Play Dual Rey is 2010 Farnam Superhorse.

by Larri Jo Starkey
The American Quarter Horse Journal

The name of the 2010 Farnam Superhorse and the rest of the top five horses wasn’t settled until the last rope had settled at the 2010 AQHA World Championship Show.

As the last day of finals marched on, the lead changed among the top five horses with classes still to go. Finally, in the break between heading and heeling November 20, the 2010 Farnam Superhorse was named: Play Dual Rey.

The Play Dual Rey partnership of Whitesboro, Texas, started preparing the sorrel stallion for the World Show challenge three years ago.

“I traded for him and bought him when he was 4, then I had a group from Fort Stockton that was interested and so we made a partnership,” said AQHA Professional Horseman Casey Hinton of Whitesboro, one of the partners. “This has been probably a three-year project putting all the pieces together, getting him really good in each of the events.”

In addition to the hard work, the partners and the plan, “Raymond” needed a little luck on his side, Casey said.

“It’s a very difficult plan when you have the cattle and all the variables in your roping,” he said. “The stars have to align to make it work for you.”

At the 2010 World Show, the 7-year-old stallion was 11th in senior tie-down roping; fourth in senior working cow horse; and fourth in senior heading. He was reserve world champion in senior heeling and in reining, Casey’s event.

AQHA Professional Horseman C.R. Bradley of Collinsville, Texas, was lead trainer in the roping, with help from AQHA Professional Horseman Rick Rosaschi of Gainesville, Texas.

AQHA Professional Horseman Todd Crawford of Blanchard, Oklahoma, trained Raymond in working cow horse.

Casey picked the trainers for different reasons.

“Todd and I went to college together, and he’s the No. 1 money-earning working cow horse rider of all time. You go to the best,” he told the Journal. “C.R. Bradley has made it to the NFR. He lives about eight miles away from me. His father was one of my instructors when I went to the University of Findlay, so I remember C.R. when he was 4 years old. The team of the personalities and the type of training – it really worked well.”

It’s good to have a plan, but without the right horse, the plan won’t work. Raymond’s the right horse, Casey said.

“Everybody loves Raymond,” he said with a smile. “He overtries. If you ask him for something, he’s going to try a lot. He’s very physical. Never wants to be wrong, so if you scold him too much, and he thinks he’s doing wrong, he’s going to try harder.”

With so much focus on the Superhorse chase, Casey and his partners haven’t had time to think much about Raymond’s future. He competed in the National Reined Cow Horse Association’s World’s Greatest Horseman competition in February with Todd, and that might be an option again. Then again, Casey likes his own event, too.

“We were reserve champion in the reining,” he said. “I’d like to see him be a world champion.”

And the horse is young and sound, so the partners might try for a second Farnam Superhorse title.

“Who knows? It’s fun, so we might do it again. We’ll see what happens.”

The Farnam Superhorse wins $25,000 from Farnam, an additional $2,000 in Farnam products, a WeatherBeeta blanket and an original Lisa Perry bronze.

The 2010 Farnam Reserve Superhorse – Vital Signs Are Good, owned by Joe and Karen Moran of Laguna Hills, California, receives $10,000 from Farnam and $1,000 in Farnam products.

Third through fifth place receive $2,500 each and $500 in Farnam products.

Final Farnam Superhorse Standings
1. Play Dual Rey, Play Dual Rey Partners, Whitesboro, Texas
2. Vital Signs Are Good, Joe and Karen Moran, Laguna Hills, California
3. Must Be A Detail, Highview Ranch QH, Rapid City, South Dakota
4. Four Bonnie Bay, Michael and Kim St. Clair, Kahoka, Missouri
5. A Certain Vino, Lee Reeve, Garden City, Kansas