The 2024 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo has been nothing short of intense in the barrel racing, marked by show-stopping performances each night and a salty pack of barrel racing horses and riders headed to the finals on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Here’s the 411 on the horses that made it through to the final night of competition.
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DM Sissy Hayday
Rider: Hailey Kinsel
- Hailey Kinsel Takes Back Center Stage, Wins Fourth World Championship
- No Reins No Problem: Hailey Kinsel Breaks NFR Round 9 Record in Shocking Fashion
“Sister,” needs little introduction. The iconic mare, who has helped Kinsel pick up four world championships so far, is QData’s all-time leading earning barrel horse with $2,812,572 earned before the close of 2023. She won both of her progressive brackets in barrel racing and advanced through Semifinals A on Thursday night to qualify for Saturday’s short round.
Rosas Cantina CC
Rider: Lisa Lockhart
Another iconic horse running down the alley at the 2024 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo finals is “Rosa,” who took over in the Wildcard Round for Lockhart while the grey gelding, Promise Me Fame Guys “Levee,” went North to Rapid City. Rosa is ranked on QData’s leaderboard as the No. 32 earning barrel horse of all-time with $531,395 earned, and she’s made her mark as a producer in the industry, as well.
Although Levee made the journey back to Texas, Lockhart will stick with the mare who won second in the Wildcard Round on Wednesday and placed in Semifinals B on Friday for Saturday’s short round.
A R Dash Ta Flame
Rider: Sissy Winn
- Rollercoaster Ride: Sissy Winn and Scoop Add NFR Round 4 Victory to Pile
- Scoop, There it is: Sissy Winn and A R Dash Ta Flame Finish 1st in NFR Round 1
- ‘It was all worth it.’ The NFR Experience Through Competitor Sissy Winn’s Eyes
“Scoop,” is just over six weeks out from his second consecutive appearance at the National Finals Rodeo, where he picked up two go-round wins in Las Vegas, and he benefitted well from his break between the two major events. He’s already picked up $6,000 for Winn in Fort Worth, a repeat of his dominance at the event in 2023. Winn is the two-time and reigning recipient of the Jerry Ann Taylor Best-Dressed Award in Fort Worth, so be sure to stay tuned to see if she three-peats the award.
Coats Smooth Honor
Rider: Rainey Skelton
Skelton is deadly on the barrel pattern or with a rope in her hand, and “Honor,” is the muscled-up red gelding that the 2023 Resistol Rookie competitor chose as her weapon at the 2024 FWSSR tournament. Honor’s style is aggressive and snappy despite his large size, but Skelton’s athleticism has helped her jockey him to $6,000 so far in Fort Worth.
Mistys Money Blurr
Rider: Ilyssa Riley
“Money,” and Riley made their first appearance at the 2023 NFR, but true barrel racing fans have watched this gelding tear it up with Kassie Mowry on the futurity scene, then with Riley as she worked up the ProRodeo ranks. (Remember that time they terrorized the 2022 Texas Circuit Finals, winning the aggregate in a division of their own?) Money and Riley won the first round of Bracket 4 back at the beginning of FWSSR, then slid through in the No. 4 position from Semifinals A, making the finals the perfect time for Money to make one of his iconic, whiplash-inducing runs in the Finals with Riley.
Fairway Ta Fame
Rider: Sara Winkelman
“Rory,” and Minnesota’s Sara Winkelman barely missed making the 2023 NFR, but they’ve made it known that they won’t be denied in 2024. In Semifinals B, the red gelding smoked a 16.24-second run—the fastest of the entire tournament leading up to the Finals.
Hello Stella
Rider: Sharin Hall
- The Hello Stella Story
- Dream Team Hello Stella & Sharin Hall are Women’s Rodeo World Championship Bound
Rodeo fans may not be as accustomed to seeing “Stella,” the wicked fast bay mare of Sharin Hall’s, but futurity and derby fans know just how powerful this team can be. They’ve already won $8,000 in the tournamnet, with their performance marked by a 16.29-second run in Semifinals A, but if Stella places in the FWSSR finals in any position, she will pass the $900,000 mark in lifetime earnings. A large portion of her previous earnings came from races like the Pink and Ruby Buckle events.
Blazing With My Dude
Rider: Andrea Busby
“Tito,” is just one of the many examples of the game-changing horses coming out of the Busby Quarter Horses operation. The 2022 Cheyenne Frontier Days champion has been rock-solid with Andrea Busby throughout the FWSSR tournament, placing second in both rounds of Bracket 4 and placing third in Semifinal B on Friday to earn $4,740 so far at the event.
