Qualifying to compete at TRFAM is an honor 14-year-old Pedro didn’t take lightly. He put in the work daily with his horse to ensure he could go all in when he stepped into the South Point Arena for the first time in Vegas.
“I trained every day, worked every day, just trying to get to be the best I’ll possibly be,” the Purcell, Oklahoma, youth rider said. “It felt like it was the perfect time to go out there and show. I stopped big for the first time and had an overspin on the second spin, but it’s OK, we got back to it.”
Pedro rides with his dad and trainer Gabriel Diano of Alpha Quarter Horses, an NRHA earner of more than $775,000 originally from Uruguay. They purchased Pedro’s horse Great Gotta Whiz out of Italy last summer from Verena Rigott after Pedro’s brother Ignacio Maximo Diano showed him at the World Reining Championship in Switzerland.
“We thought he was really good, so we bought him, but before we came home, my dad showed him at [the NRHA European Derby] and was fourth in The Run For A Million qualifier, so he did really good,” Pedro said. “He’s perfect. He’s the smoothest loper I’ve ever rode, and his stops are my favorite.”
Riding out into the arena to show at TRFAM under the lights is an experience Pedro won’t soon forget.
“My dad told me to just go in there, have fun, and just think about that,” Pedro said. “The adrenaline rush was insane. There were so many people. It’s been really fun, the arena is so good and everything is just so good. It’s my favorite show.”
