Joe Burns of Eldon, Missouri, and Larry Keith of Austinville, Virginia, sorted 30 head across three rounds in 150.92 seconds Saturday to win the Priefert Open Gold Shootout and $3,268 at the Cinch RSNC Congress Super Sort. Burns rode Bella Of The Blue (Mecom Bay Roan x Mighty Aphrodite), while Keith rode AR Oh Cay Twice (Dont Stopp Believin x Oh Miss Sidney).
The Congress Super Sort ran Oct. 16-18 at Henderson Arena in Jackson, Ohio, as an official satellite event of the All American Quarter Horse Congress. The show offered $15,000 added and four Gold Shootouts.
A Second Shot After the All Levels
Earlier Saturday, Burns and Keith finished second in the All Levels behind Burns’ team with Dan Davis. Burns had beaten Keith while riding with a different partner, giving the two a little extra motivation heading into the Open Gold Shootout.
“He was a little upset that we got second in the All Levels,” Burns said. “So it was redemption time for us in this class, and it worked out for us.”
The Priefert Open Gold Shootout drew some of the highest-rated Open riders at the show, many competing on pick teams that ride together throughout the year. Burns and Keith focused on advancing through the rounds and giving themselves a chance to win.
“We were just going for it,” Burns said. “We knew that’s a hard class.”
Setting the Pace in the Open Gold Shootout
Burns and Keith led the field after each of the first two rounds, with the cattle flowing without much resistance by the second.
“Cattle just flowed the way that we wanted them to,” Keith said. “Nothing real pushy.”
The pair drew first in the finals and felt the cattle worked in their favor. With their run complete, the teams behind them had to match their head count and beat their time to take the lead.
“At that point we knew they were chasing us,” Burns said. “So it made it pretty easy for us.”
Then they waited. No team caught them.
“Oh, it feels amazing,” Keith said.
Different Styles, One Team
Burns and Keith have plenty of experience riding together, and their contrasting approaches help them read the cattle and know when to slow down or speed up.
“He’s more controlled and more precise about his moves and more calm, versus I’m more ‘let’s go,’” Burns said. “It works out well because he brings me down when I need to on hard cows, and at the same time, I can scream at him and tell him let’s go a little faster when it’s time to go.”
A Keith Family Connection
Both winning horses came from Tanner Keith, Larry’s son. Burns has owned Bella Of The Blue, an 11-year-old mare, for five and a half years. He also rode her to win the Hyer #11 Rookie HC with his son, Easton, at the 2026 Cinch RSNC World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas. The father-son team sorted 36 head across four rounds in 222.39 seconds to earn $13,196.
“It’s a love-hate relationship,” Burns said. “There are days we don’t get along, then there’s other days we get along. Today’s one of those days.”
Keith got his mare, AR Oh Cay Twice, a 2018 mare, from Tanner about a year ago. Both father and son have hauled her to compete.
“[She’s] just kind of an all-around type horse that anybody can get on and compete with,” Keith said.
Keith Family Adds More Wins at the Congress Super Sort
Larry’s Open Gold Shootout title was one of several wins for the Keith family during the event. On Friday, Oct. 16, Tanner and Alysson Davis won the Cinch #13 Gold Shootout, while Tammy Keith, Larry’s wife, and Nelson Mas won the Laredo Conversions #10 HC. They sorted 30 head across three rounds in 151.57 seconds to earn $2,960.
Larry added another championship Sunday, teaming up with Mas and Layton Davis, son of Dan and Alysson Davis, to win the #15 HC 3-Rider, 2-Gate. The team sorted 15 head across two rounds in 115.99 seconds to earn $2,376.
Burns also had a big Saturday, winning the All Levels with Dan Davis before taking second with Keith, then closing the day with the Open Gold Shootout title. Asked about his day, he kept it short.
“It’s [an] all right day,” Burns said.