The Rundown March 2: The One With San Antonio

Anita Ellis wins San Antonio, waves to crowd

San Antonio’s bracket format reshaped the early WPRA standings, Tucson launched the 2026 outdoor season with a long-go and short-round battle, and Lisa Lockhart officially became the first WPRA barrel racer to surpass $4 million in career earnings during a pivotal first weekend of March. Listen to the full episode below. San Antonio Stock Show […]

Trailblazer: Lisa Lockhart is First $4 Million WPRA Barrel Racer

Lisa Lockhart barrel racing Cheyenne

Lisa Lockhart has added another milestone to her influential résumé, becoming the first WPRA barrel racer to surpass $4 million in career earnings following her performance in Tucson this weekend. Tune into this week’s episode of The Rundown on The Money Barrel to hear how the math shook out when it drops today. The 19-time […]

👑 Crown ‘Em: 2026 Buckeye Royal Crown Race Recap

Payton Johnson turns a sparkly barrel on her futurity horse

The Royal Crown kicked off its first event of 2026 with big payouts in Buckeye, Arizona, February 11-15, and we’re recapping the derby, futurity, high stakes and more. Click here for FULL Royal Crown and SVE class results. Royal Crown Derby Round 1 HP Hotrod, a 2021 stallion by Dash Ta Fame out of Rods […]

PROFiles: The Kassie Mowry Story

Kassie Mowry NFR victory lap

Kassie Mowry’s rise to the top of barrel racing did not come quickly, and it did not come by accident. Long before world titles and gold buckles, Mowry built her career as a trainer, learning how to develop horses correctly and earning trust inside established programs before launching one of her own. That path has […]

#NFRWrapped: 2025 NFR Summarized for Top 16 Barrel Racers

Megan McLeod-Sprague turns a barrel

No. 1 — Kassie Mowry Entered the NFR: No. 1Finished the season: No. 1Total earnings: $403,881.76Total NFR earnings: $200,436.76Average finish: 4th ($44,356.39) Kassie Mowry held the top spot from start to finish by pairing go-round wins with steady top-four finishes. She won two go-rounds on two different horses, opening the Finals by winning Round 1 and later winning Round 6. Beyond those wins, Mowry finished second […]

Rollercoaster Ride: Julie Plourde Goes From No. 16 to 2025 NFR Aggregate Champion

Julie Plourde NFR barrel racing

Julie Plourde won the National Finals Rodeo barrel racing average with a 139.67 on 10, earning $94,035.54 aboard Wateverock RC (“Rocky”), a backup horse she purchased earlier this year. Called into the NFR field just days before the Finals began, Plourde stepped in as a replacement after finishing 16th in the WPRA World Standings when Anita Ellis, No. 8 in the […]

PROFiles: The Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi Story

Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi gets interviewed by Katy Lucas

Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi has remained competitive at the highest level of barrel racing for more than two decades, doing so on multiple horses and across different eras of the sport. A three-time WPRA World Champion and an 18-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, Pozzi Tonozzi first made the NFR in 2003 and has continued qualifying across […]

PROFile: The Emily Beisel Story

Emily Beisel takes a victory lap

Emily Beisel entered the 2025 National Finals Rodeo ranked No. 3 in the world, qualifying for her seventh NFR (2019–2025) and arriving with a program that has rarely been built around one horse, one setup or one way of doing things. Beisel’s biography reads like a steady climb. She didn’t grow up in a rodeo […]

Kassie Mowry Defends WPRA World Championship With 2025 Repeat Despite Adversity

Kassie Mowry turns a barrel on Will

Kassie Mowry authored one of the most complete and disciplined National Finals Rodeo performances in modern barrel racing history to secure her second WPRA World Championship. Mowry finished the 2025 season with more than $403,000 in earnings, including $200,481 won at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, successfully defending the No. 1 position she carried into Las Vegas […]

Carlee Otero and Regina Cap Off NFR With Four Go-Round Wins, $156K Earned 

Carlee Otero wins NFR Round 10

Carlee Otero picked up momentum at the National Finals Rodeo in 2025 aboard AM Regina George, and just kept gaining steam as the week rolled on.  One night after winning Round 9, Otero came back in the final performance and clocked a 13.28-second run aboard AM Regina George to win Round 10, giving her back-to-back […]

Who Can Still Win the Barrel Racing World Championship?

Kassie Mow ry at the NFR barrel racing

With one round left to run at the 2025 National Finals Rodeo, the barrel racing world title is still mathematically open—but only three women have realistic paths to the gold buckle: Kassie Mowry, Tricia Aldridge and Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi. Here’s how Round 10 could shake out, and what each rider would need to walk out of […]

Fetch Happened: Carlee Otero Scores Her Third Win of the Week on AM Regina George

Carlee Otero AM Regina George turn a barrel at NFR

Carlee Otero and AM Regina George delivered one of the fastest runs ever clocked inside the Thomas & Mack Center on Friday night, posting a 13.20 to win Round 9 and set a new go-round record. The victory marked Otero’s third round win of the 2025 NFR, solidifying the 7-year-old mare’s status as one of the brightest young stars in the sport. Team Equinety […]

Undeniable: Adios Pantalones and Tricia Aldridge Earn NFR Round Win No. 2

Tricia Aldridge and Adios Pantalones turn a barrel

Tricia Aldridge and Adios Pantalones delivered another defining performance at the 2025 NFR, stopping the clock in 13.64 to win Round 8 and add a second round victory to their remarkable debut campaign inside the Thomas & Mack. From the back of the infamous tunnel Aldridge could watch most of the performance unfold. She could see horses ahead of her struggling with […]

What’s the Deal? The Real Dirt on the NFR Footing

Halyn Lide nfr deep ground turning barrel

After six nights of consistent footing inside the Thomas & Mack Center, the ground took a visible turn in Rounds 7 and 8, raising concerns among contestants and drawing attention to the most high-stakes playing surface in rodeo. Several horses slipped or lost traction on Wednesday and Thursday, prompting immediate response from the WPRA and the […]

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