Austin Shepard and Reyzin Jewels win 4-Year-Old Open at Cotton Stakes

Austin Shepard came off of a big win at the 2024 The Run For A Million Cutting Horse Challenge and went right back to work riding his younger horses. One of those just happened to be Reyzin Jewels, and their hard work paid off at the Cotton Stakes Cutting in West Monroe, Louisiana. Shepard won the 4-Year-Old Open at the show aboard Reyzin Jewels for a championship purse of $10,000.

“She’s just very mature, very strong and willing, a very nice horse every day,” Shepard said.

The EquiStat Elite $10 Million Rider has been riding the horse since late in her two-year-old year when she was purchased from the Western Bloodstock 2-Year-Old Sale. Jerry Yelverton bred the mare by Reyzin The Cash and out of My Jewels Missin (by Lenas Jewel Bars) and she’s currently owned by EquiStat Elite $2 Million Owner Billy Wolf.

“I showed her at the Futurity and made semis on her, and made the finals of Augusta and was third here at The Ike on her, and third or fourth on her at the Super Stakes and won the Reyzin The Cash Incentive on her in Vegas,” Shepard said. “So she’s had a pretty good year.”

Her “pretty good year” has posted over $130,000 earnings to the horse’s record already. She’s also sitting in the top 15 horses in the race for Horse of The Year. The Cotton Stakes is a show that’s closer to home for Shepard and provides a great futurity for horses that are entering the showpen. For Reyzin Jewels, it was just another show.

“I got her in the finals, we marked a 219 in the go-round, and then just got three really good cows on her that were quick and let her do her thing, and had a lot of working time and just everything kind of fit,” Shepard said about their big win.

They marked a huge 227 in the finals.

“She feels like you’re feeling an older horse that’s one of her strengths,” Shepard said. She gives you everything she’s got every time you go down there. And that’s pretty comforting on a four-year-old.”

He said that as long as Reyzin Jewels stays happy and healthy she’ll have a few more shows to attend this fall. Their plan is to attend the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Assocaition Futurity, the Brazos Bash and the Southern Cutting Futurity.

Marking a 224.5 to earn the 2024 Cotton Stakes 4-Year-Old Open Reserve Championship was Sean Flynn on Absolutely A Talker. The 2020 mare by Smooth Talkin Style and out of Absolutely Oh Cay (by High Brow Cat) was bred by Gardiner Quarter Horses and is owned by Tom Williams of Haleyville, Alabama. They took home $8,027 for their efforts.