Wyatt Deary Has Arrived: With $53K in 100X Reining Classic Winnings, the Budding Open Rider is Finding His Stride

Wyatt Deary found his breakthrough moment at the 100X Reining Classic in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in September, earning more than $53,000 in the open ranks aboard a string of five horses.

Deary and colt Danger Zone won Levels 3, 2 and 1 of the 100X 4-Year-Old Open Stakes Finals with a score of 223.5, earning a total of $38,743 for owner Jody Puno.

From the outside looking in, the last name Deary points to potential. But the Tulsa success wasn’t handed to him. Instead, it came after Deary turned in his non-pro card and spent a year working for free, riding the difficult horses in his father Casey Deary’s string.

“Tulsa was probably the purest Danger Zone has shown for me all year,” Deary said. “Most of the time we get to the show, and he’s too fresh. But this show, he stepped it up and grew up a lot mentally in one week.”

Danger Zone is sired by Americasnexttopgun (barn name Maverick), a horse $6 million man Casey Deary showed to more than $400,000 in earnings and multiple major derby championships. Danger Zone and Deary took some extra time to gel before their success in Tulsa.

Wyatt Deary’s 100X Reining Classic Results

According to Deary, showing five horses on different patterns presented its own challenges, requiring an even higher level of focus and determination. But it was exactly where Deary wanted to be, a revelation that came after a semester in college on a full-ride scholarship doing something else entirely.

From Golf Clubs Back to the Reiners

Deary had been showing in the youth ranks, but when he was 15, Casey drew a line, saying that horses weren’t going to pay for his college.

So he picked up golf and baseball, with golf eventually winning out, and went all in. His efforts paid off with a scholarship to Texas Wesleyan University, a small college in south Fort Worth.

The thing that started the reining itch again? Watching his younger brother Owen compete at the Run For A Million. Deary completed one semester at college before deciding to move back home.

“I hated it there,” Deary said. “I was paying to be there, and I was kicking myself. I was like, ‘Why aren’t you doing something you enjoy right now? Learn a trade that you enjoy, that you can make a living at, versus being stuck somewhere you don’t want to be for four years.'”

A Year Working for Free

When Deary told his dad he was done with college and wanted to train full time, Casey didn’t hand him a job; he made him earn one. Deary had a roof over his head, but food was on his own dime. And he worked.

“He wanted me to really prove my loyalty, I guess,” Deary said.

Deary stayed a non-pro through the fall of 2025, riding three horses: two Derby prospects his dad had gotten him a good deal on, and a 2-year-old named Walla Walla Wiz Bang.

“I was begging to ride more,” Deary said. “I was craving to get better.”

According to Deary, the time taught him how to put a proper foundation on a young horse, and how much he didn’t enjoy trying to make a show horse out of someone else’s unfinished project.

The Grind Continues

When Casey finally turned him loose as an open rider, he didn’t hand him the easy string.

“He gave me the more difficult horses no one else really wanted,” Deary said.

That’s how Danger Zone landed in his string, a green, worried 3-year-old whose owner, Jody Puno of Puno Performance Horses LLC, took a chance on a first-year trainer.

Danger Zone tested Deary early. The colt was easily intimidated in training, so Deary backed off. More time in the hackamore built confidence instead of forcing maneuvers.

“Slowing it down, building a good connection with him, and I was able to get more maneuver than anyone thought he had,” Deary said. “At the beginning of the year, I thought I’d be happy with a 216 on him. But now he’s really stepped it up.”

Let Trust be the Guide

Faith continued to be a defining factor in Deary’s growth, with Casey allowing him to show Puno’s Pale Face Vintage at the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby with little preparation.

“Dad was like, ‘Just trust me, do this in your turns, do this in your stops,'” Deary recalled. “It wasn’t something I usually do, but I did it because he told me to, and it worked out well.”

Deary missed the Level 4 finals by half a point on Pale Face Vintage that week and won the Level 1 Derby on Danger Zone with a 222. The Derby experience further cemented Casey’s advice: trust.

“As soon as I started really applying what he said, instead of fighting and brushing him off because he’s my dad, everything got easier,” Deary said. “I kept earning trust.”

After the Derby, Deary’s string grew. By Tulsa, he was managing four 3-year-olds, three 4-year-olds and a Derby horse.

“On every horse, at least once a week, I’m asking my dad, ‘Is this what you want to see?'” Deary said.to see?'” Deary said.

Building His Own Program

Deary is quick to credit his father’s barn community, calling it a healthy and competitive environment. Trainers including Luca Fappani, Gabriel Borges and Edo Winne have been influential parts of his growth. Now, he’s also starting to see where his own program diverges from Casey’s.

“Dad has so much feel in his legs, and it’s very difficult to learn,” Deary said. “He can explain it to me every day of the week, but it’s still tough for me to apply a lot of times.”

What Deary is focused on building is a horse that waits on him and looks to him for confidence and guidance. He’s also become a believer in the sire behind his biggest paycheck: Americasnexttopgun.

“Everything I’ve ridden by Maverick has been very teachable and solid, and that’s something that I don’t think you can pay for,” Deary said. “It’s just something you have to find.”

Eyes on the Futurity

With momentum and a group of owners behind him, Deary is looking forward to the NRHA Futurity in November. His 3-year-old string includes Live And Let Die, owned by Mary Kimelman; Hair Trigger Magnum, owned by Darrel Gustafson; and Walla Walla Wiz Bang, owned by Oxbow Ranch.

“After Tulsa, I know, ‘This one didn’t fire turning, but he stopped way better than I thought he would,'” Deary said. “So now we’re back at the house, and I’m working more on the turns and less on the stops.

“This time of year, I think it’s super easy for a young trainer who really wants to win to over-push their horses or hurt one, or not have enough horsepower when you get to the Futurity. Dad is a master at peaking those horses at the right time, so I’m trying to keep mine on par with his the whole time.” – Wyatt Deary

The horse he’s most excited to bring to Oklahoma City this fall is the one Casey didn’t get along with: Walla Walla Wiz Bang.

“I think he’s the nicest horse I’ve ever ridden,” Deary said. “I’ve never ridden something with a mind like his or a lope like his.”

It all adds up to a Futurity string Deary isn’t just hoping goes well; he expects it to. After a year of watching how his dad does things through a different lens, growing his trust in himself and the advice he receives, Deary is ready for Oklahoma City.