On Thursday, Sept. 26, 10 barrel racers will duke it out in Round 1 for their share of $144,444.44 in added money at the second Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, and some will make or break their 2024 season in three short days.
Table of contents
Playoff Series Finale Barrel Racing format and payout
- It Ain’t Over: Sioux Falls Qualifiers Threaten to Upset NFR Race
- NFR 2024: Who’s Safe, Who’s on the Bubble and Who’s Still Got a Chance?
Thursday and Friday will hold a full two rounds of all 12 barrel racers. Each long round will pay as follows:
1st Place $11,000
2nd Place $ 8,250
3rd Place $5,500
4th Place $2,750
On Saturday, Sept. 28, the top eight athletes on two runs will advance to the Semifinals. Here’s what No. 5-8 will take home overall.
5th Place $3,611
6th Place $3,611
7th Place $3,611
8th Place $3,611
The top four from the Semifinals will return to the arena for a four-man shootout. In the clean slate round, the final four will compete for the following money, and the fastest will be crowned the 2024 Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup Champion
1st Place $30,000
2nd Place $22,500
3rd Place $15,000
4th Place $ 7,500
The Roster:
(Listed in Round 1 running order)
Jordon Briggs
One of the storylines of the 2024 season is 2021 World Champion duo Jordon Briggs and Famous Lil Jet’s return to the spotlight after “Rollo,” sustained an injury that left him out for all of Winter and Spring. His first dollar on the year hit the books in late June, and Briggs began working her way up from No. 248 in the world to her currently position of No. 18 behind Paige Jones and Tayla Moeykens, both of whom will be absent from Sioux Falls. Briggs picked her 43 rodeos carefully during the season, and she’ll be looking to make a triumphant return to the Thomas & Mack for the fourth straight season, and fifth lifetime trip.
Dona Kay Rule
One of rodeo crowds’ favorite teams is undoubtedly Dona Kay Rule and her two-time Horse of the year, High Valor, or “Valor.” After going out on injury in 2023, the grandmother isn’t letting her NFR hopes slip away in ’24. Rule is nearly considered safe at No. 9 in the world and over $115K in earnings, but Valor has the consistency needed to excel in a setup like Sioux Falls and give her a shot at No. 1.
Andrea Busby
After multiple years at the helm of Busby Quarter Horses, Mountain States Circuit Champion Andrea Busby is looking for her first NFR qualification and has been burning up rubber over the past few weeks, taking advantage of her stored up rodeos at the tail end of the year to hold onto No. 12 with $109,857 going into the weekend. She’ll be astride the 2022 Cheyenne Frontier Days Champion, Blazing With My Dude, “Tito.”
LaTricia Duke
A longtime respected name on the back of futurity horses, Duke has returned to the ProRodeo trail aboard the stallion DM High Roller, “Vanilla Wafer.” Duke and Vanilla Wafer came on strong at the tail end of the season to fight their way up the standings and land at No. 14 as the final weekend of ProRodeo commences with $104,015. Clutch placings and wins at rodeos like Puyallup, Pendleton, Abilene and Alburquerque and Omaha helped Duke gain the necessary Playoff Points and dollar earnings to keep her dreams at her first NFR qualification alive.
Wenda Johnson
Johnson and Steal Money, “Mo,” have been rock solid all 2024 long. They’ve chipped away at over $117K across 57 rodeos, and the NFR round winners aren’t looking to slow down anytime soon.
Kassie Mowry
Kassie Mowry and Force The Goodbye have made their mark on the 2024 season and enter Sioux Falls No. 4 in the world with over $151K on just 26 rodeos. Mowry and “Jarvis,” will be an anticipated team to watch as the World Championship race drama plays out.
Emily Beisel
The returning champion of the 2023 Governor’s Cup, Emily Beisel will be back aboard Ivory On Fire, or “Liza.” Beisel is already locked in for her NFR qualification, but at No. 3 and just $40,000 behind leader Leslie Smalygo, Beisel will be hungry to capitalize on the increased added money and clean sweep to upset Smalygo from the position she’s held all summer.
Hailey Kinsel
The four-time World Champion is back in familiar territory in 2024 aboard DM Sissy Hayday. At No. 2 in the standings, $32,000 on the books would help her upset Smalygo at No. 1. “Sister,” is back after her usual late summer break from the road and is coming off a third-place finish at the inaugural Mandan Roughrider Cup.
Shelley Morgan
Shelley Morgan is coming at No. 15 in the WPRA World Standings with just $500 separating her from No. 16 cowgirl, Tayla Moeykens. Morgan, a past NFR barrel racing aggregate champion will be aboard her main red mare, HR Fameskissandtell “Kiss.”
Chelsea Moore
Underdog Chelsea Moore has had a storied season aboard her main gelding, “Woodrow.” Kansas’ Moore earned her Sioux Falls position by qualifying through to the final four shootout in Puyallup, and at No. 30 in the World, one might assume that Moore is outside of the realm of NFR reality. Guess again. If Moore has a perfect Sioux Falls, her maximum earnings are at $51,000. Added to her current $61,413, the totaled $110K could put her inside the NFR cut line when the dust settles. She’s pulling out her 5-year-old standout futurity and derby horse, JD Jackson Kandyman, or “Jackson,” for Sioux Falls.
Halyn Lide
Lide will be another cowgirl looking to defend her position inside the top 15 in the world aboard
Ashley Castleberry
In 2023, Castleberry entered Sioux Falls looking for a Hail Mary to move herself inside the top 15 in the standings, but fell short by a nose. In 2024, she and Skyy Blue have already secured their first NFR trip with $139,484 on the year and a Puyallup Cinch Playoffs title. At No. 5 in the world, Castleberry isn’t completely out of the World Championship conversation as NFR 2024 approaches thanks to the money on the line at Sioux Falls.
The Results:
Get the full nightly play-by-play and full round results here.
