Corey Cushing came out on top of the 2026 NRCHA Stallion Stakes, winning the Open Derby on Smart Dressed Dude and adding the Open Hackamore title on Memreyble. The pair of wins highlighted a dominant finals showing in Las Vegas.
Smart Dressed Dude Wins Open Derby
Corey Cushing rode Smart Dressed Dude (Stevie Rey Von x Smart Crackin Chic) to the Open Derby championship April 10, 2026, at the NRCHA Stallion Stakes, earning $125,000 for Bar One Land & Cattle. The win pushed the 2021 gelding’s lifetime earnings past $159,000.
“Every draw is a good draw in the finals,” Cushing, who had four horses in the finals, told EQN Sports’ Amy Wheatley. “As the evening goes on, adrenaline starts to build things. I thought, ‘All I can do is just go out there and make the best out of what is dealt to me. Don’t mess up, don’t take a bad step, hopefully make the right decision.’”
The pair delivered across all three phases, marking a 220 in the herd work, a 220 in the rein work and a 225 in the fence work. Their composite score of 665 secured the title by 4.5 points over Clayton Edsall aboard Talk To The Prince (Smooth Talkin Style x Princess Clarence), who finished as the reserve champion.
“My horse was right on target,” Cushing said. “He felt so awesome.”
Cushing, an NRCHA $4 Million Rider, credited the gelding’s cow sense and feel throughout the finals. Though he can be timid with cattle at times, “Dude” showed confidence when it counted, reading situations and responding with precision in the fence work.
Cushing’s depth was also on display in the finals, where his additional mounts earned a combined $50,000. Memreyble (Dual Rey x Stylish Play Lena) placed sixth with a 656.5, followed by 2025 Snaffle Bit Futurity reserve champion Von Jovii (Stevie Rey Von x She Wood In Time in 12th, while Just A Good Ol Cat (High Brow Cat x Scooters Daisy Dukes) placed 26th with a 635.5.
Corey Cushing Doubles Down: Memreyble Tops Open Hackamore Finals
Cushing carried that momentum into the Open Hackamore finals April 12, where Memreyble topped the class with a 439.5, earning $5,115.60 for owners Don and Teresa Martin.
Smart Dressed Dude also returned to the pen, tying for fifth place with a 432 alongside Matt Koch and SJR Hi Light Mist and Russell Dilday aboard RBS Sugar Rush.