Jimmy Daurio and Cowpuncher Cadillac Win Headley QH Open NSBA Working Western Rail Stakes
By Sarah Welk Baynum
Cowpuncher Cadillac continued an already impressive run at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress, adding another championship to his week in the Open Working Western Rail Stakes NSBA with Jimmy Daurio in the saddle for owners Daurio and David Renier.
Known as “Blue” in the barn, the gelding once again delivered when it counted.
“In all honesty, I didn’t want to warm him up too hard because he was kind of tired,” Daurio said. “By the time we got to that class, he was exhausted, but he still showed up for me. He always shows well. He’s been in that class a lot, and for the most part, he’s always so on. He just shows like a champion every time.”
For Daurio, the depth of competition in the Working Western Rail reflects just how dramatically the ranch division has evolved in recent years.
“You have to have a top-quality ranch horse now,” Daurio said. “There was a time when some people thought horses that weren’t making it in the pleasure industry, or reining horses that weren’t cutting it there, could move into the ranch events. That’s not the case anymore. It has become so specialized, especially at the high-end events.”
Cowpuncher Cadillac is the prime example of the kind of versatility and consistency Daurio believes now defines the upper level of the ranch division. Today’s top ranch horses are expected to bring together far more than ability in a single event.
“They have to be beautiful, they have to be great movers, and they have to have all the pieces,” Daurio said. “And there are a lot of them. It’s not just a handful anymore. At this horse show, especially in the senior classes, any of those horses could be the winner at any time.”
One of the biggest changes in today’s ranch division is the level of versatility expected from the horses competing at the top.
“The horses you see at the top often do well in all three events,” Daurio said. “They’re not just a rail horse or a trail horse. They’re good in everything, and I think that makes their value and the value of ranch horses that much greater. Horses like that are harder to find now.”
Daurio also credited sponsors who have continued to support the ranch division and helped increase the stakes for exhibitors.
“It’s such an incentive for people to come and compete for that money,” Daurio said. “What the Headleys do is a game changer for this horse show, and they support the World Show that way, too. It’s an honor to have that kind of support behind these classes.”
Open Working Western Rail Stakes NSBA
Presented by Headley Quarter Horses
Champion: Cowpuncher Cadillac with Jimmy Daurio for Jimmy Daurio & David Renier—$5789.80
Reserve: Sumac GunnaBeFlashy with Bud Lyon for Leslie Lange–$4168.66
Bronze: Xtra Wimpys Catalyst with Matt Gouthro for Erika Collins Sterling–$3010.70
Fourth: Lets Double Down with Clayton Jerrell for Wendy McConnell–$2315.92
Fifth: Xtra Magic Doctor with Leslie Lange–$1968.53
Sixth: Double Tapn with Logan Pluhar for Jennifer Greenleaf–$1621.14
Seventh: One Cool Joe with Steve Meadows for Michelle Higdon-Rector–$1389.55
Eighth: SS Wrecking Ball with Melvin Yoder for Alex Dorsey–$1157.96
Ninth: The Toyy Story with Bradley Hill for Kylee Wiseman–$926.37
Tenth: LC Whiskey Man Do with Karen Johnson–$810.57
View results through 15th place: https://quarterhorsecongress.net/results/26results/results/pages/r119000go1.htm
View “Blue’s” 2025 profile in the Equine Chronicle: Cowpuncher Cadillac | Equine Chronicle
Watch the livestream from Thursday from National Sports Broadcasting (Daurio’s win is in the last class of the day):
