SACRAMENTO — With a magnificent reining go in the finals that took top-score honors at 147.5, Corey Cushing and Smart Boons unseated two-time defending champion Ron Emmons and Olena Oak in a classic stock horse duel to claim the 2012 Magnificent Seven competition at Cal Expo June 8-9.

Held in conjunction with the Western States Horse Expo, the event featured four events — herd, reining, steer-stopping and fence work — with a preliminary round field of 17 entries battling it out to return as one of seven finalists. Bob Avila and Bobby Ingersoll judged the event.

Cushing, who qualified two horses for the finals, earned $11,284 for the win on Smart Boons, owned by Kevin and Sydney Knight. He ruled the reining on this night and also fared well in the other portions, taking third in the herd work (143) and second by just a half-point in both steer-stopping (146) and fence work (147). His cumulative 583.5 score across the board outpointed by 1.5 points the formidable Emmons and Olena Oak, who in February won the 2012 National Reined Cow Horse Association World’s Greatest Horseman title.

Emmons and Olena Oak, owned by Mel Smith and Nicole Scott, won the herd event (145), placed second in both the reining (145.5) and steer-stopping (146), and were third along the fence (145.5). The reserve champion’s payout was $8,866.

Cushing also finished third on Pink Jeans, owned by Eric and Wendy Dunn, picking up an additional third-place payout worth $6,851.

Pink Jeans shined across the board, too, winning the fence work (147.5) and taking second in both the herd work (144) and reining (145.5).

The other event top-finishers was Mark Luis on BBR Mardi Gras Time in the steer-stopping with a 146. BBR Mardi Gras Time is owned by Mark Luis Training and Adam Rhodes.

2012 WESTERN STATES HORSE EXPO MAGNIFICENT 7
June 8-9, 2012 / Cal Expo, Sacramento, Calif.
Horse/Exhibitor/ Herd/ Rein/ Steer/ Fence/ Total Payout
Smart Boons/Cushing/ 143/ 147.5/ 146/ 147/ 583.5/ $11,284
Olena Oak/Emmons/ 145/ 145.5/ 146/ 145.5/ 582.0/ $8,866
Pink Jeans/Cushing/ 144/ 145.5/ 143.5/ 147.5/ 580.5/ $6,851
BBR Mardi Gras Time/Luis/ 138/ 138.5/ 146.5/ 144.5/ 567.5/ $4,836
Smart Rewind/Ralls/ 141/ 139.5/ 141/ 139/ 560.5/ $3,627
A Dazzlin Prize/Wright/ 127/ 143/ 144.5/ 139.5/ 554.0/ $2,821
Shining Lil Nic/Williamson/ 130/ 0/ 0/ 0/ 130.0/ $2,015