Under the bright lights of the brand-new OG&E Coliseum in Oklahoma City, Customize My Dream (Magnum Chic Dream x Gunna Be Custom) made history—becoming the first horse to win an NRHA Derby title in the new arena. Piloted by NRHA $5 Million Dollar Rider Casey Deary, the 2019 palomino stallion laid down a run that blended grit, finesse, and perfect pattern placement, earning a 233.5 to top one of the toughest Level 4 Open Derby finals in recent memory.

With a massive score of 231.5 already holding the lead, all eyes were on the final horse to enter the pen. Customize My Dream didn’t back down from the pressure. He stepped up and delivered when it mattered most.

But this win was more than just a paycheck. It was the payoff of years of quiet belief from a small but determined breeding program. From the start, Customize My Dream, or ‘William,’ as he’s known at home, stood out for his heart, his try, and a presence that made you look twice. Owners Devin and Jolene Warren saw that spark early on, and they backed him every step of the way.

The Run That Sealed the 2025 NRHA Open Derby Win

As Deary ran into the arena and asked for the stop and back, the crowd became electric. That first maneuver set the tone for the rest of the ride, and one thing was certain: Deary came to win.

“This horse just has such a unique expression to him and so much natural style,” Deary said. “You can’t help but want to watch him.”

Customize My Dream stayed hooked from start to finish—forward and free in his circles, covering ground in a way that made him look bigger than he is. Between maneuvers, he stood like a soldier, calm and focused in the center of the pen.

“That arena was the perfect size for him,” Deary said. “He’s not a big horse, but he looked like he was covering a lot of ground in his fast circles.”

The sliding stops and rollbacks sealed the deal. That’s when Deary knew they had a shot at taking over the leaderboard.

“There were a lot of great stoppers in that class,” he said. “But I think his rollbacks really set him apart. The finished look on every maneuver, especially the rollbacks, that’s what pushed him to the top.”

It’s a quality Devin Warren has seen in the horse time and time again.

“He just always shows up when it counts,” Warren said. “He did it at the Futurity when he was the reserve champion, he did it at the NRBC this year when he placed third, and he did it again here. The more pressure there is, the better he seems to perform.”

For Deary, the win wasn’t just about the title, it was about the people behind the horse.

“It was incredibly special to win the Derby on William,” he said. “There are a lot of people praying for the Warren family right now. It was special for Garrett [Warren] to be there for the finals. You try to make as many happy memories as you can, and this was one of them.”

Prep and Partnership

Customize My Dream’s Derby prep wasn’t about intensity, it was about intention. The goal was to keep the 6-year-old stallion fresh, sharp, and ready when it counted.

That plan worked because Deary and Warren, who isn’t just William’s owner but also a fellow reining professional, ride with a similar mindset. Both believe in feel, timing, and guiding a horse rather than drilling maneuvers. Something that proved key on Derby night with Deary juggling multiple horses in the finals.

With Deary only having a few minutes to warm up before his final run, Warren stepped in to get William mentally and physically ready. Because their styles align, the handoff was seamless.

“The biggest thing for both Casey and I is that they guide,” Warren said. “It’s not about the maneuver; it’s about balance and feel. I try to lead a horse with my thoughts, and if he follows, I don’t have to do much else. That’s the kind of horse Casey rides, and that’s why it worked. I could set him up, and he could just step on and go.”

Learn More About Devin Warren and Warren Performance Horses on The Ride Podcast

The Ride That Started It All

This journey didn’t start with a big plan. Instead, it started in the warm-up pen at the Tulsa Reining Classic. Warren had planned to show William himself in one of the futurity classes and asked Deary to help him with a few things ahead of a paid warm-up session.

“Casey didn’t have anything going on at the moment, so he said, ‘Let’s go get him and I’ll help you out,’” Warren recalled. “He watched me ride for a minute, then asked if he could hop on. Next thing I know, he’s tweaking a few things, asks for a turnaround, and that sucker hits another gear. I told him, ‘That horse looks like you need to be showing him.’ And Casey goes, ‘Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing.’”

Three months later, Deary and William made their NRHA Futurity debut, where they marked a 228.5 in the finals and claimed the 2022 Open Futurity reserve championship title.

Derby Finals Filled with Family Talent

For Deary, Customize My Dream was just the beginning with this standout cross.

“William was the first one I showed for Devin,” Deary said. “Then I showed Custom Dreams, who’s now owned by Custom Dreams Brazil. And in the past I’ve shown Do You HaveThe Dream, who Devin showed at this year’s Derby.”

To add even more excitement to the week, Deary finished the prelims of the 2025 NRHA 6666 Derby sitting first on Custom Dreams and third on Customize My Dream.

“It’s a really great family of horses,” he said. “They’re explosive and dynamic but also incredibly patient when you need them to be.”

While all the full siblings share that same show-ring grit, their personalities at home are a different story.

“William is like a puppy dog, he wants to be in your pocket and loves the attention,” Deary said. “Custom Dreams is happy to let you pet him, but at the end of the day he’s all business.”

For Warren, having five full siblings by the same cross not just competing but succeeding at the NRHA Derby was a full-circle moment.

“It’s surreal,” Warren smiled. “As a breeder, you hope for one or two good ones out of a mare. But to have five show up like that, all legit horses, all thriving at that level? It’s pretty incredible.”

Built on Belief

At Warren Performance Horses, the breeding program isn’t about numbers, it’s about meaning. Every horse is the result of careful choices and deep-rooted belief in what’s possible.

Devin Warren has weathered the ups and downs of life as both a trainer and a breeder. And while his training program is full of talent and supported by great clients, the breeding side hasn’t always been smooth. There have been highs, heartbreaks, and hard decisions along the way.

“As a breeder, you go through a lot of junk,” he said. “A lot of heartache. You pour everything into these horses, and sometimes it feels like the dream’s just out of reach.”

But through it all, faith and family have kept the dream alive.

“It’s so easy to lose faith,” he shared. “But when God gives you a dream, He shows you the ending, not the journey. Because you’re going to go through a lot, and it’s going to be hard. But you just have to keep your eyes up and keep going.”

A huge part of that strength has come from Warren’s wife, Jolene, who has believed in their horses from the very start.

“She’s believed in that horse from the very beginning,” he said. “This journey hasn’t always been easy, but she never let go of the dream. That kind of belief is hard to put into words.”

Jolene was also the one who had a feeling that William’s dam, Gunna Be Custom, was going to become a special part of the family.

“At the time we had the choice between two mares, one that had already produced well over $100,000 in lifetime earnings, and Gunna Be Custom,” Warren shared. “Jolene told me she just had a good feeling about this mare. I was actually a little uncertain because I had never gotten to show her, she didn’t have a record, and she only had one foal on her side. But Jolene just knew.”

The magnitude of the Derby win hit Warren harder than he expected.

“As an owner, a trainer, and a breeder, you dream of this,” he said. “It’s like being part of a Super Bowl team. We all dream of it, but it’s a hard reality. So when it happens, it’s just God reminding you that dreams can come true.”

And on Derby night, Warren felt something shift.

“With everything going on, I don’t know—it was weird,” he said. “As Casey was getting ready to head into the arena, this sense came over me. It was like God was saying, ‘Watch this, this is going to be cool.’ I can’t explain it. The people around me say I don’t ever get emotional, because this business has such high highs and low lows; you try to stay steady. But that night? That one hit different.”