Arnaud Girinon & Flexing Guns N Town upset favorites to win 2025 The Run For A Million
Never heard of Arnaud Girinon? Among U.S. reining enthusiasts, you’re not alone, at least until recently. The French horseman upset a field of legendary reining powerhouses on August 16, scoring a 232 to win The Run For A Million 2025 championship aboard Flexing Guns N Town in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Though he might be new to the U.S. crowds, Arnaud and “Flexi” are well known in Europe. The 2019 palomino solid stallion had about $115,000 in National Reining Horse Association lifetime earnings prior to The Run For A Million. The pair won the 2024 NRHA European Derby Open Championship last November in France, which qualified them for The Run For A Million in 2025. Before that, they were reserve at the NRHA Italian Futurity Open Level 4, the IRHA Derby and the 100X European Classic Derby.
Underdogs
At The Run For A Million, Arnaud seemed to soak up the energy reverberating from the crowd packing the Southpoint Casio & Equestrian Center. Flashing a huge smile throughout his run, Arnaud piloted the palomino Paint with precision, laying down a 232 score that topped his NRHA Million Dollar Rider counterparts by two points or more—a huge margin when it comes to championship reining. The crowd went wild, and so did Arnaud, giving well-deserved credit to his equine partner. Check out our video!
“I cannot believe it,” Arnaud said. “I hope for it, I wish for it, I dream about it. He just delivered every time for me, that horse. Like the run in, he stopped for 15 meters or something. It was just great. I’m so happy that my family is here to see. I am just so glad that I can share that moment with the people.”
For the win, Arnaud and Flexi take home $500,000. Owned by Anna Maria Scheiflinger of Austria, Flexi is by Hollywoodstinseltown (QH) and out of Shesa Fashion Gun. Peter & Courtney Morgan of Ocala, Florida, bred the stallion.
Cutting Champion Chrome
Another Paint took championship honors at the event, too—this time in the cutting pen. Bella Louella and Michael Cooper were first in the pen, and they set the bar high with a 226 that couldn’t be topped. That give them the win in The Run For A Million Cutting Horse Challenge, capturing $50,000. Watch our video here.
“I just wanted to get up and lay a solid run—when you’re first or second, you’re kind of a guinea pig,” Michael said. “We were very blessed to get some cows set up, and that mare worked really good. I just wanted to get those cows cut and stay out of her way; I just let her take over. She just tries so hard. She’s so strong for a mare. I feel very blessed—thank God for what happened!”
Bella Louella is a 2020 sorrel solid mare by Metallic Rebel and out of Catty Louella (QH). Michael and Jennifer Cooper of Weatherford, Texas, own the mare, who was bred by Jerry and Vickie Durant of Weatherford.
Full results from The Run For A Million are online.
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