Lisa Lockhart and Levee came out on top of a tough night of barrel racing at the Thomas & Mack with the fastest time clocked over three rounds in 2023, a 13.51 aboard Promise Me Fame Guys.

If fans thought Round 2 was impressive, Round 3 delivered an extra dose of excitement from start to finish. Lockhart was No. 1 on the ground and left the rest of the pack chasing her on Levee, leaving with $30,706.41 on the evening. Kassie Mowry jockeyed CP He Will Be Epic, “Will,” to a second-place 13.56 and $24,267.97 in earnings, while Sue Smith delivered with a smooth run on young Diamond Center to earn $18,324.97 for a third-place 13.66.

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“It was kind of a blur,” Lockhart, a WPRA Gold Card holder said. “Being first, everything’s just happening. The stagecoach is coming out, flag girls are running out. I feel like that whole thing is just out of the norm, being first at (the NFR). I just wanted to try to capitalize on it, but not put too much pressure on myself to do so. (Levee) just felt so effortless and flawless.”

Lockhart’s run kicked off with an expert approach just to the inside of the third barrel line on the way to Levee’s left first barrel.

“Levee makes my job easy,” Lockhart said. “Louie made my job easy. I’ve ridden some that didn’t make my job as easy, but it’s all about going fast, utilizing their style and making it as efficient as you can. Efficiency is important for Levee. I don’t know, it just works. And we’ve worked on it a lot and made a pretty good team.”

With the $10,000 guarantee, $18,324.97 third-place finish in Round 2 and round win, Lockhart’s total NFR earnings aboard Levee are at $59,030.41 in three days.

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