Fernando Salgado honors his late brother’s legacy through one final Derby run with Spooks Gotta Win.

Fernando Salgado arrived at the 2026 NRHA Derby^® presented by Markel with Spooks Gotta Win and wasn’t only chasing a great competition. 

The 7-year-old stallion, known around the barn as “Winner,” has been part of the Salgado family’s legacy and some of its hardest years. Long before the horse made his Derby comeback, Winner belonged to Fernando’s older brother, Eduardo.

Originally from Brazil, Fernando grew up learning from Eduardo in the barn. Ten years apart in age, the brothers spent much of their lives around horses. Fernando showed as a youth before eventually working as Eduardo’s assistant, learning the business and horsemanship that would later shape his own career.

“My brother was the reason I became a horse trainer,” Salgado said. “Everything started with him.”

Eduardo found success both in Brazil and later in the United States. Along the way, he purchased a young prospect named Spooks Gotta Win. Fernando remembers the horse as an essential part of their program.

“That was his horse,” Salgado said. “He loved that horse.”

During Winner’s Futurity year, Eduardo was preparing for surgery related to throat cancer. Before the procedure, he asked Fernando to continue training the colt.

Fernando did.

What was expected to be a routine procedure in Eduardo’s cancer journey brought unforeseen complications. Eduardo passed away in 2022, leaving Fernando with a responsibility he never expected to carry alone.

Fernando and Winner found success in the show pen. The pair won the Best of the West Futurity and qualified for the NRHA Level 4 Open Futurity® Finals. For a while, it looked like the horse’s career was headed exactly where everyone thought it would.

During his 4-year-old year, the stallion suffered an injury that would sideline him for years. Fernando pursued advanced diagnostics and even surgery on the horse’s right front ankle.

The horse improved, but never quite enough.

Over time, many offered to purchase Winner as a breeding stallion rather than a show horse. Fernando politely declined those offers for four years.

While on the ranch, Fernando continued looking for ways to keep Winner comfortable. Different shoeing packages, therapies and rehabilitation plans all became part of the journey to recovery.

“It wasn’t just me. There were lots of people cheering for that horse to succeed and recover,” Salgado said.

Even turned out, Winner never seemed ready to retire. Fernando laughs when he talks about watching the horse run to the fence whenever trailers pulled into the driveway, headed for a show.

“He always wanted to go,” Salgado said.

As Winner approached his final Derby-eligible season, Fernando started riding him more consistently. There wasn’t a grand plan behind it, but the more he rode him, the better he felt about making it to the 2026 6666 NRHA Derby® presented by Markel.

Fernando decided Winner deserved an opportunity. Making the finals was rewarding, but the result wasn’t what mattered most.

Years after Eduardo first bought the colt, Winner is still a combination of the brothers’ love for reining and family tradition.

“Every time I ride him, I feel like there’s two riders on that horse,” Salgado said.

For most, Spooks Gotta Win is a Derby finalist making a comeback. For Fernando Salgado, he’ll always be his brother’s horse first.

By Elisabeth Moser