Open Hackamore Classic
Fresh off his monumental win as The American Performance Horseman Reined Cow Horse Champion, Boyd Rice proved his momentum is unstoppable, returning just a week later to claim the 2025 MARS EQUESTRIAN™ Hackamore Classic Open title aboard Blu Genes. With a total composite of 882 points, including the high score of 225 in the cow work finals, Rice and the striking black stallion left their mark in Tulsa.
When looking at his breeding, Blu Genes is built for greatness. Sired by Once In A Blu Boon and out of Lil Miss Shiney Nic by Nic It In The Bud, the young stallion has all the intelligence, athleticism and cow sense as his sire, and now with Rice’s training, the results are coming to life.
“It’s been pretty amazing,” Rice reflected. “I’ve just been trying to be real patient when I show and stay clean and just let the chips kind of fall as they may. It’s worked out for me, so I’m going to keep trying that.”
Though for a time it seemed fate had other plans for Blu Genes.
“When I got him, he was an incredible horse,” Rice said. “I just had hard luck with him, ailments and one thing after another. Then, about six months ago, everything started coming together. He’s gotten better and better.”
That progress showed in the Open Hackamore cow work finals.
“That cow came out and it boxed unbelievable; it went all the way back and forth across the fence—it didn’t stall or nothing,” Rice explained. “Then, once it got down there and I rode by it, it stopped. All the cattle had been coming off the fence and making our second turn hard, and that cow happened to go right back down on the fence for me. I got a good second turn, then that horse is pretty unbelievable in the circles, so I went to the middle with a lot of cow and he went and got her.”
For Rice, Blu Genes stands apart from their competition by his combination of talent and composure.
“His eye appeal and his ability—he looks good out there, and he’s really smooth to ride,” Rice shared. “He’s laid back and always thinking about his job.”
Rice also credited the team behind him, expressing gratitude to longtime supporter Kit Moncrief who purchased Blu Genes in partnership with Bosque Ranch and gave Rice the reins.
“Kit has been wonderful ever since I started riding for her when I still lived in Spearman, probably 20 years ago.” Rice shared. “She keeps me on good horses, and she’s great to ride for. If I mess up, it’s fine; and when I win, it’s great. It’s pretty unbelievable.”
With Blu Genes coming into his own and a strong team behind him, Rice is excited for the future with this 5-year-old.
Non Pro Hackamore Classic
Winning the NRCHA MARS EQUESTRIAN™ Hackamore Classic once is a feat. Winning it four years in a row puts you in a league of your own.
Debbie Crafton added a fourth Hackamore Classic Non Pro Championship title to her long list of accomplishments this week aboard Boot Scootin Flo (Scooter Kat x Hustle And Flo x Metallic Cat), placing herself in elite company alongside NRCHA Hall of Fame member Annie Reynolds as one of only two individuals to ever accomplish such a streak.
And she didn’t stop there.
The $9,000 paycheck earned in the Hackamore Classic Non Pro along with her win in the Non Pro Two Rein and fourth place finish in the World’s Greatest Non Pro, Crafton officially became the newest member of the NRCHA Million Dollar Rider club, yet another honor she now shares with Reynolds.
“ It means the world,” Crafton said about reaching the million-dollar milestone. “I really don't know that I can put into words what it means. It was a goal set, and to be able to do that on this mare, but then also to have SJR SumKindaRockstar there, it's just an incredible feeling.”
She rode SJR SumKindaRockstar (Smooth As A Cat x SumKinda PinkCaddilac x Peptoboonsmal) in this year’s World’s Greatest Non Pro, coincidentally, the same horse she won her very first Hackamore Classic Non Pro title with in 2022.
This year’s win with Boot Scootin Flo made the feat even more impressive, as the mare had only been introduced to the hackamore after the NRCHA Kimes Ranch Derby barely 30 days ago.
“This mare's very green to the hackamore,” Crafton admitted. “She’d never been in a hackamore before until after the Derby, but she took to it, and I had a lot of confidence coming here and showing her.”
That confidence paid off in the finals.
“The cow work worked out good,” she said. “All we had to do was come in, be smart about the cow and see where it lands you. I was so proud of how well she handled the cow, and then to be able to take a hold of the lead and maintain it throughout the rest of the finals was pretty cool.”
As a seasoned non pro with proven talent in the hackamore, Crafton knows exactly what kind of horse it takes to shine in the event.
“ It takes one that obviously likes the hackamore and that’s a willing partner,” she said. “One that wants to do its job, and wants to do its job with you.”
Their shared willingness and commitment to the job is what carried Crafton and Boot Scootin Flo to the top.
World's Greatest Non Pro Champion
For Stefani Wagley, being crowned the 2025 World’s Greatest Non Pro wasn’t just about winning. It was about coming full circle with a partner who’s been with her every step of the way.
Making her debut in the World’s Greatest Non Pro, Wagley and her gelding Boon Doxx, affectionately known as “Sandy,” made a lasting first impression by earning the high scores in both the herd and cow work. For Wagley, the journey to this event with Sandy has been a testament to patience, trust and a bond built over years in the arena.
“It’s something special,” Wagley said. “The relationship that we have and the bond that we’ve created is so special to where it’s hard to even explain.”
Sandy, a 2018 gelding by Sannman and out of Docs Stylish Liz by Docs Stylish Oak, has been Wagley’s partner since his futurity year. Together, they’ve climbed the levels, from the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity® to the Derby to the hackamore to the two rein and now the bridle. That foundation paid off in Tulsa.
With an impressive performance in the herd work, Wagley and Sandy laid down a strong lead early on. But the cow work was where they truly shined, drawing a cow that allowed them to show off their bond in the arena. The duo scored a 150, the highest cow work score of the finals.
“I knew it was tight going into the cow work, so I knew we had to hopefully draw a good cow that was going to let us get some points,” Wagley explained. “He was so accurate in the boxing and went down and swallowed that first fence turn. He's become such a great fence horse. He's gotten so strong and confident in himself. I joked that I was there for the ride; he came with it all.”
That level of confidence and effort is something Wagley has come to count on from Sandy.
“He tries his whole heart out,” Wagley said with a proud smile. “And it’s funny because I think he knows when we step in the show pen. It’s like he steps up every single time.”
While the cow work came naturally for the pair, the roping was uncharted territory. Wagley hadn’t roped out of the box before March, a challenge that might have discouraged some. Instead, she met it head-on, marking a 144 in the steer stopping, tied for the second-highest score.
“The roping was definitely the most challenging thing I've ever done,” Wagley admitted. “But it's made him more broke, because of the rope, the chutes and all of that.”
With their impressive performance behind them, Wagley is already thinking ahead. She’s qualified for the AQHA World Show in November, where she hopes to chase down a gold globe, and she’s not ruling out a return to the World’s Greatest Non Pro stage.
“I definitely want to come back and do this again,” Wagley said confidently.
In a sport built on trust between horse and rider, Stefani Wagley and Sandy have proven that the greatest teams are created through time, hardwork and heart.
