Russell Dilday’s self-proclaimed decade-long dry spell ended in Fort Worth when he piloted stallion Razor Scooter to the NRCHA Open Hackamore World Championship, posting a 221 rein and 219 fence for a 440 composite worth $12,820.
The win was more than a paycheck—it signaled the return of confidence for the Wynnewood, Oklahoma, cowboy.
“I just got in a rut there where I was overthinking everything,” Dilday said. “I was almost trying too hard, and I lost my feel for letting the horses be good.”
Finding His Feel Again
Dilday is the first to admit his path back to the winner’s circle wasn’t quick. Between managing a beef cattle operation with wife Tanna and navigating the mental grind of training, he estimated his slump stretched 10-to-15 years.
But the cow horse community never let him drift too far.
Dilday credited a long list of fellow trainers and horsemen — including Chris Dawson, Don Murphy, Kyle Noyce, EJ Laubscher, Abby Mixon, Tina Robinson, and Dale Hendricks — for helping him piece his program back together. Recent time spent riding with Dustin Mills and Faron Hightower helped the puzzle finally click.
“It’s hard to apply it all,” Dilday said. “But every one of them helped.”
Equally important were the people at home. Dilday pointed to customer Claire Edwards and Tanna as the anchors who kept him engaged in the show pen when stepping away might have been easier.
“Claire Edwards is the only reason I’m still doing this,” Dilday said. “And my wife has kept me in it. She always thought I would be good again someday.”
The Horse That Brought Him Back
Razor Scooter has been part of that rebuilding process from the beginning.
Dilday purchased the stallion as a coming 2-year-old after his veterinarian flagged the prospect during Snaffle Bit Futurity sale previews. After asking consignor Justin Cunningham to show the colt again, Dilday was sold almost immediately.
“He makes one move, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, okay,’” Dilday recalled.
At the time of his purchase, Dilday knew the mare Scooters Daisy Dukes was good, but didn’t know what an impact progeny Scooter Cat and Hazardouz Material would make on the reined cow horse industry. Fast forward a few years, and suddenly, Dilday was holding an ace sired by High Brow Cat.
From the start, the stallion known by his registered name showed unusual kindness and trainability. Dilday started him himself, climbing aboard the first day under saddle.
“He was unbelievable from day one,” Dilday said. “So sweet. So easy.”
But the road wasn’t perfectly smooth. As a 3-year-old, Razor Scooter battled strangles that claimed the life of his full brother Dilday had purchased from Justin Wright. The illness set the colt behind in his futurity season, forcing Dilday to play catch-up.
But the stallion’s mind never wavered.
“He’s been there for me,” Dilday said. “The better I’ve gotten training, he just catches up immediately and fills in the blanks.”
That reliability showed in Fort Worth. Dilday leaned on the horse’s trademark stop and willing attitude to deliver two strong runs when it mattered most. The big reining score gave them momentum, and Razor Scooter’s gritty fence work sealed the title.
“He killed the first turn,” Dilday said of the finals run. “When I sent him [again,] he just went and swallowed that cow.”
Razor Scooter is now approaching the $50,000 earnings mark with another Derby year ahead, and beginning a new chapter as a sire, too. Dilday and Tanna are standing the stallion for $1,500 in his first breeding season, hoping to build momentum behind the young sire.
For Dilday, however, the championship represents something more personal than statistics or stud fees.
“It’s immense,” he said of the confidence boost. “When something finally goes right, it makes you feel like — well — I was doing it right. And you can do it again.”
After a long stretch out of the spotlight, Russell Dilday is back in the cow horse conversation — and Razor Scooter is the kind of partner that suggests this comeback might just be getting started.