury but remained active in the industry.

In 1983, he and his wife, Mary, returned to Warrensburg, Illinois, where they purchased a 280-acre farm where Mary rehabilitated wildlife and Rotz began his western performance horse career.

Many people were familiar with Rotz as a superstar in the racing world but for many reiners, he was first and foremost a fellow competitor. It was after former NRHA President Rick Weaver won the NRHA Futurity in 1982 that he met Rotz. Rotz had just purchased Big Red Item and visited Weaver’s facility for help. For Weaver, it was instantly clear that Rotz had a great relationship with and a feel for horses. In 1987, Rotz went on to win the NRHA Novice Horse Non Pro World Championship on another horse named Doc Star Time.

There were fewer reining shows back then and typically only two classes to compete in, so Rotz began showing cutting horses. It reduced travel time as there were more cutting shows around Springfield. “I would see John at the state fairs, and I kept a friendship with him. When I first worked with him, some of the only reinings were at the fairs, so we would travel from fair to fair and I got to know him well,” Weaver said.

What impressed Weaver the most was the man’s humility. “I think the thing that is most important that people know about John was how he conducted himself. For a world class athlete that won the Preakness and the Belmont, I was so struck at how humble he was. It was probably my first glance of what it looked like to be going through your life and living with grace,” Weaver shared.

Weaver expanded on that thought, noting that despite all Rotz accomplishments and achievements, many people were unaware of his success unless they had read it somewhere or somebody pointed it out.

 “He was such a good horseman, and the relationship he had with a horse was something that clearly served him well at the track,” Weaver recalled. “I still remember going to Churchill Downs and going through the museum there and seeing his name and pictures. It is such a loss for us all. He was a great horseman and such a gentleman.”

Impressive performances at the North American Reining Stakes unofficially catapulted National Reining Horse Association Owner Smart Like Juice Inc. past $2 million in earnings.

Prior to the event, the entity was less than $3,000 away from that milestone. Jose Vazquez, the man behind Smart Like Juice, Inc., piloted Mr Chexy Dream and Smartgals Like Juice to more than $8,300 in prize money in the North American Reining Stakes and Leonard Trailer Non Pro Derbies.  

Vazquez’s Smart Like Juice, Inc. was first named as an NRHA member in 2004, and in that time more than 250 horses have been part of the program.

Smart Like Juice, Inc. is named for Vazquez’s renowned stallion, NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire Smart Like Juice. An NRHA Hall of Fame inductee, Smart Like Juice (Smart Little Lena x Jessies Oak) was bred by Lindy Burch. The now 25-year-old stallion was purchased by Justin and Vaughn Zimmerman as an early 3-year-old. After watching the horse place seventh in the open finals at the 1997 NRHA Futurity, non pro rider Vazquez (now an NRHA Million Dollar Rider) knew he had found his new horse. Smart Like Juice went on to compete with both Vazquez and NRHA Professional Ed Fear, winning $56,096 before retiring to the breeding shed.

Earning his first Million Dollar Sire title in 2008, Smart Like Juice was inducted into the NRHA Hall of Fame in 2017 for his contributions to the reining industry.

The top earners for Smart Like Juice, Inc., (at the time of ownership) are:

Like Shiner (Smart Like Juice x Wind Her Up Shiner) $164,962

Moonshine Juice (Smart Like Juice x Wind Her Up Shiner) $122,365

Wound By Juice (Smart Like Juice x Wind Her Up Shiner) $110,459

Juiced Up Doc (Smart Like Juice x Jokes Startime) $83,475

SLJ Ruf Juice (Smart Like Juice x Ruf Catalyst) $73,572

With a career that has spanned disciplines, decades, states and roles, it’s fitting that Casey Hinton of Whitesboro, Texas, has achieved a career milestone that few have. The National Reining Horse Association Professional, who has also had an impressive career in the show pen, became a Million Dollar Owner in April.

Just a few thousand dollars away from that milestone, the success of Hinton’s horses at the National Reining Breeders Classic clinched the achievement.

“I think this is a major accomplishment in your career, but when I started out, this wasn’t my goal. You start out with a love of horses and training, owning, and showing them,” Hinton explained. “To reach a milestone that few have accomplished is very exciting.”

Growing up in Ohio, Hinton began showing horses in 4H. The All-American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio, provided plenty of inspiration to the budding trainer. “It is such a big influence on every part of the horse industry. It gets you thinking that the horse business is something to be a part of,” he said.

While at Findlay College, Hinton was able to work with Dale Wilkinson. “He was the grandfather of reining, so with that exposure in college, the NRHA Futurity and the Congress both being held in Ohio, I wanted to direct myself towards a more advanced level of training,” Hinton recalled. “I saw what the successful horsemen were doing and wanted to emulate that.”

Hinton later worked for professional horse trainer Doug Lilly, and when Lilly made the move to Arizona, Hinton followed as his assistant. Soon after he began working for renowned horseman Al Dunning. “At that time, the horse training world hadn’t reached the point of specialization yet, so we trained cutters, cow horses, reiners, western riding horses, and more, because the all-around titles were the thing to win,” he explained.

Hinton soon went into business for himself, taking numerous youth and adult riders to all-around titles. His barn, however, began to evolve, transitioning from having a few reining horses to a specialized reining facility.

It was when Hinton and his wife Kathy moved to Texas that his business and career really flourished. The couple created Cedar Ridge Stallion Station, and began to diversify, not only with a training and competition division, but also breeding and selling. “We have been entrepreneurs and invested in ourselves by buying or raising our own prospects. We’ve had success with that, and are fortunate it has worked out,” he said. Cedar Ridge Stallion Station is home to NRHA Seven Million Dollar Sire Magnum Chic Dream, NRHA Triple Crown winner Not Ruf At All, and two-time AQHA World Champion and earner of $188,000 In Like Flinn.

Hinton has owned several standout athletes, including Smarty Starlight, Lil Magnum Jessie, Black Hails Gold, Guaranteed A Magnum, and Mega Mag. It was on Lil Magnum Jessie, by NRHA $7 Million Sire Magnum Chic Dream, that Hinton won the 2009 NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity Reserve Championship. Hinton won the NRHA Level 3 Open Futurity Championship in 2013 on Black Hails Gold (by Shine Like Hail), and in 2017 on Mega Mag (by Magnum Chic Dream).

While Hinton initially competed on Guaranteed A Magnum (by Magnum With A Dream), he passed the reins to his assistant Jimmy van der Hoeven, who piloted the gelding to back-to-back NRHA Derby Championships in 2018 and 2019 (owned by Chad and Molly Cherry).

Hinton was adamant that his success as both an owner and showman is due to help from people surrounding him. “You can’t accomplish something like that without a team. We have had many great assistants help us over the years, and we have been a real team. I don’t think this is an individual honor for me by any means,” he said. Hinton shared that Kathy, who has owned NRHA earners of more than $720,000, has been the driving force behind the couple’s success.

The current team at Casey Hinton Reining Horses includes Casey and Kathy, along with NRHA Professional Jimmy van der Hoeven, Abby Kampman, Mateo Argentero and Rodrigo Nieves.

While achieving Million Dollar Owner status is a huge accomplishment, Hinton is not resting on his laurels and is less than $115,000 away from becoming an NRHA Million Dollar Rider. “We still have some more goals, and we hope we have the endurance to reach them. The fact that we can do what we love, which is raising, training, and showing reining horses makes us fortunate. It’s fulfilling, so we hope to continue for a long time,” he said.