KACI O'ROURKE & GUNNABEGREATAGAIN WIN 4 YR OLD STAKES

TAMARACK RANCH L4 OPEN 4 YR OLD STAKES CHAMPIONS

Kaci O'Rourke and 4 year old stallion, Gunnabegreatagain, are your NRHA L4 Open Derby 4 yr Old Stakes Champions, earning $32,554.42.

A place for 4 yr olds to shine

The 4 Year Old Year is a transformative time for any reining horse. Tamarack Ranch partnered with the NRHA to make the 4 Yr Old Stakes a highlight event of the NRHA Derby. Around 150 horses entered, and Gunnabegreatagain came out on top.

"His run in the go round was exactly how I hoped it would go. He warmed up so calm and relaxed. He really let me take my time in the pen and show him off," Kaci recounts of their run. "We got turned clean and then when I felt him be so hooked in his circles I knew we were going to make a good run. He came back so well and the whole run was just enjoyable. He ran down and stopped huge and rolled back great."

The stallion scored a 225.5 showcasing his big stops and signature circles. At draw 200, that score held throughout the second half of the class.

"I was just so happy to see him get the recognition he deserves. I was really happy with the score, but moreso for our run. At the time [of the run] I just hoped we would hold on to the top three. Any time you can be in the winners circle at an event like this - it's special."

Gunnabegreatagain finally got his win, but the journey to get there took a little time.

Greatness takes time

Gunnabegreatagain otherwise known as "Erik" was started and trained at Pond Hill Performance Horses by Jack Daniels. By Gunnatrashya and out of Jills Remedy by Very Smart Remedy, Kaci and Jack picked out the stallion as a yearling. Jack rode the horse his whole two year old year and at the 2024 NRHA Futurity, "Erik" was sold to longtime customers Peter and Courtney Morgan.

"Jack and I always thought that horse was big time. He loped incredible from the first day in the round pen. He's got a great mind and when you just lope him around you'd think you were going for a trail ride, but when you ask something of him he really steps up and delivers. He's got the perfect mix of feel and calmness," Kaci says fondly of Gunnabegreatagain.

"Erik's" show career began in Tulsa, where Kaci marked a 219.5 in the 100X Open Futurity followed by the All American Quarter Horse Congress where they marked a 220.5 to be a favorite going into the Finals.

"I didn't have him perfectly prepared the first time I showed him. When I showed him the second time at the Congress, he was great. We marked a 220.5 without running hard at all. I was so excited to show him in the Finals. Literally during the draw party, he spiked a super high fever. We ended up taking him into Ohio State and he stayed there for several days," Kaci recalls.

Gunnabegreatagain had come down wtih salmonella and required several weeks off. He was able to recover in time to show at the NRHA Futurity, but as Kaci felt, was still not one hundred percent. Despite this, he made this Level 4 Open Futurity Finals and earned $25,000 towards his lifetime earnings.

COMING INTO HIS OWN

Kaci decided that the NRBC's newly added 4 year old Division would be a good first stop for the stallion's show season. The new class was a one-go-only division with a good payout, but stiff competition.

Kaci talks about her run at the NRBC, "I was so happy with him there. He showed absoloutely perfect. All of the judges got me for an overturn [penalty] to the left and an underturn to the right. We were a 221, so we would have been a 224 without that."

And this leads to the NRHA Derby, where Kaci and "Erik" finally found the win they had been looking for.

"I have always felt that this horse was a real player. I think sometimes with big time horses, they take a little time to mature into what we hope they will be. I don't even think I've really opened him up yet. I think there's way more in the tank and he's going to keep getting better."

In total, "Erik" took home $37,636.88 for their win in the Stakes and their trip to the Level 4 Open Finals. Next up on Gunnabegreatagain's schedule is the 100X 4 Year Old Stakes where he will have a shot at the $100,000 check and another trip to the winners circle.