At the 2025 American Performance Horseman in Las Vegas, Down Right Amazing made history. Under the saddle of NRHA Million Dollar Rider Casey Deary, the 2017 sorrel stallion became the first reining horse to surpass $1,000,000 in lifetime earnings. Marked with a powerful 229, the run felt inevitable and electric all at once—a performance that crystallized years of momentum into a single, defining moment.
A Run for the Record Books
From the first rollback it was clear this was the one. Deary and “Amazing” locked into cadence, showed the kind of rate that swallows ground without losing shape, and hammered three stops that drew the arena to its feet. The 229 wasn’t just a number—it was the exclamation point on a stretch of headline wins and derby titles that have made him the sport’s standard-bearer.
Performances like that don’t happen by accident. They’re the product of talent married to a blueprint that was built for big stages.
Down Right Amazing is by Colonels Smoking Gun (Gunner) and out of Shesouttayourleague, a daughter of Walla Walla Whiz. It’s a cross that blends Gunner’s charisma and stop with the trainability and softness that run through the Walla Walla Whiz line. Bred by Curtis Performance Horses LLC and owned by DAG Ventures LLC, his page stacks proven names—Topsail Whiz through Walla Walla Whiz, Shining Spark via Shiney Walla Wanda, and Nu Chex to Cash through Wimpys Little Step—explaining the balance of power, polish, and mind that shows up every time he walks down the tunnel.
The million‑dollar milestone didn’t create Down Right Amazing; it confirmed him. With a résumé that already included marquee wins at The American, the NRBC, and the NRHA Derby, this run turned a dominant era into a line in the record book—and gave breeders a clear picture of the kind of athlete and mind he passes on.
