Get to know the top five athletes with a chance at $2 million advancing from the Eastern Contender Finals in Lexington, Kentucky, April 11-13.
Dusky Lynn Hall
Qualifying Horse: Chasin A Win
Dusky Lynn Hall is headed back to Arlington after winning the Eastern Regional Finals aboard Chasin A Win, a horse she calls “Spit,” adding another chapter to a career that’s already seen her run for $1 million on rodeo’s biggest stage.
At just 12 years old, Hall’s world still looks pretty simple on paper. She goes to school in the mornings, rides her horses, and spends free time hanging out with her friends or training ponies.
“I do school and then I ride till about six, and then it just kind of repeats,” Hall said. “I don’t do much other than that.”
Her program reflects it. With a full string that spans futurity, derby and open horses, Hall is deeply involved in every part of the process, from training young horses to competing at the highest level. She’s currently learning to love the training side as much as the arena lights.
“I feel like you have to be really consistent with your riding,” she said. “(Young horses) are trying to learn from you, so you’ve got to do everything pretty right.”
The horse that got her through Lexington is anything but simple. “Spit” is talented, opinionated and full of personality.
“He’s a fireball,” Hall said. “He has his own attitude and kind of does whatever he wants. He does not like to go slow.”
Still, when it counted, she trusted him in a high-pressure moment, running him through the redemption round and into the finals despite his lack of rodeo experience.
“I just wanted to go for it,” she said.
While Hall has multiple top horses—including fan-favorite “Wally” (Aint Seen Famous Yet)—her approach stays the same no matter which one she legges up on.
“I want people to know I believe in my horses and know them really well,” she said. “I want them to think my horses can win no matter what.”
That mindset has already carried her to Globe Life Field multiple times before her teenage years, and now she’s back again with another shot.
And even in moments where the pressure tightens, Hall hasn’t lost sight of what she enjoys most about it.
“We work really hard to be good at this,” she said. “That part should be the most fun.”
Randee Prindle
Qualifying Horse: Red Man Jones
With more than $1 million in recorded earnings, “Red Man Jones” has built his résumé the long way—winning across open races, slot races and major events, particularly dominating the Midwest over the last decade. Now 15, the gelding continues to show up in the biggest moments, adding another American Rodeo qualification to a career that has already included multiple appearances on the sport’s biggest stage.
Red Man Jones has remained a constant since the mid-2010s, proving both durable and dangerous in any setup.
Prindle, based in Missouri, has been the steady hand behind that run. Known for keeping a low profile, she has consistently allowed the horse to speak for itself, navigating a career that has required grit, timing and a willingness to win the hard way.
Red Man Jones is not a horse that fits neatly into a system. His style is aggressive, unconventional and effective—qualities that have made him both difficult to replicate and tough to beat.
Together, the pair has built a reputation as true contenders, not just qualifiers. They’ve been to The American before—a couple of times since 2020, and they’ve earned their way back again.
Now, with another shot at The American Rodeo, Prindle and Red Man Jones return as one of the most proven regional forces in barrel racing—with “Scooby,” still running, still winning, and still doing it his way.
Missy Jean Etheridge
Qualifying Horse: Seis Martinis
Missy Jean Etheridge is headed to Arlington after finishing third in the Lexington finals aboard former standout futurity horse Seis Martinis, bringing a fresh presence to the contender field.
Based in Mississippi, Etheridge is no stranger to the horse industry. A Non-Pro Hall of Fame cutting horse competitor with more than a million dollars in earnings, she’s built a career training, competing and running multiple businesses—all while raising a family. But barrel racing is a newer chapter.
“I’ve lived my life for the horses,” Etheridge said. “This is just a new direction with them.”
Her partner in Lexington, “Marty Jane,” is a powerful, sensitive mare that requires feel and patience.
“She’s a special one,” Etheridge said. “You have to protect her mind and let her stay confident in what she’s doing.”
That approach paid off in a high-pressure finals run, where Etheridge trusted the mare to finish.
“I just kept telling her, ‘We’re going to do this together,’” she said. “When she turned for home, she gave me everything she had.”
Alongside her competition horses, Etheridge is also building for the future, recently adding Seis Smashin Fame, a stallion she believes in as both a performer and sire.
For Etheridge, the transition into barrel racing has come with a learning curve, but not a lack of commitment.
“I’m not very good at this yet,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m going to get better. I caught myself crying during (the Finals in Lexington) because I just couldn’t believe we’d made it that far.”
Even as a newcomer, she’s approaching the sport the same way she has everything else—fully invested and grounded in her love for the horse.
“I’m just a crazy horse girl,” she said. “And I want to give them back everything they give me.”
Bayleigh Choate
Qualifying Horse: TJR Stinson Blue, “Boozer”
Bayleigh Choate is headed to Arlington with TJR Stinson Blue “Boozer” after qualifying through the Eastern Regional and finishing fifth in the Lexington finals, and for those who have followed her career, it’s a return that feels familiar.
Now based in Georgia, Choate has stepped into a different phase of life. The pressure that once defined her career isn’t driving the program anymore.
“When I was rodeoing, I had a lot of outside pressure on me to win,” Choate said. “Now I get to do it because I want to do it and it’s fun. I really don’t care. I just go in there and have fun and it’s really cool I get to ride a cool horse and he wins.”
That mindset shift has brought her back to the horse that’s been there through every version of her career. Boozer isn’t a horse that can be micromanaged, but Choate speaks his language well to keep him at the top.
“The last time I tried to tune on him, he ran off at the third,” she said. “So I don’t tune on him. I just go in there and let him do his job.”
And Boozer does his job at a high level. He just loves the game.
“Every time I send him down the alleyway, I know he’s going to give me the best he’s got. I don’t have to set him up perfect or give him perfect lines. He goes in there and does it whether I do everything right or not.”
The two have already made a push at The American once, advancing to the final round in 2023. This time, Choate is coming back with a different perspective and the same horse underneath her.
“I walked away from everything a few years ago and started over,” she said. “In less than three years, I’ve built my dream life. Never doubt yourself. Hard work goes a long way, and you’ve got to keep God close through all of it.”
With Boozer back in a big stage setting, Choate knows exactly where they’re at their best.
“The more pressure there is, the better we both do,” she said. “You take me to a jackpot and I might not care. But you put us under the lights and it’s a different deal.”
And heading into Arlington, her goal is simple.
“I want to do it all again,” she said. “Except this time, I’m not going to lose.”
Tabitha Dyal
Qualifying Horse: Slym Shady
Tabitha Dyal is the youngest name advancing out of the Eastern Regional, qualifying for Arlington after a strong showing in Lexington aboard Slym Shady, with another top mount, Promise Me Fame Guys “Levee,” waiting in the wings.
At just 9 years old, Dyal is balancing a life that stretches far beyond the arena. She splits time between New York, Texas and Montana, keeping up with school while building a program competing in multiple Western disciplines. There’s even time for some spirited ping-pong and board games with her family, too.
“I take school seriously, and then I focus on my horses,” Dyal said. “I love to compete in anything, but barrel racing is where I feel the most free.”
Her string reflects a rider who values horsemanship first. Slym, the horse she rode in Lexington, is quick, talented and takes precision to get along with.
“He’s tough to run, but when you get him, he’s so fast,” she said.
Levee, a past American champion who adores his young jockey, brings a different feel.
“I try to let him do his job as much as I can,” Dyal said.
Dyal’s focus stays simple. Ride a variety of horses, keep improving, and make each run count.
“I want people to know I work to be the best rider I can and focus on my horsemanship,” she said. “And that I’m here to stay and can win, too.”
Dyal represents a new wave of talent in the sport of barrel racing, and she’s leading with a humble approach and a deep love for her animals.