Corey Cushing Claims Fifth NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Title Aboard Candy Shopp

Corey Cushing rode Gianna Hansen’s black stallion Candy Shopp to the 2026 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Championship, putting together a 665-point composite to win $200,000 inside Fort Worth’s Will Rogers Coliseum.

The finals marked Cushing’s 19th consecutive Open Finals qualification and his fifth Open Futurity title in 15 years, following CD Diamond (2012), Good Time (2014), SJR Diamond Mist (2018) and ReysmHigh (2023). The only NRCHA rider with more Open Futurity championships is Ted Robinson, with seven.

“Each win is a blessing,” Cushing said. “Each of [the championships] comes with its own story, and they are all special.”

Candy Shopp is sired by Smooth Talkin Style and out of Shiney Nickel (Smart Boons), known around the barn as “50 Cent.” He and Cushing marked a 225 in the herd work, then went on to a 220 in the rein work and a 220 down the fence.

“Going into the fence work, I was telling myself, ‘Get him up there next to that cow,’” Cushing said. “These cows were really spicy, but get him close, go by all the way, and as the run kept building, I was thinking ahead, trying to present the best picture.”

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From the stands, Hansen watched as 50 Cent did what he does best.

“He works his ears really cool and his eyes [light] up, and it’s just such a fun game to him,” Hansen said. “He thinks it’s just a blast. I think he absolutely loves his job.”

A Champion Three Generations in the Making

Hansen is a self-named “small-time” breeder. The story of 50 Cent starts in 2006, Hansen bought her first cow horse and 50 Cent’s granddam, Nic A Shiner.

“No one in my family does this,” Hansen said. “This has just been my dream, and I’ve been told no my whole life. ‘You can’t ride what you raise,’ and, ‘Why are you putting a [Shining G Heart] brand on them? People won’t buy them with that brand. You’re not a big ranch. You’re not a big name.’ The more people that tell me no, the more it lights my fire and drives me to keep doing it even on the long days.”

Hansen first met Cushing when he trained at Bella Vista in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“We got to know each other over the fence,” Hansen said. “And I said, ‘Man, I wonder if Corey would ever take a horse from a little breeder like me.’”

At Cushing’s recommendation, Hansen bred Nic A Shiner to Smart Boons. The resulting 2016 bay roan mare, Shiney Nickel, went to Cushing for training, and Hansen showed her in the Non Pro Futurity. The mare went on to earn $33,811, according to QData.

In 2022, Hansen flushed Shiney Nickel, and in 2023 Candy Shopp (Smooth Talkin Style x Shiney Nickel x Smart Boons) hit the ground. Out of a bay roan mare and by a sorrel stallion, he was a surprise from the start.

“He shouldn’t have been black,” Hansen said. “When I ran the genetics, I think he had a 4–6% chance of being black. So I was a little concerned when he was born, like, ‘Are you sure that was the right embryo for my mare?’”

The colt’s future trainer was an easy call.

“I said, ‘Corey, I have [Shiney Nickel’s] first baby. It’s a black stallion. It has your name written all over it,’” Hansen said. “And I showed him the ugliest yearling photo. And he’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s try it.’”

Hansen brought four bred-and-owned horses to the Snaffle Bit Futurity, and three made Futurity finals. Her daughter Alea finished Reserve Champion in the Non Pro Boxing Futurity on Soulastition (Stevie Rey Von x Soula Shiner x Soula Jule Star), and Hansen made the Non Pro Futurity Finals on Bailando (A Vintage Smoke x Peptos J Lo x Peptoboonsmal).

Bringing Him Along

“We started him from day one,” Cushing said. “Gianna sent him to us at the end of his yearling year, and we started him late December, early January. He just kept on rising every day. Nothing that made you go, ‘Oh, my gosh, look at this.’ But consistent, staying the course. I took him out there to [the NSHA Futurity] in Vegas and he showed a lot better than he was training. You could feel a little extra effort from him.”

When Hansen watched the pair average 217 at the NSHA Futurity in Las Vegas in August, she knew there was more in the tank.

“He wasn’t even pushing him,” Hansen said.

One more outing at the Arizona Fall Championships smoothed out any snags before Fort Worth, where 50 Cent faced a field of 344 Open entries. A 221 herd, a 217 rein with a bobble in a circle and a 214.5 cow totaled 652.5, enough to slip into the 31-horse finals in a four-way tie for the final spot.

“I did not eat all day,” Hansen said. “I had no fingernails left. To have slight [bobbles] in two of three events and still make it through, I just knew that horse was going to peak at the right time.”

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Not for Sale

Offers to buy 50 Cent came in throughout the week, but Hansen didn’t want to hear the numbers.

“I said, ‘I’ve gotten this far. I’m having the time of my life. Life’s about experiences and the people you share it with, and Corey’s been a very dear friend for a long time,’” Hansen said.

On Saturday night, everything came together. 2026 NRCHA Open Snaffle Bit Futurity Champions.

“That horse just has such presence in the arena, and they’re such a good fit together,” Hansen said. “And to think it’s only the beginning.”

For Cushing, the win was a moment to reflect on his support system and blessings.

“It’s amazing how, through challenging times and life getting so busy, it turns out this way,” Cushing said. “It gives you a real good feeling that you are on the right path, and you are doing the right thing.”

2026 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Results