Those filling the stands of the Ford Truck Arena and watching the NRBC webcast were on the edge of their seats as Kim Muehlstaetter went head to head against Jessicah Keller in the Level 4 Non Pro Classic Finals.
When Muehlstaetter and Keller tied for the lead in the Finals with matching scores of 219.5, they opted for a run-off, where Muehlstaetter came out on top with a new score of 221.5 – the highest awarded thus far at the 2025 NRBC.
Aboard Smoky Mountain Rein, Muehlstaetter packed away $52,000 between her nail-biting performance and Prime Time Non Pro Classic Finals win.
Smoky Mountain Rein, a 5-year-old gelding by Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of Sprats Electricspark, bred by Texas Horse Power Ranch and owned by Muehlstaetter, certainly rose to the occasion of the run-off. “I just rode him the same like I did for the Prelims. I rode him the last couple days, and he was good. So when he’s good, I just try to get in and get out and leave him alone and leave him fresh. I don’t try to keep doing maneuver after maneuver,” Muehlstaetter said. “He rode really good last night, and warming up today for the finals was the best he had felt all week. I just had that one point underspin that was pilot error in the finals, and I really didn’t think I’d get another chance to go again and fix it… I knew the horse could do it, I believe in that horse, and I just had to fix myself.”
While she and Smoky Mountain Rein were the ones in the arena to pull off the 221.5 score, Muehlstaetter doesn’t think it would be possible without the people standing outside of it. “I just thank everyone behind the scenes—the whole crew here at Muehlstaetter Performance Horses—and my husband (for) staying up, watching me ride until midnight last night… My daughter and just everybody behind the scenes. I couldn’t do it without all these guys.”
𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝟒 𝐍𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐡 𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 & 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞
In the Level 4 Non Pro Classic Finals, Jessicah Keller and Moonlite Tonite laid down a tremendous performance in the showdown against Kim Muehlstaetter.
While Muehlstaetter topped Keller’s score of 219.5 in the run-down by 2.5 points, Keller’s reserve championship win in the finals earned her $26,000.
“That’s what I go by generally – how much gas I have in the tank, how much horse I have. And most of the time I figure in who I’m running against,” Keller said in the press conference following the tie-breaker when asked how to make the decision of a run-off.
Moonlite Tonite certainly had enough gas in the tank, turning in the same score he did in his original Final’s run. The 5-year-old stallion is by Gunnatrashya and out of Moonlite Chex and bred and owned by Hilldale Farm.
“His mother is Moonlite Chex, and she is a full sister to Heavy Duty Chex that my sister-in-law won the NRBC on twice.”
With a successful family history in the NRBC, it’s no surprise the team has shined so bright this week at the NRBC in the form of a reserve championship.
𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝟑 𝐍𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐝 & 𝐆𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭
Staying true to his name, Jesse Boyd and Gunna Be First took the win in the Level 3 Non Pro Classic Finals and fifth place in the Level 4 Non Pro Classic Finals with a 218 score, bringing home a cumulative check of $27,000.
Gunna Be First is by ARC Gunnabeabigstar and out of Arc Wallas First. The 7-year-old stallion is bred by William G Newman Jr and owned by Unhitched Partners.
Boyd had one primary goal in mind for the Finals – clean.
“(In) the Prelims, (we) were a 218 also. We just tried to be super clean… I’ve struggled with penalties in the turns, and we just wanted to be very clean and have no penalties and put a good run together. So that’s what we did.”
Specifically, Boyd thanks his wife, Sierra, mentors, Tish and Andrea (Fappani), and everybody at the barn or at the show here with him to help make this win possible.
While Boyd has made the NRBC Level 4 Finals in the past, this was his first time winning it. “Last year, I won the Level 2 here (and made the Level 4 Finals), and that was my first ever Level 4 Finals, and this was my second Level 4 Finals, so my horse loves this arena, and we love this facility. The NRBC staff has done a great job with it… They make it easy for you to compete here, and it’s just a lot of fun.”
𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝟐 𝐍𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐙𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 & 𝐆𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭
Jacob Zimmerman and Gunnersspecialdunit are not to be forgotten in the bustle of Saturday’s Ford Truck Arena winners.
With a score of 217.5 in the Level 2 Non Pro Finals, Zimmerman will be cashing in a total of $10,000.
Gunnersspecialdunit is a 5-year-old gelding by Gunners Special Nite and out of Shining Lil Dunnit, bred by Mary Jansma and owned by Vaughn Zimmerman.
“It was really good – he was right there with me the whole time. This was actually the second time I’ve ever shown this horse, so I was super happy with it. The first run I couldn’t quite get the stops I wanted, but the second run it came together,” Zimmerman said.
When asked who he’d like to thank for the Final’s win, Zimmerman replied, “The whole McCutcheon crew, everyone – Cade (McCutcheon), Debbie Brown… She’s been a tremendous help for me. She is always there when I need her.”
While this may just be the start of Zimmerman and Gunnersspecialdunit’s partnership, a Level 2 Non Pro Classic Finals Championship reflects a team on the path of even more titles.
𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝟏 𝐍𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐧 & 𝐌𝐚𝐞𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫
The Level 1 Non Pro Classic champion has been crowned, and Courtney Chown and Maeihaveanother are walking away with the title and $5,000.
The team qualified in the 23rd spot, but Chown and Maeihaveanother came back with a vengeance to grab the win in the Finals with a 215 score. “My run qualifying was not quite as good as I was hoping for, but looking back, I’m thankful I drew up the first day so that we could work out some kinks,” Chown said.
Maeihaveanother is by Spooks Gotta Whiz and out of Mega Maggie Mae. The five-year-old gelding is bred by William Rhoads and owned by Chown.
“Kole (Price) had him so prepared for me, and I’ve never done a run in pattern so I was a little nervous about that, but I actually really liked it, and he couldn’t have been better for me… It was really fun.”
While Price played a large part in preparing Maeihaveanother for this year’s NRBC, Chown doesn’t limit the trainer’s help to just this week and considers the barn at large the backbone of her success.
𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐂𝐨-𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 – 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐜𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐭 & 𝐈 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐭 𝐍𝐢𝐭𝐞
With a score of 216.5 (including handicap), Nicole McDevitt and I Shine At Nite secured a share of the Masters Non Pro Co-Championship. The California duo also posted strong finishes across several other divisions—Top 5 in the Prime Time, Level 1, and Level 2, and 11th in Level 3—for combined earnings of $8,225.
The win was especially meaningful after a tough break at the 2024 NRBC, where McDevitt and her gelding made the Level 4 Finals but received a zero for an extra spin.
“Today I was really working to have four solid stops,” McDevitt said. “I nailed my first one, and all my other stops were great, so I was really happy about that.”
I Shine At Nite, a 7-year-old gelding by Gunners Special Nite out of Shiney Enterprise, was bred by McQuay Stables and had career earnings approaching $100,000 before this year’s NRBC. He’s no stranger to the spotlight, with wins and placings at major events, including The Run For A Million. McDevitt has owned him for the past three years.
“He’s just a great horse,” she said. “He’s better than I am—he’s a Level 4 horse—but I can rely on him. He’s great, and I love him. It’s his last derby year, so I’m going to take him to all the big events, and then I’m keeping him. He’ll probably go to The Run For A Million again, this time with my trainer, Erik Caddeo.”
McDevitt, who has been riding with Caddeo for the past year, credited him for helping her get to this point. “He gives me great advice. I haven’t been with him that long, but I couldn’t be here without him,” she said.
She also made a point to thank those who support her behind the scenes. “I thank my husband for being so patient with me leaving all the time and having to take care of things,” she said. “And I also thank Kelly Tillman, a friend of mine in Scottsdale. I fly there once a week, and she is kind enough to let me stay with her.”