Kathy Grimes won $17,187 and climbed five spots clear of the NFR bubble, Carlee Otero overtook the world lead, and Cordy Cox and Shez French N Famous won the 1D championship at the 30th Alberta Barrel Racing Association Finals, all recapped on this week’s episode of The Rundown on The Money Barrel.
From the 24-rider field set for the Cinch Playoffs at Puyallup to Bert Skimehorn sweeping both futurity averages at the Double D in Negley, Ohio, and Lily Wright’s $4,980 High Stakes weekend at the Southwest Desert Classic in Cedar City, Utah, this week’s episode of The Rundown, presented by Chewy, breaks down the biggest results and what they mean moving forward. Listen to the full episode below.
The sections below run in the order the episode covers them, so they read as a companion while it plays.
The Rundown is presented by Chewy.
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ProRodeo Recap: Kennewick, Tremonton and Bremerton
The NFR bubble did not tighten this week, it moved. One week ago the gap from 16th to the cut was $1,305. It is now $8,328.
- Kathy Grimes won more money than anybody in the country at $17,187. She won Tremonton in 16.80, cashed on all three boards at Kennewick including a first-round win in 16.91, and was fifth at Bremerton. That moved her five spots, from 16th to a projected 11th in the world at $107,712.
- Lisa Lockhart now holds the last NFR spot at a projected $100,245. She won $4,818 herself and still lost a position when Grimes went by.
- Austyn Tobey drops to 16th at a projected $91,917, now $8,328 back, with Loralee Ward 17th at $88,037.
- Michelle Alley won $10,591, most of it at Kennewick, where she won the average in 34.03 on two head and the finals in 16.99. She holds seventh at a projected $140,912.
- More results and breakdown can be found over at Grimes Gets In, Otero Gets the Lead: August 24-30 ProRodeo Results, World Standings Analysis
Cinch Playoffs at Puyallup (Puyallup, Washington)
The 24-rider field is set for the Cinch Playoffs at Puyallup, September 10-13, and it is the richest opportunity left before the regular season ends.
- Fourteen of the 24 qualifiers are currently inside the world’s top 15, which leaves 10 riders in the field still outside the cut.
- Grimes and Tobey do not have Puyallup cards, so 11th and 16th both get settled on the regular rodeo schedule instead.
- The format splits the 24 into two sets of 12, one running Thursday and one Saturday. The top four from each advance to an eight-woman semifinal, and four move on to the finals.
- This year’s payout is not out yet. Last year the qualifying performances paid $3,510 to win and the finals paid $13,400 to win, so a rider who won both could leave Puyallup with $16,910.
- The top four out of Puyallup also earn their way to the Governor’s Cup at Sioux Falls, which paid $11,000 to win a round and $30,000 to win the finals last year.
- Michelle Alley was the last rider into the field on Playoff Series points, in by 3.25 points over Paige Jones. She leads off the Saturday set.
- Heidi Gunderson climbed from 40th to 22nd in the Playoff Series standings between August 4 and the cutoff. She is 24th in the world at a projected $72,777 and will be the first barrel racer to run on Thursday.
- Emma Kate Parr is another Puyallup qualifier still chasing the top 15, and she added $3,547 at Kennewick.
Alberta Barrel Racing Association Finals (Ponoka, Alberta)
The 30th annual ABRA Finals ran August 24-30 at the Calnash Ag Event Centre and took 773 Open runs, 478 Youth runs and 141 Pee Wee runs to get through. The Open is a 5D on six-tenths splits with two preliminary runs, and riders reach the Short Go three ways: through the two-run average, on fastest individual time, or by winning a division in a preliminary round. The Short Go alone decides the 1D through 5D championships, and this year every D champion took home a four-wheeler.
- Cordy Cox and Shez French N Famous won the 1D Short Go in 16.739, the fastest run of the Short Go, after running 16.983 and 17.036 for a 34.019 in the preliminaries, ahead of Krystal Grad and KSJ RememberTheTitan at 16.916. She is by RNJ Heckofafrenchman.
- That same 34.019 also won Cox the 1D Derby average, ahead of Chelsea Milan and Cindys Special Jack at 34.314.
- Dena Millard and Sparking Six won the 2D Short Go in 17.351, with Nicole Hicks and Sum R Firen second at 17.366.
- Christa Winsnes and WWHeWillBuyUCredit won the 3D championship in 17.941 after sitting second in the 3D average at 36.352.
- Emily Henschel and SQ Golden Fame won the 4D in 18.552, six thousandths ahead of Sienna Ghostkeeper and CJGustar El Viento.
- Nicole Graham and Nicksters Lil Virtue won the 5D in 19.157, their fastest run of the week.
- Krystal Grad and KSJ RememberTheTitan won the 1D Futurity average at 34.388 on two head, ahead of Kate Harris and SC Peleton at 34.793. Kelly Fogle and SR American Fame won the 2D Futurity average at 36.449.
- Ellie Havens and Heck Of A Smooth Move won the Youth 1D average at 34.519 on two head, with Phoenix Lippai and Gun Fligin Guy second.
- Eleven-year-old Kenlee Crowe and 22-year-old CS Known To Be Wild, “Bay Kaye,” ran a 16.979 on the standard pattern in the Short Go, a personal best for both horse and rider.
Double D Futurity & Open 4D (Negley, Ohio)
The BFA-approved Double D Futurity and Open 4D ran August 27-29 in Negley and offered more than $10,000 in awards and prize money across the futurity, the derby, the Denny Dawson Memorial Slot Race, the open and a juvenile showcase.
- Bert Skimehorn and Bs Cuter With Vodka swept the average championships in both the $5,000-added BFA 2D Futurity and the $1,000-added 5 & Under Futurity. They won Round 1 in 14.361 and finished at 28.964 on two head. By Triple Vodka out of Cuter Than Bart, by Holy Bart.
- William Ball and RR Mist My Crown were reserve in both averages at 29.016 on two head. By RR Mistakelly out of Seis Shots Of Crown, by Tres Seis.
- Melissa Kelly and Ima Dark Dreamer ran a 14.454 to win Round 2 of both futurities, and that same run topped the 1D in the $2,000-added OBRF Open 4D for another $664.
- Regan Henning and Socks Not Havin A Corona won the Denny Dawson Memorial Open 4D Slot Race 1D in 14.046 for $1,235 and broke the arena record, the third one broken over the weekend.
- Audrina Kukura and Royal Quick Moxie won the Slot Race 2D for $1,058, Kaylan Morrell and Little French Flirt the 3D for $706, and Kristine Nagy and Lightning Dan Jet the 4D for $529.
- In the $1,000-added 2D Derby for 5- to 7-year-olds, Brad Shirey and KF Famous Frenchman ran the fastest time at 14.304 to win the 1D, and Cecilia Winkler and Bogies Dashin Bug won the 2D in 15.342.
Southwest Desert Classic (Cedar City, Utah)
The Southwest Desert Classic ran Open, Futurity, Maturity, Senior and Youth classes at Cedar City with a Run For The Money High Stakes over the top of them, and multiple runs could be rolled into the High Stakes.
- Lily Wright and Fabulous Golden Honey ran the fastest time of the weekend, a 15.607 on Sunday, and won the Open, Maturity and Youth 1D averages at 31.790 on two head.
- Wright was also reserve in the Maturity and Youth averages on MJ Hondo Lane, going one-two in both.
- Wright won $4,980 in the High Stakes alone, taking the 1D on Fabulous Golden Honey and the 3D on Pyrotechnics for $1,381 each, plus checks in the 1D and 2D on MJ Hondo Lane and another in the 4D on Pyrotechnics.
- Ashtyn Creamer and Shock A Conn won the Futurity 1D average at 31.976 on two head, won Round 2 in 15.897 and added $1,130 for second in the High Stakes 1D.
- Susan Hadley and So Scootin French won the Futurity 2D average and the High Stakes 4D for $1,381.
- Hailey Krahenbuhl and Saaul Good won Saturday’s Open in 15.914 for $1,626, added $488 in the Buckle Race and $837 for third in the High Stakes 1D.
- Edria Day went one-two in the Senior 1D average, winning on Tsprettyfamousstar and taking reserve on Morgala Lane. She also took $2,804 out of the High Stakes 2D across three runs on the two horses.
- Jamie Christensen and Coats Shawnee Cash won the High Stakes 5D for $1,381 and the Maturity 2D average.
- In the pole bending, Blake Larsen and LBR Bayou Babe won Friday’s Open 1D for $390 and came back Saturday to win the Benders Brawl final for $542.