Friday, Aug. 14, brought a full night of cow horse action to South Point Arena in Las Vegas as The Run For A Million’s Cow Horse Night put young riders and working ranch cowboys under the spotlight. Landri Lisac captured the Youth Cow Horse Challenge championship aboard LooksLikeLuckToMe, while Trey Mitchell and SCR WimpyCrackinChic topped the Cowboy Heritage Ranch Challenge, giving two very different competitors a chance to take home TRFAM titles on the same big stage.
Landri Lisac Captures Youth Cow Horse Championship
Straight off a big win at the National High School Finals Rodeo, Landri Lisac of Pueblo, Colorado, added a The Run For A Million championship to her growing list of accomplishments, taking home $4,000 for winning the Youth Cow Horse Challenge.
Lisac and her reliable mount, LooksLikeLuckToMe (Smart Boons x Dual Lookin Pep), marked a 212 in the rein work and a 222.5 down the fence for a 434.5 composite score. LooksLikeLuckToMe also helped her earn NRCHA World Championship titles in the Non Pro Bridle earlier this year.
“She always just tries her best,” Lisac said. “She’s been in our family forever now. Actually, Todd [Crawford] started showing her and then she went to my sister and then I started showing her. My mom even shows her in the boxing. No matter how many times we put her in the show pen she does not give up and tries her hardest every single stride for us.”
Going into the fence work against an impressive group of young riders, Lisac knew she would have to make the most of her opportunity.
“I knew it was possible, but I knew it was going to be hard,” she said. “So, my game plan was to just go for it and if it falls apart, then it wasn’t meant to be. And if it works out, then it works out.”
The win capped a big week in Las Vegas for the Lisac family. NRCHA $3 million rider Todd Crawford competed in the Open Cow Horse Challenge aboard the family’s CRC 1942 (Dual Smart Rey x Some Kinda Merada), marking a 218.5 in the rein work and a 217 down the fence for a 7th place finish and $14,000.
With her next chapter already taking shape, Lisac is headed to Auburn University, where she will study nursing while competing on the Auburn Equestrian team.
From the Ranch to the Show Pen
Trey Mitchell and SCR WimpyCrackinChic brought a piece of Singleton Ranches to South Point Arena, earning the Cowboy Heritage Ranch Challenge championship and a $7,500 payday.
Competing under the bright lights of The Run For A Million for the first time, Mitchell and the 2014 mare marked a 204 in the rein work and a 224 down the fence. Their 428 composite score put them three points ahead of the rest of the field.
“We’ve just been trying to ride every day and do everything we can for what we think is going to happen,” he explained.
When it came time for the fence work, Mitchell kept his strategy simple: Don’t get beat.
The win was a special one for Mitchell, his family and Singleton Ranches. His cousin, Cooper McCleskey, represented Tongue River Ranch in the class, finishing 2nd with a 425 aboard Ridin A Metallic. Mitchell also had the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his father, Grant Mitchell, who previously competed in The Run For A Million’s Cowboy Heritage Ranch Challenge.
Mitchell has shown SCR WimpyCrackinChic before, but bringing the mare to a stage like South Point Arena made the experience especially memorable. Bred by Singleton Ranches, the palomino mare comes from a decorated pedigree. Her dam, Smart Crackin Chic, won the 2006 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity for Singleton Ranches with Todd Crawford, while her sire, Wimpys Little Step, won the 2002 NRHA Open Futurity and is a member of the NRHA Hall of Fame.
“She has a large personality and it’s so much fun to be a part of,” Mitchell said.