All Star Open Derby Celebrates its Champions and Growing Future
2026 PRESS RELEASE
A $165,919 payout and a larger field reward a year of listening to exhibitors and investing in the Open Derby
L4 Derby Champions: Cade McCutcheon & All Nite Partier
COLUMBUS, Ohio — When the final scores were posted at the 2026 All Star Reining Stakes Open Derby on September 27, there was plenty to celebrate. Cade McCutcheon had earned another Level 4 title, Brandon Brant had guided Gotta Be Big Time to the Level 3 championship, and Nimroid Vannietvelt and Trashy Little Girl had claimed two championships with one run. For the All Star team, seeing those accomplishments rewarded by a growing event made the day especially meaningful.
Held at the All American Quarter Horse Congress, this year’s Open Derby paid $165,919.33 across four levels, up 43 percent from 2025 and nearly 92 percent from 2024. Behind that growth was a commitment to listen to exhibitors, improve the schedule and put more money into the competition. This year, exhibitors answered with their support.
McCutcheon and All Nite Partier led the way with a 225.5 to win the Level 4 championship and $17,661.15. Owned by Sotol Investments LLC and sired by ASRS-nominated stallion Gunners Special Nite, All Nite Partier carried McCutcheon back to the top of the All Star Open Derby after his 2025 Level 4 co-championship aboard Varsity Blu. McCutcheon also shared reserve honors on Tamarack Ranch LLC’s TR Designer Genes, earning another $9,406.49. Together, the two horses brought his ASRS Open Derby earnings to $27,067.64, adding another successful chapter to his All Star story.
For Brant and owner Robert A. Rosenfeld, Gotta Be Big Time delivered a Level 3 championship and a share of the Level 4 reserve title with a score of 222. By ASRS-nominated stallion Spooks Gotta Whiz, the mare earned $11,419.53 in Level 3 and $9,406.49 in Level 4, taking home $20,826.02 across the two divisions.
L3 Derby Champions: Brandon Brant & Gotta Be Big Time
Vannietvelt and Trashy Little Girl made their trip to the show pen count twice, scoring a 220.5 to sweep Levels 2 and 1. Owned by Peter A. Morgan, the daughter of ASRS-nominated stallion Gunnatrashya earned $6,620.29 for the Level 2 title and $2,460.45 for Level 1. A fifth-place finish in Level 3 added $3,972.01, bringing the pair’s total ASRS Open Derby earnings to $13,052.75.
L2 & L1 Derby Champions: Nimroid Vannievelt & Trashy Little Girl
All four championships went to offspring of stallions nominated to ASRS for 2026. It was a fitting result for a program built around the connection between stallion owners, breeders, horse owners and competitors, with the support of one generation helping create opportunities for the next.
That support was evident throughout the entry list. The Open Derby attracted 111 horses entered in at least one ASRS level, compared with 77 in 2025—a 44 percent increase. Combined entries across the four levels grew from 153 to 247, up 61 percent, with horses eligible to enter multiple levels. Level 4 grew from 27 entries to 57, while Level 3 rose from 33 to 75.
Those numbers followed changes made with exhibitors in mind. After the 2025 event, the Open Derby schedule was a consistent topic of feedback. ASRS took that feedback to heart and made adjusting the schedule a priority, alongside a larger investment in added money. The aim was to make the event easier to attend and more rewarding to support.
Added money across the Open Derby’s four levels increased from $60,000 in 2024 to $70,000 in 2025 and $90,000 in 2026. As participation grew, so did the money returned to competitors: total payouts climbed from $86,602.39 in 2024 to $116,018.09 in 2025 and $165,919.33 this year. That is nearly $50,000 more paid out than a year ago, and $79,316.94 more than in 2024.
For ASRS management, the most rewarding part is seeing that investment become something exhibitors can share in. Every owner who sends a horse, every trainer who makes room on the calendar and every stallion owner who supports the program has a part in its success. The All Star team is grateful for that trust and thrilled to see it reflected in this year’s Open Derby.
With the support of its exhibitors and its partnership with the All American Quarter Horse Congress, ASRS is excited to keep building. This year’s results offer encouragement to continue listening, investing and improving the experience for everyone involved. The goal is to make the Open Derby an increasingly premier event on the reining calendar—one that people look forward to returning to, and one whose success continues to give back to the people who make it possible.
For information about All Star Reining Stakes, visit www.allstarreiningstakes.com
Media contact: allstarreining@gmail.com