The rookie reiners opened the 2026 The Run For A Million in a big way Wednesday morning, Aug. 12, with Pedro Diano and Christine Loper claiming the Rookie 1 and Rookie 2 Challenge championships, respectively, at South Point Arena in Las Vegas.
Diano Takes Rookie 1
At just 14 years old, Pedro Diano claimed his first The Run For A Million championship aboard Great Gotta Whiz (Spooks Gotta Whiz x Shirleys Cashin In). The pair marked a 212.5 to win the Rookie 1 Challenge and also tied for reserve champion in the Rookie 2 Challenge, earning more than $500 between the two classes.
Diano entered the pen with a simple game plan.
“I’m just going to try my hardest, see how it comes out,” he said.
That plan paid off, although Diano admitted the atmosphere at South Point Arena initially made him nervous.
“I just saw the crowd and I just started getting way too nervous,” Diano said. “I literally looked up and it’s like so many people.”
Fortunately, the crowd was there to cheer him on. Diano’s support team was out in full force to celebrate his championship, making the moment even more meaningful.
“It feels really good because then you see how many people actually care about you,” he said.
Diano also had a special partner in his corner. Great Gotta Whiz, nicknamed “Gino,” joined the Diano family in 2025 after spending much of his career showing in Europe and earning more than $38,000 in the reining pen.
“He’s probably one of the best horses I’ve ever rode,” Diano said. “He does everything. He’s really good.”
Loper Checks Off a Major Goal
Christine Loper also crossed a major item off her bucket list Wednesday, earning the Rookie 2 Challenge championship aboard her 2020 palomino gelding Temptedtoshine (PS Mega Shine Chic x Misters Temptress).
The pair scored a 214 to top the class, earning Loper $338.50 along with a championship buckle and ribbon.
Loper, of Pilot Point, Texas, and “Nate” were 15th in the draw, leaving her with no idea what score she needed to win as the rest of the field made their runs.
“There was so much noise, I thought they announced 214… But I didn’t know where I needed to be to win it,” Loper said. “But I saw them [her trainer and support team] just explode. It was the most amazing thing. And I’m like, ‘Oh, I guess that’s good.’ So I’m leaving the arena going, ‘It all worked out.’”
With her final year as a Rookie rider approaching, Loper decided it was time to make a run at qualifying for The Run For A Million. Nate, whom she has owned since the end of his three-year-old year, had just returned from a year off when Loper made the decision to put him back in work and pursue the goal of qualifying for Las Vegas.
“It all came together,” she said. “That’s the thing about this sport. People are different. Horses are different every day. You just never know what you get.”
On Wednesday, Nate delivered when it mattered most.
Loper was quick to credit the people who helped her reach the South Point Arena, especially her trainer, Cira Baeck, and the rest of her support team.
“Having people that support me and just help me be the best I can be, and I don’t know if people realize how important it is to have people in your life that believe in you,” she said. “It sounds trite, but it’s really not.”