Cheyenne Koesters of Arlington, Texas, and Bodee Kruger from Lake Lillian, Minnesota, captured the Cinch #13 Gold Shootout title at the Houston Super Sort after sorting 30 head in three rounds in 165.90 seconds to earn $7,794.
Although Kruger has won big in Gold Shootout competition before—like when he notably secured the Professional’s Choice #9 Gold Shootout championship and a record-breaking $34,000 payday at the 2025 Cinch RSNC World Finals—for Koesters, the victory marked a long-sought achievement after coming close in Gold Shootout classes in the past.
“I have been trying to win one of these Gold Shootouts for a while,” Koesters said. “I’ve been in the top 10s, but not enough to where I can win it. I’m so happy that I won it at Houston. It’s one of my favorite shows.”
The duo entered the final round with a clear strategy: Keep things simple and aim for a clean run.
“Being the second draw laid us out perfectly, ” Koesters explained. “We got a decently nice layout, so that helped out a lot, and Bodie and I were really in sync.”
Even though the two riders don’t get to compete together frequently due to distance, their familiarity with each other’s riding style helped the partnership come together when it mattered most.
“We ride together sometimes,” Koesters said. “We rode at Las Vegas a couple years ago, and we were super close to winning that class but it just didn’t work out the way we planned it to.”
Houston panned out perfectly for the team, with the strong horsepower they employed playing no small part
Koesters rode her standout 2018 mare, Oaklie (Catty Hawk x Seven S Gun Moll), a horse she has developed into one of her top mounts. Oaklie has proven herself time and again in the sorting pen, including major wins earlier in Koesters’ career.