male announcer: Previously, on "The Last Cowboy"...
- Reining is a dangerous sport.
- [neighs]
- You gotta be kidding me. - The horses we're bringing,
we got something to compete with.
- This year is gonna be it. - It better be.
- There's always a rivalry.
Andrea is a force to be reckoned with,
but so is Craig.
- I just want to be better than him.
- I don't want him to b*at me. - Win at all costs.
- That's all that matters.
- I've got to find a horse soon.
The clock is always ticking,
For the million-dollar thing, I'd love to have your horse.
- I don't think so.
- We had a good year last year because Abby won .
- I thought it was over . - When Abby decided
she was gonna go out on her own,
it left a huge void in my program.
- I'm just starting out.
You could say I'm a bit of the underdog,
but Casey taught me
to never give up. So I'm gonna win.
announcer: Now, the riders are coming together
for the first competition of the season:
The Cactus Classic in Arizona.
The winner here will have strong momentum
as the season winds toward
the million-dollar ride in Las Vegas.
- The only thing that's at stake is everything.
[dramatic country music]
♪ ♪
[birds chirp]
[dramatic country music]
♪ ♪
- Hey, is this us?
- This is it. - Right here?
- Right here.
- The Cactus Classic is the first derby of the year.
Our first big show.
So we got the stalls ready, all bedded.
So all we gotta do is unload.
The event's at WestWorld in Scottsdale,
and this is gonna be our home for the next couple days.
We bring more things. - Oh.
- It's all gotta come out. - Yeah.
Unloading all the stuff.
The first and last day are, like, not a lot of fun.
You gotta get the water buckets out.
Get the horses taken care of.
Get some feed into those stalls.
Very stressful. You throw those things around,
you don't have to go to the gym, though.
That's for sure. We're in a big rush
to try to get everything set up.
Get the horses settled in, so you get to spend all day
focusing on the just the horses that I'm competing on.
I chose two solid horse to compete on,
Wimpy Slidewinder and Trashy Chicks Dig Me.
That horse there, that's Trashy Chicks Dig me.
I really wanted to bring three horses,
but Ginger would not sell the horse that I wanted.
That's--I don't even want to talk about that.
- [bristles]
[dramatic rock music]
♪ ♪
- He likes it.
announcer: Craig Schmersal is practically bringing
his entire ranch to the Cactus Classic.
- Put him right across there.
announcer: And with all the top reiners competing,
he will need every resource possible.
- You guys ready for the fridge?
- Oh, yeah. Gotta keep our beer cold.
- This is--this is one of those events that you want to win.
♪ ♪
- You know you're in big trouble
if you wreck my golf cart. Big trouble.
Oh.
- There's guys here at this horse show
that can show a horse good enough.
But there's probably only two or three guys
here good enough to win it.
[tense music]
- I'm pretty superstitious. That's the lucky watch,
the underwear that-- there's two or three pairs
that we keep just for the shows.
announcer: Returning champion Andrea Fappani
is taking no chances to secure a repeat victory.
- Supposed to be the regular show bag,
and then, the one with the boots and everything.
I will not wear color red.
Every time I tried a red shirt, it never worked out.
It's a color for second place anyway.
Blue is the color for first place.
Red is reserve champion. Who wants to be reserve?
- What'd you do with the little guys?
- I handed them the baseball barrel, and they disappeared.
- You don't ever give children baseball equipment
when there's unloading to do.
Boys, let's get the horses taken care of first.
You gotta climb on top
of the trailer and pull that hose down.
announcer: Casey Deary shows a veteran's confidence.
- My goal is to tie myself three ways for first.
announcer: Despite being a rider short on his team.
- Probably we won't be satisfied
with anything but that.
- So I'm just starting out,
so I have one derby horse here at the Cactus.
My odds aren't as good as the other guys
that have three horses here,
but I definitely need a paycheck.
That's--yeah, that is very important, yes, sir.
announcer: Abby Lengel, Casey's former teammate,
is out to prove her independence
despite an obvious disadvantage
of having only one horse
and her only help, Sandy Bentien, her horse's owner.
- Abby and my horse, they're both young.
They're both superstars.
They both have amazing work ethics
and a lot of heart in what they do.
And I think it's a great match, so I'm excited.
- Cade, how are you? How was your trip?
- The bumper on my trailer broke, but--.
- Oh, man. - Not--not all of it.
I'd be nice if we had a ramp. - I'd loan you mine, but...
- You need it. - [laughs]
- [bristles]
[neighs]
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- I'm Cade McCutcheon, and I'm from Auburn, Texas.
Ever since I was a little kid,
I've always been around horses, you know?
I come from a long line of successful big money riders.
announcer: -year-old Cade's grandfather, Tim McQuay,
is considered a reining legend.
A $ million winner that put the sport on the map.
Tim started the famous family dynasty.
Mandy McCutcheon, Tim's daughter,
who is also Cade's mother, was the highest-earning woman
reiner of all time with $ million won.
- My mom actually won a non-pro major event
with me in her stomach.
announcer: And his father, Tom McCutcheon,
is a -year veteran of the sport
who's won nearly $ million as well.
- I want to become the youngest
million-dollar rider in history.
That's been a goal of mine ever since I was a little kid.
- Go.
Very good.
Take that every day of the week.
- If she lopes like that, you're fine.
- Cade is--this is his first year as a professional.
And he's had a ton of success as a non-pro.
We're excited that he's going to the Cactus Classic.
- This is my first chance
to make a mark in the big leagues.
- As you watch your kids grow up with this dream,
you hope that they have the talent
to take them where they want to go.
- I'm gonna show everybody that I belong here.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
I think there's something wrong.
announcer: But with his first pro derby
less than a day away, Cade's concerns
are focused on his star horse, Lacey.
- There's still something not right in the left lead.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
I think she's protecting something, which is weird.
I don't remember ever having a problem on the left lead.
Loping to the left, she doesn't feel comfortable.
Going to the ground on the left,
she doesn't feel comfortable.
Lacey is by far, my favorite horse.
I am worried about-- is she gonna be healthy?
because if your rookie season goes wrong,
they can label you a bust real fast.
Would there be a reason for that?
- Sure, it could be something bothering her
There's no question about that.
- But what, do you think? - It's hard to tell.
[birds chirp]
announcer: With less than hours to go,
riders are squeezing in as much practice time
as they can before the competition.
- The Cactus Classic has been good to me.
I've been lucky enough to win five
out of the last nine of them.
There's that pride, right?
It's tough to come in and b*at me, you know?
So that's--that's kind of the message I want to send.
But I think everybody's bringing better
and better horses to these horse shows.
so it's definitely a lot harder for me to stay on top
than it was to get there.
Craig is obviously one of the toughest competitors.
♪ ♪
I used to be kind of the top guy in Arizona,
and Craig's made it definitely hard.
He stepped his game up in the last few years.
So anytime you have somebody
that's been working hard for a long time
and now, they got the confidence to do it,
it's hard to b*at them.
- Andrea and I are in the arena,
and there isn't any interaction.
There's no eye contact, no "how do you do."
♪ ♪
It's a constant battle. My goal is to b*at him.
[country music]
♪ ♪
[whistling]
[whistling]
announcer: Matt Mills has promised the Ruckmans,
ranch owners that supply Matt
with elite horses and a top facility,
that this year's debut at the Cactus Classic
will put their team on the map.
[whistles]
- Whoa, whoa.
- [bristles]
- He is spicy, huh?
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
He's coughing.
Something's irritating his throat.
A pretty significant cough going on.
It's kinda created a problem.
- [bristles]
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[laughs]
- God dang.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- This is not a joke.
Keeping the Ruckmans happy, that's everything for me.
I definitely don't want to screw this up.
There's a lot on my shoulders here
to make sure that this goes well.
Whoa.
♪ ♪
- [bristles]
Well, that wasn't very good.
- I don't think it went quite as well
as Matt would have liked. Um, I know it didn't.
- I can't be running Saturday and having him cough.
And the owners are not happy. That's not good.
♪ ♪
- ♪ Down in the valley where the river flows ♪
♪ I'm gonna wash my sin ♪
♪ Throw down the water to please you, Lord ♪
♪ So I can do it all again ♪
announcer: While the top riders are busy
getting in their practice runs before tomorrow's pro derby--
- Sorry.
announcer: The Cactus non-pro competition
takes center stage.
- [whistle blows]
- [yelps]
[cheers and applause]
- Okay. - Go charge.
- Next horse on the field, number , Spokes Jewels,
being shown by Luca Fappani.
- Let's go.
[whistle blows]
[tense music]
Come on, buddy. Lift up your hand a little bit.
- Whoo! - Let's go.
Having Luca showing right now, it's huge in the fact
that he's learning to be serious about something.
Wait just a little bit longer to stand him.
Wait, let him off your leg. Okay, go long.
It's a challenging time, but it's definitely one
that pays off if you do your job right.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
- Highest score so far.
Give me a hug.
[upbeat music]
It was really good, other than the turns,
that we--we can do a little better, I think.
Your rundowns was great this time.
In the Fappani family we don't do things
just to--just to have fun. We do it to win if we can.
Well, good job, buddy.
Now I gotta step it up and do good, too.
If not, I'm gonna be the fool of the family, huh?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
announcer: The first major pro event of the year,
the Cactus Classic, kicks off tomorrow.
Over at the arena, Abby Lengel is practicing with her horse
Ace, in preparation for her first pro competition
since leaving Casey's team.
- Pretty fancy. - Yeah, he's fun.
Abby's right where I was about years ago.
She just started out on her own.
She's got something to prove.
What else are you showing?
- That's it. - One b*llet?
- One b*llet. Hey, I'm used to one b*llet.
- There's only one winner, right?
She's tough, you know, and she's--she's hungry.
You know, I think those riders that are hungry,
that have something to prove,
those are the ones that you gotta watch out for.
Because they're the ones that are--you know,
you know they're going the extra mile
because they want to get to the top bad.
Everything going good out there?
- So far, so good.
- Having fun? - Yeah.
- The good thing is, you know, when you're working hard
like that, it's for yourself, you know?
- Yeah, no, it definitely
makes a difference. - Yeah.
- Now I'm right up here with Casey
and with all these other great guys.
They've got years of experience.
They've got tons of great horses,
and the fact that I'm here is a great feeling.
It makes me feel like I'm on the right track.
- All right, I better lope this thing around.
See you.
[rock music]
♪ ♪
- Open derby day is tomorrow, so I'm taking Lacey to the vet
because she's not feeling comfortable on the right side.
I am just worried about Lacey. Will she be able to show?
Is she gonna be healthy? That's the big question.
- Look at it real quick in the fluoroscope
and then go from there.
I think she's showing some sensitivity to the hamstring.
- The Cactus Classic is my first chance to make a mark
in the big leagues.
But if she's not ready,
it means that the trip was wasted.
[tense music]
- [bristles]
♪ ♪
- Okay, she's sore in the hamstring.
It shows no sensitivity in the right.
It's not a very severe injury,
but we need to medicate that today.
We've gotta get the muscle to relax
in order for it to heal, though.
That's what this medicine does.
It instantaneously will cause it to relax.
♪ ♪
- It's a relief to know that it's nothing serious.
I was worried it was gonna be something
that would keep me out of the competition.
It's just a little tight in her hamstrings,
like you--anybody gets that if you work out a lot.
- Every time you ride the horse hard,
walk for a couple minutes, and back it up
about feet mechanically.
That'll stretch out the hamstring.
It's not gonna prohibit you from being able to compete.
- So I just need to warm her up more and--
- Correct, that's just as important as what I did,
to be honest with you. And then go win it all, okay?
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- Man, I'm so excited to show this horse.
- Good, I'm glad.
- This season is so much different
than any other season.
You know, this is my first year on my own.
And then, on top of that, this season is--is exciting
because we are leading up to the run
for the million in Las Vegas.
So every single thing that I do,
I'm gonna be thinking about that.
- Hey, Abbs, from the hot boots,
he's getting little owies right there.
He's got a little ball right here.
- Okay. - Like, a little swelling.
I want you to see.
[tense music]
- [bristles]
- You want to just leave those off today, Sanders?
- No, because he's-- the ground's so hard.
If he hits it and burns himself,
he's for sure gonna go out.
♪ ♪
- Ace is very important to me right now.
He's my only derby horse. I have one horse,
and this one horse has to last me all year long.
I don't have six derby horses.
I can't show three here and three at the next show.
I mean, this is my one and only.
I gotta make sure that everything I do
is thought through, and you've gotta last
going into the run for the million,
Now I gotta make sure that we're building to that event.
We're not trying to rebuild by the time the event comes.
I almost wonder if we shouldn't leave them off.
I mean, if he's kinda sore right there,
that rubbing on him.
- I'm just gonna put it on there for now.
- It doesn't matter how good of a trainer or rider you are.
If you don't have a strong, happy, and healthy
horse underneath you, you know,
you can't-- you can't do anything.
If we feel like he's uncomfortable in any way,
I would immediately step down. So I'm very nervous.
♪ ♪
You comfortable, Ace?
[country music]
♪ ♪
- Some horses, they get pretty excited
when they get in the show fence,
so I put the earplugs in them.
- I look like Superman in that blue shirt.
I call it my cape.
- I can't wait to get out there.
- ♪ And I cry but never come ♪
- All right, good afternoon, everyone.
Welcome to the open derby.
We would like to welcome the ever-famous
world champion, Al Dunning.
- Here we are at the Cactus Reining Classic.
This should look easy. You know, this should look fun.
[whistle blows]
announcer: Here at the Cactus,
each rider is given the opportunity
to run up to three different horses each
if they have the means.
- Now we're running.
[cheers and applause]
- When reining, there is a number of maneuvers
that this horse has to perform,
and they're supposed to be done elegantly and smoothly,
like very similar to what you would do
if you were ice skating.
- There's certain maneuvers that we have to do.
Spins each direction where the horse is on its hind end.
Every pattern's gonna have a set of circles.
Large, fast circles,
and then, a transition down to small, slow circle.
And then, every pattern always has a sliding stop.
That's the signature move of reining horses.
- You're looking good, y'all! Finish it strong!
[dramatic music]
- Everybody walks in with points.
- So depending on the quality of the run,
you're gonna add points or take away points,
a low score being and a high score being .
♪ ♪
- I'm gonna swing for a home run.
I'm not looking to try to just be in the top five.
You think he's got a sh*t? - I do.
- Would you just say that no matter what?
- I would...n't.
announcer: After a disastrous practice run,
Matt's hoping that a night's rest
and some additional asthma treatments
will have his horse ready to compete for the $, purse.
- How you doing?
I want to win this, and if I don't,
I am a little bit afraid that when I turn around and look,
and the Ruckmans are long gone.
♪ ♪
- Our next horse to see before the drag, number ,
Trashy Chicks Dig Me, being shown by Matt Mills.
- Come on! [whistle blows]
[whistling]
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- Let's see if he can make those four turns
as accurate as possible.
Looks like his latigo strap is hanging from his saddle loose.
- [bleep], oh, [bleep]. That makes me nervous.
- That loose latigo could cause him
to trip on one of his stops.
- Oh, man.
- Score for number , Trashy Chicks Dig Me
and Matt Mills, /.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- Whoa, that made me very nervous.
- I didn't realize that the latigo
that keeps the saddle on the horse,
that strap is dragging on the ground.
If he steps on that strap,
the whole saddle could have fallen off.
- I adjusted it, hoping it was
gonna stay out of the way better.
- If it doesn't start off great at the Cactus, that's not good.
Whew. I need some oxygen now.
- Next up, , number .
This is Whiskey Chaser, being shown by Andrea Fappani.
announcer: All eyes turn to Andrea Fappani
as he gears up for the first of his three rides.
[whistle blows]
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- ♪ Come on, baby, put your back into it ♪
announcer: The Cactus's returning champion,
Andrea Fappani, sets a high bar
with an impressive series of spins and stops.
- For some reason, he gave up one of his hind legs.
He had to catch himself and slide again,
so that cost us probably a least
a half a point per judge.
announcer: Andrea's cross-town rival, Craig Schmersal,
comes out strong on his first horse
and stands just one point behind Fappani.
- You did awesome.
[whistles]
announcer: Rookie Cabe McCutcheon's debut run
fails to cr*ck the top ten,
but he still has one more chance
with his prize horse, Lacey.
- He just took one bad step. - Yeah.
- Whoo! Whoo!
announcer: Hoping to take the lead on his final run--
- Whoop, had a little glitch in there.
announcer: Matt Mills once again falls short.
- A couple little bobbles I'd like to have back.
Just a little over-spin to the left was just a timing issue.
You're only as good as your last ride.
Everybody forgets what happened last time.
They wanna know what'd you do just now,
and that's really hard.
I'm out of breath.
announcer: And with the weight of his team on his shoulders--
- Come on, now.
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
announcer: On his first horse,
Casey Deary lands a top five score.
- Yeah! Whoo!
announcer: After a few rounds of competition,
the top riders have set the pace
for the rest of the pack.
- Nice, Ace.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
Getting to come to this show
is a great opportunity for me to get seen.
You know, he's getting-- getting close to time.
I don't have three horses,
but I'm a grateful for what I have,
and I'm--I'm looking forward to showing him.
- Chaps in the groom bag. - Yup.
- All right, Mr. Ace, boy.
announcer: While many of the big money riders
still have a third round of runs to go,
Casey Deary's former protégé Abby Lengel
prepares for her one and only sh*t.
- Blessings upon this girl, that you will protect her,
Abby and Ace, and that you will just help them, lord God,
to have a good, solid run, lord.
- My odds are definitely not as good as the other guys,
but I think I still have a sh*t.
- Draw , number , being shown by Abby Lengel.
- [whistles]
announcer: To match her old mentor, Casey, at ,
Abby will need a near-perfect performance.
- Abby is a very, very talented individual.
The way I look at it, if she goes and wins the whole thing,
that's a good reflection on me.
But it reflects better if I win it.
- Whoo! - Come on, Abby!
[whistle blows]
[dramatic music]
- Come on, baby.
♪ ♪
- She's running a nice set of circles there.
- Ya-hoo!
- You're smoking it, yeah! Whoo-hoo!
- Oh, yeah!
- Perfect. - Whoo-hoo!
Yeah, girl, you got it.
Come on, Abbs! Big finish, girl!
[cheering]
- Wow, that's a solid run for Abby Lengel.
- Yeah!
- Abby Lengel is a .
[cheers and applause]
announcer: With her one run,
Abby's tied her old boss, Casey, at .
- , huge stops.
- Holy smokes, that was really good.
- Yup.
He handled that ground pretty good, huh?
I couldn't be happier.
I mean, he was with me the entire time.
He--I went out there and pushed on him,
and he was there every step of the way.
I couldn't ask for a better first run of the year.
I was worried about the ground being a little slippery for him
because he's such a big stopper,
but he held it fantastic.
- We got about eight horses, and then I'm up.
- Good boy, Ace. - That was pretty good.
- I am currently tied with Abby,
but I have one b*llet left, and the pressure is on now.
- ♪ Raise it up, raise it higher ♪
[upbeat music]
announcer: The competition at the Cactus
is heating up with over half the riders finished.
Craig trails his rival, Andrea, by one point,
while newcomer, Abby, and her old boss, Casey, are tied.
but unlike Abby, Casey has one horse left,
giving him another chance to b*at her and win it all.
- Looks good. He's ready.
- Look out, Mike. He might buck.
- I will meet y'all up there.
[dramatic music]
- I have one horse left named Gonna Outshine You.
He's warmed up great, and he's prepared excellent.
He feels like he could go take the lead.
Whoa, buddy.
♪ ♪
At this point, Abby and I are tied.
She's a fierce competitor,
but I mean, obviously, I want to b*at her.
There's no part of that that's a secret.
- Casey's been a little uneasy
about having the new house paid off.
As long as he's winning top five at all the major events,
it'll still bring in money.
But if he's not, it's a big, big issue.
- Being shown by Casey Deary, number , Gonna Outshine You.
- Yeah, Casey.
[whistle blows]
- Casey's running a little faster
in this set of right circles.
Oh, his horse couldn't handle
that speed change there very well.
- Whoa.
- Looks like his timing is off a little in the turns.
The horse got a little crossed up there.
- Whoo!
- Score for number , Gonna Outshine You,
and Casey Deary is at .
- Thank you, partner.
It happens.
announcer: After a disappointing final run--
- Thank you, guys.
announcer: Casey will finish tied
with his former protégé, Abby.
- It's pretty cool, actually, you know?
I mean, tied with Casey for fifth,
and I think we're gonna go home with a nice check,
and I think we're gonna be that much more prepared for the run
for a million in Vegas. I'm excited.
- He warmed up like he was gonna be outstanding,
but the whole popping out of lead is just, you know,
him kinda being rude there, pushing on me.
- ♪ Good-bye ♪
- Draw , Cade, you're up second after the drag.
- Does your mom get you dressed in the morning too?
- Most of the time.
announcer: With his star horse, Lacey, on the mend,
Cade's hoping for a stronger final run
and a chance to grab a share of the $, purse.
- Can you throw a couple little braids in here?
No matter how good the horse is,
no matter how comfortable the horse is,
anytime you go in there, anything can happen.
Just with her, there's a little bit higher chance
of worst-case scenario happening.
[tense music]
- Next, th in the draw, number , Stars and Sparks,
being shown by Cade McCutcheon.
- They want to see me carrying on the family name.
At some point I want to be known for me.
♪ ♪
[whistling]
- Well, his circles have good form and speed.
He stumbled a little bit going into that stop.
Great stop.
- [groans]
- It looks like he bobbled there.
Got a little off-balance.
- [bleep].
- Score for number , Stars and Sparks
and Cade McCutcheon, is at .
- Well, I had a bobble changing leads, so I almost fell off.
Damn.
Which is not ideal.
[tense music]
- He survived it. I mean, he got through it.
But that bobble probably cost him three points.
He's gonna have to step it up a notch in the run for a million.
I mean, he's gonna have to get better.
- You're gonna have to rewrap those back legs
because I don't want the hot boots on him.
It's too much-- it's too much weight.
announcer: With the derby down to its last few riders,
Craig trails Andrea by just one point.
- Cade's horse tripped in that middle,
so just be careful. - Okay.
- We're in it to win it, but you're dealing with
an animal when you ride these horses.
I mean, Craig can do everything
in his power to prepare.
The bottom line is, is when they
go through that gate, anything can happen.
Hopefully he'll freshen up a little bit in there.
He said he feels a little-- - I hope so.
- Thuddy.
All we can do is our homework before we get there,
and when it comes time to take the test, we get our grade.
[dramatic music]
- [clears throat]
Andrea, of course, he's the one I'm sh**ting for.
My performance will have to be flawless, plain and simple.
- Next, st in the draw, number , g*n Done It,
being shown by Craig Schmersal.
- Yow!
- Nothing would bring me more pleasure
than to b*at that guy, especially on our home court.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Next, st in the draw, number , g*n Done It,
being shown by Craig Schmersal.
- Yow!
[whistle blows]
- Craig is such an outstanding showman.
This run has to be perfect to b*at Andrea.
[cheers and applause]
Wow, he kept it steady in that spin.
- That's awesome.
Come on, big finish. - Come on.
- If he lands this stop, he could take the lead.
- [screams]
- Score for number , g*n Done It
and Craig Schmersal, takes the lead with a .
- Whoo! - A ?
- Yes. - Pretty good, huh?
- That was the best he ever felt before.
A is a great score.
A , it'll make the hair stand up
on the back of your neck.
- That was awesome. What a pretty rundown.
- You know, I give him something to run at.
- After the drag, draw . Andrea, you're up.
announcer: With just one ride remaining for Andrea,
the course is being dragged.
Dragging is a process where the tractor
smoothes out the ground in the arena,
similar to fresh ice on a skating rink.
Being called to ride directly following a drag
is considered an advantage.
- Andrea got fresh ground, as usual.
- Andrea seems to have a way of drawing
that he always goes after a drag.
It is remarkable luck.
- Andrea, you're up.
- Starting now with draw ,
Shine Plum Shine, being shown by Andrea Fappani.
- Well, Andrea's won three out of the last four years
here at the Cactus.
Craig has a commanding lead.
Let's see if Andrea can do his magic.
[whistle blows]
[whistling]
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
The transition from fast to slow
in the circles was perfect.
- Whoa.
[smacks lips]
- Let's see how he does with this set of circles.
If he nails this stop,
he'll have a sh*t at winning this again.
[cheers and applause]
- The score for number , Shine Plum Shine
and Andrea Fappani in the level four,
by one point, goes to first with a .
- Son of a g*n. I'm the fool.
- I'm so over it. I'm not saying that Andrea
didn't have a better run than Craig.
But what I can say is that it seems,
it appears that he has certain advantages that others don't.
I know, we're not even surprised.
It's not the first time. I mean, it's just stacked.
[laughter]
- How you feeling? - I feel good.
It always feels good when you're on top, right?
- It gets old. I can tell you that.
Because the guy that's on the top of his game,
at the top of our industry doesn't need an advantage,
and he gets one.
- The champion, congratulations, number ,
Shine Plum Shine and Andrea Fappani,
taking home $,.
[rock music]
- ♪ Long hard days ♪
- That guy has the best luck of anybody I've ever seen.
It's unbelievable. - That's frustrating.
announcer: The first competition of the year
is in the books, and for now, Andrea rules the throne.
But with such a long season,
much can change before the run for a million.
- ♪ I won't hide ♪
♪ ♪
- You get b*at by one point,
it's aggravating, to say the least.
But it is what it is.
- They won't even look at me when I walk by.
I've been sitting in here,
outside here, talking to people.
They can't even look at me and say hey.
It's pretty bad.
Throughout my whole career,
I've always heard I have advantages here and there.
If some way that I don't know I can get an advantage,
maybe from somewhere, I'm--I'll take it.
It's fine with me.
- I'm gonna go to Oregon, go find us some horses.
This was worth the wait.
- I'm getting ready for the NRBC.
We had about inches of rain, and the arena is flooded.
- It's a young man's game.
I still can kick the young man's butt.
[groans]
That hurt a lot of stuff.
[soft country music]
♪ ♪