The NRCHA Foundation’s Big Guns in Cowtown took over the historic Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday night, Oct. 21, 2026. The event pitted top rodeo athletes against one another with NRCHA Professionals coaching them, and all proceeds went to the Foundation and to charities the athletes chose.
In the end, 2019 PRCA tie-down roping world champion Haven Meged and Bets R Dual won the title with 232 points. The team earned $20,000 and raised money for the charity Golden Circle of Champions.
“I knew I had good fence turns, so I just had to take care of business and get circled,” Meged said. “I got to do this a little in high school, so I knew if I set the cow up in the middle of the arena there, that’s what the judges like.”
His coach was NRCHA $3 million man Justin Wright, who also owns the 2017 Dual Smart Rey gelding.
“Haven and I have been friends for a while, through horses and him looking for calf horse prospects,” Wright said. “So when I moved from California back to Texas, he sent some cattle up for me to work. When this deal came out and Haven was on the list, I said, ‘I want Haven, for sure.'”
Wright said Bets R Dual has been semi-retired after he purchased him from longtime client Jan Handtmann earlier this year.
“He looked bored sitting in the pasture, and he’s a great horse—smart on a cow—and I knew he’d be good in this little pen,” Wright said.
“Haven could do [cow horse] if he chose to do it. There’s a reason he’s a World Champion; he’s a very good horseman.” – Justin Wright
The Cowtown Coliseum’s dimensions were a challenge for several competitors. Spanning 93 feet by 153 feet, it’s about 50 feet less in width and 100 feet less in length than a typical cowhorse arena. Meged and Bets R Dual took on the challenge handily, though, rolling through two fence turns and circling in the center of the arena.
“I wasn’t nervous going into it,” Wright said. “We’ve had a few practice sessions; and Haven reads a cow so good. He rides so good, and he’s very aggressive. I wasn’t nervous till we got here tonight, and the competitiveness kicked in.”
For the win, Meged and Wright received Gist belt buckles, which Wright plans to wear during the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Finals on Saturday night.
2026 Big Guns in Cowtown Results
| Rank | Horse | Rider | Coach | Score | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HAVEN MEGED | BETS R DUAL | JUSTIN WRIGHT | 232.0 | $20,000.00 |
| 2 | SHAD MAYFIELD | MC COWHAMMER | TREVOR CARTER | 231.0 | $10,000.00 |
| 3 | JACKIE CRAWFORD | BAD TO THA BOON | ERIN TAORMINO | 228.0 | $5,000.00 |
| 4 | JD STRUXNESS | CD SMART BRAT | CLAY VOLMER | 226.0 | – |
| 4 | SHELBY MEGED | STYLISH IN SOCKS | TODD BERGEN | 226.0 | – |
| 4 | WYATT CASPER | STYLISH BOONE | JAY MCGLAUGHLIN | 226.0 | – |
| 7 | LUKE BRANQUINHO | JERRY SMOKE | TODD CRAWFORD | 221.5 | – |
| 8 | CLAYTON SELLARS | STYLISH HAWKEYE | TYSON BENSON | 220.5 | – |
| 9 | SARAH ANGELONE | DIRTY LOOK | BEN BALDUS | 218.0 | – |
| 9 | SAGE NEWMAN | SMOOTH CAT PLAYER 17 | ABBY MIXON | 218.0 | – |