Hayle Gibson-Stillwell earned her first NFR win in Round 7 of her rookie showing inside the Thomas & Mack aboard Buncha Dinero, knocking a lifetime goal off her bucket list.
Hayle Gibson-Stillwell put together her best run of the NFR so far, stopping the clock in 13.45 aboard Buncha Dinero (“Piper”) to win Round 7 and earn $36,667.95. The victory also marked a notable pedigree milestone—Piper became the second PC Frenchmans Hayday progeny to win a round this week, following Hailey Kinsel and DM Sissy Hayday (“Sister”) in Round 2.
Even after a full week of runs inside the Thomas & Mack, Gibson-Stillwell said the emotions of the night were still overwhelming in the best way.
“Five-year-old Hayle is freaking out,” she said. “I’ve wanted to be a barrel racer my whole life. I’ve watched the NFR my whole life. I always wanted to be here, but I didn’t think it was realistic.”
From No. 14 on the ground, Stillwell’s Round 7 trip didn’t come easy.
Listen to the full The Money Barrel interview from each round.
“Piper took me for a ride,” she said. “I lost my stirrup at the first barrel, which she happened to nail, and then it was just, ‘Stay in the buggy, Hayle.’ She hit all of her points perfectly. I was really just along for the ride.”
Even after seven runs, she says the building still hits you.
“The roar of the crowd… it’s incredible,” Stillwell said. “You can hear it in the back, but when you come through the alley, it’s really loud. Then you think, just find the barrel. That blind alley is hard to explain unless you’ve been here.”
Gibson-Stillwell credits keeping Piper feeling good all week to attentive care and a horse who knows her job.
“I have a really great friend here with me who does Acuscope, so she’s been working on Piper every day. And we just tell Piper how special she is all the time. She knows what’s up.”
And as the week builds, Piper has only sharpened. Her NFR showing is a long way from the colt out of Stillwell’s thoroughbred mare, “Ruby,” that she watched grow up.
“She was so lazy and chill when I started her that we used to joke she might be a real horse,” Gibson-Stillwell said. “She didn’t get the fire until she learned the barrels. Now she’s all fire—all sass and fire.”
What she hopes people see most in her Round 7 win is possibility.
“I want people to know that anything is achievable,” she said. “I came from humble beginnings. This never seemed like something I could actually pursue, but hard work and determination got me here. I’m thankful for the horses that have contributed to that.”
Stillwell’s had a successful showing across the first seven rounds of the finals, amassing $105,219 with the $10,000 NFR bonus included and moving from No. 12 to No. 7 in the World Standings.
Full results, aggregate and World Standings info here.
