Since its kickoff event in Oklahoma in 2018, the World Champions Rodeo Alliance and Women’s Rodeo Championships have paid out in a big way to rodeo athletes from all backgrounds and walks of life, but these are the barrel races who have rose above the pack and banked the most dollars in the past six years.
1. Hailey Kinsel, $202,244.44
If there’s one thing about Hailey Kinsel, it’s that she’s really good at setting records. It only makes sense that the four-time World Champion barrel racer and commander of the highest earning barrel horse of all time, DM Sissy Hayday would own the No. 1 all-time money earning spot in the WCRA. Kinsel started early with the WCRA, winning $50,000 at the second WCRA event in Salt Lake City back in 2018, and staying hooked until she won the 2022 Women’s Rodeo World Championship and nearly $70,000 in Fort Worth.
Read about Kinsel’s 2022 WRWC victory aboard “Jules.”
- Reno’s Silver Spurs, $40K ProRodeo Month Launch Hailey Kinsel Back to Gold Buckle Conversation
- The Jules Story: Hailey Kinsel’s “Other Palomino”
- Donna Hodges Talks Hodges Farms and Raising “Jules,” on The Money Barrel Podcast
- Gold Buckle Reflections and Life in Barrel Racing’s Spotlight, with Hailey Kinsel
2. Michelle Darling, $132,777.87
One of the WCRA’s earliest advocates, NFR qualifier Michelle Darling lit up the early years of competition. She was the first $50,000 champion at the inaugural WCRA Showdown at the Lazy E Arena in May of 2018. She banked money at nearly every WCRA major event throughout the next several years, finishing in the finals at nearly every stop of the tour.
- Michelle Darling and Martini Secure Final Spot in Gold Medal Round at WCRA Days of ‘47 Rodeo
- Spurred to Victory: Michelle Darling Scores Reno Rodeo’s Silver Spurs
- Michelle Darling Kicks Off ProRodeo Summer with Three Checks, Two Wins, and One Palomino Mare
3. Cheyenne Wimberley, $126,804.33
Cheyenne Wimberley knows how to take care of business, from qualifying to the NFR in different decades, to winning big at Ruby and Pink Buckle races, to winning the 2023 Women’s Rodeo World Championship. She pulled that off in Fort Worth in May 2023 on her homegrown gelding, Fast Flingin Dash.
- Experience Pays: Cheyenne Wimberley Conquers Women’s Rodeo World Championship, Earns $63,400
- 3 Tips to Staying Balanced in the Saddle, with Cheyenne Wimberley
- A “Fast Flingin” and “Stellar” Day: Wimberley, Hodges Lead Barrel Racers to 2023 WRWC Semifinals
4. Stephanie Fryar, $125,700.50
Remember that time when Stephanie Fryar was hundredths from earning the $1 million WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo bonus in Corpus Christi? Well, she got there by banking two victories at majors before the bonus opportunity in Texas. Fryar’s played in the WCRA pool for multiple years, as well, and was one of the cowgirls drafted into Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo in May 2023.
- Stephanie Fryar Has the Entire Industry Behind Her Million-Dollar Opportunity.
- Stephanie Fryar and “Fast Frank” in the Hunt for $1 Million with 2024 Stampede at The E Win
- Stephanie Fryar Repeats at WCRA Rodeo Carolina, Gathers $20K
- I Had to Lose to Make the NFR: The Steph Fryar Tales, Part 3
5. Hallie Hanssen $96,180.53
Hallie Hanssen is a decorated trainer and futurity jockey who’s won at every level of competition. In 2020, she stepped into the spotlight in a big way with a WRWC victory aboard the decorated mare Tres Movidas.
6. Rainey Skelton, $93,620
At just 17 years old, Rainey Skelton won the $60,000 Women’s Rodeo World Championship title in the barrel racing, plus picked up money heeling in the team roping at the 2021 event. The all-around standout has showed out on multiple horses and finished high in the placings from Cowtown Coliseum to Salt Lake City.
- Rainey Skelton Talks Rookie Season and Growing up Skelton on The Money Barrel
- Rainey Skelton Banks 60 G’s at WRWC
7. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, $85,360.44
If there’s a leaderboard to be made related to the sport of barrel racing, chances are that Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi will be on the list. This goes for the WCRA as well, as Tonozzi’s showed up at events through the years and gone straight to the winner’s circle. The four-time World Champion barrel racer has quietly picked up big money at WCRA events over the years.
- Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi Clinches 2023 WPRA World Championship with 2 NFR Rounds Remaining
- No, Seriously. It’s Brittany’s Buckle: Tonozzis Have $865,000 Week in Guthrie at Pink Buckle 2023
- In Her Record-Breaking Era: Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi Adds NFR Round 7 Buckle to Pile
- Calgary Stampede Wraps with $66,000 and a Win for Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi
