Number Crunching: What (Unofficially) Has to Happen for Barrel Racers Chasing the NFR
Carlee Otero is the first rider in the 2026 standings past $200,000. Makenzie Mayes holds the last NFR spot and a seat at the richest rodeo left. And of the five riders chasing her, four can get to Sioux Falls and one cannot.
She Doesn’t Need Luck: Summer Kosel and Apollo Are in NFR Territory After Ellensburg Win
Kosel and FireWaterFrenchFame placed in every round in the mud at Ellensburg, won the average by six-hundredths and moved to No. 17 in the world with Puyallup and Sioux Falls still in front of them.
Grimes Tops the Week at $13,723, Gibson-Stillwell Leads by $220: August 31-September 7 ProRodeo Results, World Standings Analysis
Every ProRodeo barrel racing result from August 31 to September 7, 2026, updated through the Labor Day weekend, plus the projected top 70 in the world standings.
Bozeman to Baker: Emma Smith Takes Resistol Rookie Lead After $22K Month
Two rodeo wins in Montana and checks at four Playoff Series stops carried the Pleasanton, Texas, rancher past a $32,000 deficit and to the top of the rookie standings.
Cassie Morton Doubles Up at Ruby Buckle East, Wins Futurity and Open Averages on SS I Am Misty for $50,944
Cassie Morton and SS I Am Misty won the 2026 Ruby Buckle East futurity and open averages in Perry, Georgia, for $50,944, on a mare a Tennessee couple with two full-time jobs trains after work.
It’s Playoff Time: The Puyallup 24 Is (Unofficially) Set
The Cinch Playoff Series points closed Monday and the draw is out. Ten of the 24 riders going to Puyallup are chasing the NFR top 15 from behind it, and the two riders sitting on the cut line did not make the field at all.
Winning in Style: The Complete List of WPRA’s Jerry Ann Taylor Award Recipients
Meet the winningest, most fashionable barrel racers that have received the Jerry Ann Taylor best-dressed award in the WPRA.
Benny’s Comeback: Andrea Busby and Jets Top Gun Win Caldwell
Jets Top Gun was not supposed to run again after surgery. Andrea Busby’s homebred won the Caldwell Night Rodeo average and moved her to No. 20 in the world.
The Rundown August 25: The One With Ruby Buckle and Another Record
Cassie Morton and SS I Am Misty generated $59,376 in Ruby Buckle payouts at Perry, Georgia, Kathy Grimes ran a 16.31 at Burley, Idaho, and Makenzie Mayes climbed five spots clear of the NFR bubble, all recapped on this week’s episode of The Rundown on The Money Barrel. From Blaise Wheeler and Gimme All DaMoney […]
Blaise Wheeler Secures Ruby Buckle East Derby Win on Gimme All DaMoney, $31,515 for Leslie and Jason Willis
Blaise Wheeler won the Ruby Buckle East derby average aboard Gimme All DaMoney in Perry, Georgia, banking $31,515 across the week for owners Jason and Leslie Willis of Chester, South Carolina, on a horse she had been riding for one month. Wheeler, of Summit, Mississippi, won the first round on the 2021 Tres Seis gelding […]
The Money Barrel: Lanita Peirce on Famous Wahini and 40 Years of Wins
Lanita Peirce, 76, won the Cody Stampede over the Fourth of July and Nebraska’s Big Rodeo at Burwell on July 25, both on Famous Wahini, the last horse out of the breeding program she rides for. She joined Kayla Jones on The Money Barrel to talk about the mare, that program, and coming back from […]
That Girl Who’s Climbing the Standings: Raelin Jurgens and ‘Bubba’ Jump to No. 23
Raelin Jurgens has climbed from No. 30 to No. 23 in the WPRA world standings in three weeks on Ima Epic Burr Bug, a gray gelding she bought as a 4-year-old in 2024.
Breakin’ Records: Sydney Graham and Dupont First Celebrate Historical Win in Heber City, $16,643 Week
Sydney Graham and her 7-year-old stallion Dupont First won the Mountain Valley Stampede in Heber City, Utah, on Aug. 1, stopping the clock at 16.49 for $7,740 and the fastest run ever recorded on a WPRA standard pattern at a professional rodeo. And that wasn’t all she pulled off that weekend. Four rodeos in five […]
August Roll Call: Bubble Wars Break Out in All 13 WPRA Circuits
Nine of the 13 WPRA circuits have a new leader since May, and 749 barrel racers have now cashed a circuit check. The full top 20 in every circuit through August 4, 2026, plus finals dates, entry cut-offs and the minimum rodeo counts that decide who is actually eligible.
So You’re Ready to Turn Pro: The WPRA Permit-to-Card Guide for Barrel Racers
Everything a barrel racer needs to know before buying a WPRA permit, filling it and earning a pro card: what it costs, how to fill it, when to buy the card, and how to enter your first ProRodeo through ProCom.