10 Qualify for 2025 The Run For A Million Cutting

Ten riders punched their ticket to the Cutting Horse Challenge class at the 2025 The Run For A Million.

Led by a trio of riders who marked a 225, the cutting trainers qualified based on their scores in the first round of the Brazos Bash, which runs through Oct. 15 at Bosque Ranch in Weatherford, Texas.

Three riders — Kenny Platt, Austin Shepard and Matt Miller — marked a 225. Platt and Shepard marked theirs on Roasting and Kittennish, who tied for first in the first round of the 5/6 Open. Miller marked his aboard Metallic Smart Cat in the first round of the 7 & Up Open.

Platt, of Fort Lupton, Colorado, said his approach is to try not to think about qualifying and just focus on getting his horse shown the best he can. If you accomplish the latter, the former will likely fall into place.

“The way that it is to show at [Bosque Ranch], which is where we have to show for this qualifier, is the cows kind of dictate the temperature. They’re coming at you pretty strong and it’s a pretty tight arena, and it’s a lot,” he said. “So, those horses that are better, to me, if you just can go get them shown properly, you’re probably going to qualify.”

Other riders who qualified were: Beau Galyean, Cody Hedlund, Grant Setnicka, Tosten Peterson, Michael Cooper, Adan Banuelos and Cade Shepard.

Cutting qualifiers with Taylor Sheridan L-R Kenneth Platt, Beau Galyean, Tosten Peterson, Matt Miller, Cody Hedlund, Grant Setnicka, Taylor Sheridan, Michael Cooper, Cade Shepard. Not pictured are Austin Shepard, Adan Banuelos. * Photo by Amy Olson The Run For A Million Cutting Challenge

The Cutting Challenge will be held during next year’s The Run For A Million, which is scheduled for Aug. 11-16 at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 2024, Austin Shepard won the Cutting Horse Challenge aboard Kittennish. The event paid $50,000 to win with a total purse of $200,000. Platt tied for sixth in the event aboard Stylin High Brow.

Qualifiers can ride any horse they want in the Cutting Horse Challenge, but Platt says Linda Holmes’s homebred, Roasting (Hottish x Betty Greyble x Stylish Rey), is currently on his short list of possible mounts for the big event next year at the South Point.

“It’ll come down to him and a couple of those other studs that I have,” he said. “Just whatever’s kind of sound and going good, and comfortable to me right about that time is what I’ll ride.”

In addition to hosting and event for cutting horses, The Run For A Million also has a Cow Horse Challenge, a $1 Million Competition for reining horses and several other Western performance horse events.

As a person who loves Las Vegas, Platt is always excited to show at the South Point — especially for a big event. However, The Run For A Million also gives him a chance to connect with cutting fans and riders from other disciplines.

“I get to hang out with some of my friends from the cutting and then I get to see some people I don’t normally get to see in the reining and other events that are that are there,” he said. “And, that’s awesome, because you just never see those people ever.”

More than that, he appreciates the opportunity the event, which was created by actor-director and Western performance horse owner/rider Taylor Sheridan, provides the sport.

“It’s a pretty sweet deal,” Platt said. “It’s just kind of neat there’s a guy out there trying to make things better and kind of bring an element of excitement to what we do.”