By: Hope Sickler

Dustin Angelle works with barrel racing futurity horses for a living and has trained for the public for the past six years. The 24-year-old talented trainer and jockey from St. Gabriel, Louisiana, was last out in the short round at Martha Josey's Reunion on Sunday but didn't let the quick times being posted scare him or his mount, JL Jamaican Me Rich, aka "Richie." Angelle posted a blazing-fast time of 15.983 and left Marshall, Texas, as the 2017 Josey's Reunion 1D champion.

FloRodeo: Who did you ride at Josey's Reunion?
Angelle: I rode JL Jamaican Me Rich who is a 5-year-old gelding by the late great JL Dash Ta Heaven and out of Frenchmans Lana, who is a full sister to standout futurity champion SX Frenchmans Vanila. He was trained and ran as a futurity horse by Jolene Montgomery and purchased by one of my clients, Southwestern Farms, three months ago. I am very grateful to get to ride such an incredible athlete!

Was this your first time running at Josey's Reunion?
I have been coming to Josey's for a dozen years, but this is the first time that I have won it. I am elated and extremely grateful!

Tell us about your runs at Josey's Reunion.
Well our first run didn't go as planned. We ended up running at night with the lights on, which he is not used to, and in a big outdoor pen, which he is also not that used to, so he ran super green and was lost most of the run. In our second run, he was much better and we won second in the round. Going into the final round, I prepared him for success. I made sure that he remained calm and confident, making sure he was warmed up enough and his mind was "sharp."

What were your thoughts going into the arena in the finals?
I knew that he had a really good shot at getting something done if everything worked in our favor, so I reminded myself to trust my horse and ride him the way that he needed to be ridden. I knew that if I did that, the clock would be in our favor. Thankfully it all worked out, and when I saw our time I couldn't contain my excitement!

Angelle would like to extend a special thank you to his sponsors: Hidez Compression Suits, Nutrena Feeds, Oxy-Gen, veterinarian Clay Espey, and Southwestern Farms. He also wishes to thank Josey's for their hospitality and an awesome event!

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