Biography
The beginning of a dynasty. Russell Dilday of Wynnewood, Oklahoma, and Topsails Rien Maker arrived at the 2008 World's Greatest Horseman and launched what would become the most dominant partnership in the event's history. Their first championship was a statement of intention — a horse of extraordinary talent paired with a horseman of rare preparation and competitive intelligence.
Topsails Rien Maker, a Topsail Cody stallion, showed brilliance across all four events of the WGH. His athleticism in the reining phase, his boldness and precision in herd work, his power in steer stopping, and his instinct in cow work combined to produce a composite score that announced him as something special. Dilday's horsemanship — his ability to prepare a single horse to perform at championship level across four distinct disciplines — was on full display from the first year.
What makes the 2008 title significant in retrospect is that it was only the beginning. Dilday and Topsails Rien Maker would return in 2009 and 2011, making the stallion the first and only three-time WGH champion horse in the event's history. The 2008 championship was Chapter One of one of the greatest stories the WGH has ever produced.