Phillip Ralls Earns $31K, Qualifies for 2027 The Run For A Million at NSHA 

Phillip Ralls and Call Me A Cool Cat (Call Me Mitch x Cool Smart Banjo) made their mark under the Las Vegas lights at the 2026 National Stock Horse Association show, earning more than $31,000 and collecting four major titles Saturday, Aug. 22, at South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The pair claimed the Ronnie Richards World’s Richest Stock Horse Open and Intermediate Open championships, the Reserve Open Bridle Championship and the reserve championship in The Run For A Million Qualifier.

A Legacy Lives On

Owned by Cathy Bardos, Call Me A Cool Cat has big shoes to fill as a son of Call Me Mitch, Ralls’ longtime partner and the horse behind some of his most memorable moments in the show pen.

Ralls, an NRCHA $1 Million Rider, piloted Call Me Mitch to an impressive list of major titles, including the 2014 NSHA RCH Open Futurity, the 2016 NSHA RCH Open Derby, the 2019 NSHA World’s Richest Stock Horse and the 2019 NSHA Open Bridle.

Sire Spotlight: Call Me Mitch

Now, Ralls is writing a new chapter with Call Me A Cool Cat. The 2018 stallion returned Ralls to familiar territory at NSHA this year, adding a standout performance of his own to a family legacy already closely tied to the event.

The performance marked another milestone in Call Me A Cool Cat’s own career, pushing his lifetime earnings past $96,000 following the Las Vegas show, according to QData.

Back to Vegas in 2027

Ralls’ success at NSHA also secured his return to The Run For A Million in 2027.

The qualification continues Ralls’ long history with The Run For A Million. In 2022, he and Call Me Mitch finished third in the Cow Horse Challenge before returning in 2023 to claim reserve champion honors.

2027 The Run For A Million Qualifiers

The five riders who qualified through the 2026 NSHA event are:

• Shane Steffen
• Phillip Ralls
• Ron Emmons
• Shadd Parkinson
• Corey Cushing

These riders join five others who qualified earlier in the year at the 2026 NRCHA Hackamore Classic.

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