Abilene, Texas, cowgirl Sydney Graham and her 6-year-old stallion Dupont First made their names known at the 2025 Ruby Buckle East in Perry, Georgia, pocketing more than $50,000 across classes and clinching both the 1D Derby and Open championships in commanding fashion Sept. 3-7.
Graham and “Trump” set the tone in Round 1 with a 14.710-second run that earned them the victory, then returned with a 14.802 in Round 2 to secure second place in the round and seal the average with a 29.512. The aggregate win alone was worth $10,200 to owner Run Away Ranch, while breeder Bobby Cox and sire Duponte each collected $638.
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“This has been a dream come true. I’m talking childhood dreams that I didn’t even know were possible.”
Sydney Graham
Dupont First, known simply as Trump, is by Duponte and out of First Fervor by First Down Dash. Graham purchased him as a yearling at the Rosi Select Yearling Sale in Guthrie, Oklahoma, during the height of the COVID pandemic. “He was the calmest horse walking around,” she said. “He stuck his nose through the bars to play with my hair. We had a budget, and if he stayed under it, we were going to buy him. He came in under, and we brought him home.”
The stallion’s name carries weight for Graham. “I lost my dad the year before, and his favorite NASCAR driver was Jeff Gordon, who was sponsored by DuPont,” she said. “Trump was supposed to futurity as a 4-year-old in 2023, but he got hurt as a 2-year-old. We held him back for 2024, which was his 5-year-old year. That’s Jeff Gordon’s number, 24. There were just so many signs he was supposed to be with me.”
Patience proved costly but worthwhile. “It’s been a long, long journey,” Graham said. “But I’ve had a lot of help, and God’s been there with us telling us, your time is coming. Just keep waiting. Here it is.”
Weighing in at 1,300 pounds, Trump is all athlete. “He’s like riding a train,” Graham said. “He’s freaky fast and so powerful, and I get left behind a lot. It’s hard to keep up with him, but he’s just cool.”
The bond between horse and rider is evident. “You walk outside, and you just know you love him,” she said. “He’s so personable, so easy, so fun. He has the funniest personality, and he’s perfect to me.”
Trump’s dam, First Fervor, was unproven when Run Away Ranch purchased him, having earned only $4,000 on the track. Today, she has produced more than $500,000 in earners, including The Printing Press, who won $250,000 on the track. Trump is the first foal crop out of Duponte, a sire Graham took a chance on without much history at the time.
“Neither one were proven when we bought him,” she said. “It was a risk, but it was totally worth it.”
The stallion has already proven versatile outside the arena, starring in a music video and preparing for a movie role this fall. Still, his breakout performance in Perry underscored his future as a competitive force and a breeding stallion.
For Graham, who entered the Ruby Buckle East with about $38,000 in lifetime earnings, the week doubled her career total and offered a message she wants every barrel racer to hear. “I am absolutely blessed,” she said. “I’ve told the girls outside, a nobody can win. You work hard enough, and we were nobodies. Trump was a nobody at one point. You put in the effort and the time, and it will all come together when it’s your turn.”