With $2 million on the line for 15 calf ropers and $100,000 for the other five, a field of 20 elite tie-down ropers are pulling out their most elite horses for The American Rodeo weekend, May 22-23, at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
The lineup is a diverse one—no two horses in the field share a sire — but one bloodline threads through the pen more than any other: the CD Olena/Doc O’Lena family.
- Kincade Henry’s Duals Crescent Boon is the oldest horse in the field at 20 years old. Zack Jongbloed’s GM Augusta Drifter and Cory Solomon’s Playin Rey Baby are the youngest, both 10-year-old mares. Among the registered horses with known ages, the field averages 15 years old.
- There are 4 mares in the field: Cole Clemons’ Kissin My Sass, Zack Jongbloed’s GM Augusta Drifter, Cory Solomon’s Playin Rey Baby and the grade mare Katniss, who will be pulling double-duty by both Cason Kingsbury and Bryce Derrer. The rest of the confirmed horses are geldings.
- CD Olena’s fingerprints are all over this field. Four of the eight registered horses trace to the 1994 NCHA Open Futurity Champion or his sire, Doc O’Lena, within just two generations. Patron’s sire is CD Olena, Titus’s dam is by CD Olena, Nova’s sire CD Lights is a CD Olena son, and Mario’s dam is out of Doc O’Lena himself. Trace back far enough, and nearly everyone in the pen is drinking from the same Doc Bar well.
- Dual Pep and Peppy San Badger are both all over this field. The Equi-Stat Elite $25 Million Sire Dual Pep (by Peppy San Badger) shows up in Mario’s sire line, Titus’s sire line, and directly in Nova’s dam and Peppy San Badger himself circles back through Grays Starlight in both Patron’s dam line and CD Lights’ pedigree.
- Breaux is built differently than the rest of the field. This Fiestas Lonely’s sire Fiesta Royale traces to First Down Dash (by Dash For Cash), the all-time leading sire of race money-earners but his dam’s sire, Ikes Last, goes straight back to Driftwood and Hancock Belle, old-school ranch horse blood.
- Hancock blood connects two horses in this field. Earl (Major A 2009) carries Poco Bleukip Hancock on his dam’s side, while Breaux’s Ikes Last traces to Hancock Belle.
Table of contents
Horses competing for $2 million
Dylan Hancock
Hancock will be riding his good bay 17-year-old gelding, Major A 2009, aka “Earl.” Earl is by JR Major Slimwood and out of Kipoco Shy Ann who is by Poco Bleukip Hancock.
Cason Kingsbury
Kingsbury will be riding a grade mare he calls Katniss that he purchased off of a Native American Reservation.
Lane Webb
Webb is undecided on which horse he will pull out for The American Rodeo weekend.
Bryce Derrer
Derrer will also be riding Kingsbury’s grade mare, Katniss.
Andrew Burks
Burks will ride 14-year-old This Fiestas Lonely, aka “Breaux” owned by Riley Webb (Grey gelding that Tuf Cooper owned and rode at the 2024 NFR, Riley won Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo on him). Breaux is by Fiesta Royale and out of Annie Be Lonely who is by Ikes Last.
Tuf Cooper
We have not heard back from Cooper on which horse he will back in The American box on.
Cole Clemons
Clemons will be riding a 16-year-old sorrel mare he calls Nova, registered as Kissin My Sass. Nova is by CD Lights and out of Dual Sass who is by Dual Pep.
KC Miller
Miller will be aboard a horse he calls Wheaties.
Zack Jongbloed
Jongbloed will be aboard his good 10-year-old mare GM Augusta Drifter, aka “Gucci.” Gucci is by JD Disco Drifter and out of FTR Tin Wood who is by Wily Wooddrifter.
Chizm KuyKendall
KuyKendall will be riding a 15-year-old grade gelding he calls Jagg.
Ty Harris
Harris plans to ride a horse he calls Django.
Trevor Hale
Hale will ride his sorrel 19-year-old gelding CDS Spots Move, “Titus.” Titus is by Spots Hot and out of CD Fillylena who is by CD Olena.
Ryan Thibodeaux
Thibodeaux is undecided on which horse he will ride at The American.
Bobby Abernathy
Both Abernathy and Burks will ride This Fiestas Lonely, aka “Breaux” owned by Riley Webb (Grey gelding that Tuf Cooper owned and rode at the 2024 NFR, Riley won Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo on him). Breaux is by Fiesta Royale and out of Annie Be Lonely who is by Ikes Last.
Cory Solomon
Solomon will be riding a 10-year-old mare registered as Playin Rey Baby, “Baby Rae.” Baby Rae is by Fasas Rey and out of Playin Baby who is by Playin N Sync.
Horses competing for $100K
Riley Webb
Webb will be riding his new 15-year-old sorrel gelding, Lights On CD, “Patron,” that he won Corpus Christi and the Hondo Rodeo on. Patron is by CD Olena and out of RG Miss Starlight who is by Grays Starlight.
Kincade Henry
Henry will be riding his trusty 20-year-old blue roan gelding, Duals Crescent Boon, “Mario.” Mario is by Duals Blue Boon and out of Billy Joes Baby who is by Doc O’Lena.
Joel Braden Harris
Joel Braden will be riding the same bay horse as his brother Ty, Django.
John Douch
Douch plans to ride his 12-year-old gelding Peponchek Royalspade, “Tomcat.” Tomcat is by Little Royal Paychek and out of Leos Peppy Too who is by Les Olena Too.
