For Immediate Release – January 8, 2021 – Oklahoma City, Okla. – Thanks to a record-setting event, three National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) sires reached new million-dollar milestones. Wimpys Little Step is now the third sire in reining history to become an NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire and both Gunners Special Nite and Gunnatrashya joined the elite NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire club.
Wimpys Little Step
It was less than two years ago that Wimpys Little Step became an eleven-million-dollar sire just behind Topsail Whiz and Gunner. Out of NRHA Three Million Dollar Sire and Hall of Famer Nu Chex To Cash, Wimpys Little Step was bred by NRHA Million Dollar Owner Hilldale Farm. The 21-year-old stallion is out of Leolita Step and standing for owner Silver Spurs Equine, LLC in Purcell, Oklahoma.
Wimpys Little Step boasts a short but decorated show career with NRHA Six Million Dollar Rider and Hall of Fame Inductee Shawn Flarida. The pair won the All-American Quarter Horse Congress Open Level (L) 4 Futurity followed almost immediately by the 2002 NRHA Open L4 Futurity Championship. Wimpys Little Step has $185,756 in NRHA Lifetime Earnings (LTE).
During the 2020 NRHA Futurity, Wimpys Little Step had three offspring make the open finals and four in the non pro finals. Combined, the seven entries earned over $67,000, and Wimpys Little Step sailed across the $12 million mark.
Step N Past Ya (out of ARC Sail Past Ya) was his top earner in the Non Pro L4 finals under the guidance of Gina-Marie Schumacher. With a score of 218, the duo earned a cool $19,573.
Earning $15,388 in the Open L3 finals and another $8,718 in the Open L2 finals was Blonde Addy Tude (out of Miss Lil Addy Tude). At the reins was NRHA Professional Patrick Flaherty piloting for owner Tim Ruckman.
Wimpys Little Step’s top offspring include:
- NRHA Million Dollar Dam and Hall of Famer Wimpys Little Chic (out of NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee Collena Chic Olena): $516,555 NRHA LTE
- RC Fancy Step (out of Sonita Wilson): $364,454 NRHA LTE
- Wimpys Little Buddy (out of All Thats Dun): $285,358 NRHA LTE
- Wimpyneedsacocktail (out of Seven S Mimosa): $280,379 NRHA LTE
- CFR Centenario Wimpy (out of Miss Hollywood Whiz): $173,740 NRHA LTE
Photo by John Brasseaux
Gunners Special Nite
Gunners Special Nite is making quick work of reaching new NRHA Million Dollar milestones. In the last four years, he’s climbed the ladder of success from one to now four million. As one of the newest NRHA Four Million Dollar Sires, ‘Bailey’ reached this achievement before the 2020 NRHA Futurity and Adequan® North American Affiliate Championship (NAAC) Show began.
Just after reaching $3 Million in September 2019, Bailey’s offspring wasted no time chipping away at $4 million. In the 2019 NRHA Open Futurity Finals, Guns And Dynamite (out of Chic Olena Starbuck) was reserve champion in levels 4-2 with NRHA Million Dollar Rider Cade McCutcheon in the saddle.
Gunners Special Nite has always paired well with the name McCutcheon. In 2010, NRHA Million Dollar Rider and Owner Tom McCutcheon reined the 2004 stallion to an individual and team gold medal at the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG) for team USA. The McCutcheon family continues riding horses out of this show-stopping stallion.
Bailey’s offspring kept up their winning streak from the fall at the 2020 NRHA Futurity. NRHA Two Million Dollar Rider Mandy McCutcheon rode Shining At Nite (out of A Shining Sidekick) to the Non Pro L4 Futurity Championship. Thanks to the generosity of the NRHA Futurity Challenge Donors, McCutcheon added $60,000 to her NRHA LTE and that of Gunners Special Nite.
Bred by Kim and Deborah Sloan and raised by Tim and Colleen McQuay, Bailey was later purchased by Turnabout Farm, Inc. He is now standing at Tom McCutcheon Reining Horses in Aubrey, Texas.
Turnabout Farm, Inc. is quickly becoming a household name when it comes to breeding top reining horses. The Aubrey, Texas, based operation was the leading breeder in 2018 and 2019 according to Equistat. They also listed Turnabout Farm as a “Reining Up-&-Comer” in early 2020.
Gunners Special Nite’s top offspring include:
- Modern Gun (out of Taris Modern Design): $221,043 NRHA LTE
- Guns And Dynamite (out of Chic Olena Starbuck): $180,606 NRHA LTE
- Baileys Not Painted (out of Darlins Not Painted): $140,984 NRHA LTE
- Lenas Shining Gun (out of SL Lenas Chick): $106,184 NRHA LTE
- Special Made Whiskey (out of Starlight Acres): $93,916 NRHA LTE
Photo by John Brasseaux
Gunnatrashya
With 35 foals in the 2020 NRHA Open Futurity alone, it was nearly impossible for Gunnatrashya to miss the $4 million dollar mark. When the dust settled, the 2006 stallion far surpassed that milestone after Gunnabebigtime (out of Big Time Jazzy) earned the Open L4 Reserve Champion title. NRHA Million Dollar Rider Brian Bell piloted the stallion to a 224.5 to earn $118,982.
Bred by Katarina Dorminy, Gunnatrashya now stands at Oswood Stallion Station in Weatherford, Texas, for Arcese Quarter Horses USA. He’s by NRHA Twelve Million Dollar Sire and Hall of Fame Inductee Gunner and out of Natrasha.
As a 3-year-old, Gunnatrashya found significant success in the show pen. Under the direction of NRHA Six Million Dollar Rider and Hall of Fame Inductee Shawn Flarida, Gunnatrashya was the 2009 All-American Quarter Horse Open L4 Futurity Champion and immediately followed that up with the NRHA Open L4 Futurity Championship.
The pair came back to the Jim Norick Arena in June to win the NRHA Open L4 Derby title. Gunnatrashya harbors $218,046 in NRHA LTE to date.
Gunnatrashya has produced several futurity and derby champions during his breeding tenure. At the 2019 NRHA Open L4 Futurity Finals, one of Gunnatrashya’s colts helped Cade McCutcheon become an NRHA Million Dollar Rider. Super Marioo (out of HA Chic A Tune) topped the Open L4 and L3 finals to add $172,358 to his NRHA LTE and pushed Cade over the $1 million mark.
Gunnatrashya’s top offspring include:
- ARC Gunnabeabigstar (out of NRHA Million Dollar Dam Wimpys Little Chic): $298,999 NRHA LTE
- Super Marioo (out of HA Chic A Tune): $254,528 NRHA LTE
- Inferno Sixty Six (out of NRHA Million Dollar Dam and Hall of Fame Inductee Snip O Gun): $205,690 NRHA LTE
- ARC Gunna Mark Ya (out of Shiney Miss Marker): $163,877 NRHA LTE
- Gunnabebigtime (out of Big Time Jazzy): $134,714 NRHA LTE
Photo by Cam Essick
Congratulations to Wimpys Little Step, Gunners Special Nite, and Gunnatrashya on their outstanding accomplishments!