The lineup of heel horses at the 2026 American Rodeo is stacked with some of team roping’s elite talents, including three-time AQHA/PRCA Heel Horse of the Year Kadabra King and reigning AQHA/PRCA Heel Horse of the Year Cut Off My Spots.
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The event—which kicks off Friday, May 22, in Globe Life Field with the Semifinals featuring the 15 teams that came through the West, East and Central regionals.
The field is diverse when it comes to pedigree, with no sire represented twice across the entire lineup. Three horses—Buddy Hawkins’ X, Cole Walker’s Bandito and Michael Calmelat Jr.’s Chico— are grade or unregistered, meaning roughly 15% of the field competes without a documented pedigree.
The cutting horse influence is strong. Metallic Cat sired JC Flake’s Playinmetallicafuel and High Brow Cat shows up as the dam’s sire of Kaden Profili’s Liken It Tuff—whose dam, Catlike Kit, reinforces that cat breeding runs deep on both sides.
Playin Stylis is the only bloodline to appear twice in the same column, surfacing as the dam’s sire for both Kyler Kanady’s Playin Cowhorse and JC Flake’s Playinmetallicafuel.
Qualifying Path | Heeler | Horse(s) | Sire | Dam | Dam’s Sire |
East | Buddy Hawkins | X–GRADE | GRADE | GRADE | GRADE |
East | Cole Walker | Bandito — GRADE | GRADE | GRADE | GRADE |
East | Coleby Payne | Cut Off My Spots | SPOTS HOT | MISS CUTTIN WOOD | DOCTOR WOOD |
East | Logan Medlin | TRR FRECKLES HOLIDOC | PEPCID | SR PRETTY PLAYBOY | PLAYBOY LENA BAR |
East | Carson Johnson | Countin on reyn | IM COUNTIN CHECKS | REYLEANN | DUAL REY |
Central | Travis Graves | Golden Boy Boon | Boy Boon | TS ZERO GOLD | ZERO BADGER BOY |
Central | Blaine Vick | Mr Spanish Ray | MR HOO RAY | CC SPANISH ANGEL | SEVEN S KEOTA |
Central | Kyler Kanady | Playin Cowhorse | BOON SAN | PLAYIN SIX | PLAYIN STYLISH |
Central | Jace Helton | CSR Pepto Play | PEPTO POWER PLAY | HICKORYS SILVER LADY | BAR DOCS HICKORY |
Central | Logan Moore | Twist On Line | SHINE ON LINE | TERESAS TWIST | DUN IT WITH A TWIST |
West | Michael Calmelat Jr. | Chico–UNREGISTERED | |||
West | JC Flake | PLAYINMETALLICAFUEL | METALLIC CAT | PLAYIN SHORTY | PLAYIN STYLISH |
West | Levi Lord | San Jo Deacon | SAN JO LENA | PLAY FOX | PLAYGUN |
West | Treston Brazile | Trinity Sly Boon | SYLVESTER STALLENA | BALEIGH BOON | MYLANTA LENA |
West | Trae Smith | Me And Acres | MINI ME MERADA | RCC ACRES OF LEGGS | SOUTH TEXAS ACRE |
Invited (Top 5) | Jake Long | Hezaluckysonofagun | HIRED GUN | REY DUAL LENA | REY DUAL |
Invited (Top 5) | Junior Nogueira | Sons Of Stoli | STOLI COWBOY | CNF SONS LEONA TE | ONS SHRINER |
Invited (Top 5) | Jade Corkill | Kadabra King | Abrakadabracre | Quixote Jessie | HOLIDOC |
Invited (Top 5) | Jonathan Torres | Lynx Dancin Rooster | DANCIN ROOSTER | ROAN RAGE LYNX | RED BUCKS JD LYNX |
Invited (Top 5) | Kaden Profili | Liken It Tuff | WOODY BE TUFF | CATLIKE KIT | HIGH BROW CAT |
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