Here’s our bubble report, updated Sunday evening, Sept. 27. Money is counted through the Sioux Falls finals and everything that’s paid. San Bernardino, Tyler and Cumberland haven’t paid yet, and it’s all unofficial until the WPRA posts the final board after Sept. 30.
Okay, we’re going to shoot you straight. Andrea Busby did exactly what she had to do. She won the finals at the Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Jets Top Gun for $34,000, and she moves from No. 19 to No. 14 on our projected world standings.
Makenzie Mayes made the finals too and placed third for $17,000, so it’s LaTricia Duke who drops. Duke is No. 16, $6,473 behind Tricia Aldridge at No. 15.
Table of contents
The top 15
| No. | Rider | Projected |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hayle Gibson-Stillwell | $218,455 |
| 2 | Emily Beisel | $214,122 |
| 3 | Carlee Otero | $202,389 |
| 4 | Kassie Mowry | $170,868 |
| 5 | Hailey Kinsel | $166,081 |
| 6 | Michelle Alley | $165,512 |
| 7 | Tayla Moeykens | $164,788 |
| 8 | Megan McLeod-Sprague | $162,701 |
| 9 | Lisa Lockhart | $160,066 |
| 10 | Sydney Graham | $157,781 |
| 11 | Katelyn Scott | $138,223 |
| 12 | Makenzie Mayes | $135,783 |
| 13 | Kathy Grimes | $135,262 |
| 14 | Andrea Busby | $129,755 |
| 15 | Tricia Aldridge | $128,747 |
| 16 | LaTricia Duke | $122,274 |
| 17 | Summer Kosel | $106,760 |
Busby’s number doesn’t count San Bernardino yet, where she leads at 15.65. She’s in either way.
Can Duke get back in?
Not on our math. She’s fourth at San Bernardino and her run is done, so she can’t move up there. Add that check to a win at Tyler and a win at Cumberland, and she still comes up short of Aldridge.
How the Sioux Falls finals paid
1. Andrea Busby, Jets Top Gun, 14.02, $34,000
2. Emily Beisel, Teasin Dat Guy, 14.04, $26,000
3. Makenzie Mayes, Chicado Moon, 14.18, $17,000
4. Megan McLeod-Sprague, Swoon Ta Be Famous, 14.30, $9,000
Beisel’s check moves her to No. 2 in the world, $4,333 behind Hayle Gibson-Stillwell. Every Sioux Falls time and check is on our Governor’s Cup results page.
When will it be official?
When the WPRA posts the final board after Sept. 30. We’ll have it on our world standings hub, and the full weekly board is on our projected world standings.
How we got here
We’ve been running the numbers on this bubble since Sept. 14. Here’s what each update said at the time and how it played out.
Sept. 14: Number Crunching
What we said: Makenzie Mayes held No. 15 and Austyn Tobey was No. 16, $10,483 from the NFR. No. 8 Tayla Moeykens and up looked safe. Busby held a Playoff Series seat for Sioux Falls. Read the Sept. 14 report.
How it played out: Everybody from No. 8 up stayed in. Mayes finishes No. 12. Tobey finishes outside the top 15, and that Sioux Falls seat is how Busby got in.
Sept. 20: Mandan
What we said: LaTricia Duke held No. 15 at $116,618. A Mandan win didn’t cover anybody’s gap, so the cut would come down to who could get into Sioux Falls. Busby was the furthest back of the chasers at $23,487, but she had the most money in front of her.
How it played out: Mandan didn’t move the cut. Sioux Falls decided it.
Sept. 22 and 23: Final Week Math
What we said: The Sioux Falls field was set, and Busby was the only rider outside the top 15 in it. She needed $21,917. Summer Kosel was No. 16, $9,797 back, but she wasn’t in the Sioux Falls field. Read Final Week Math.
How it played out: Busby won $34,000 in the Sioux Falls finals. Kosel finishes No. 17.
Sept. 26: Saturday
What we said: Busby went 15.65 at San Bernardino to take the lead there. She was No. 19, $23,676 behind Duke at No. 15. Tricia Aldridge could still be bumped if Busby, Duke and Mayes all had big nights.
How it played out: Aldridge placed fourth in Sioux Falls Round 2 for $3,133 and held on at No. 15. Duke won Poway, placed third at Mona and passed Mayes.
Sept. 27: Sunday morning
What we said: Busby needed a first or second in the Sioux Falls finals. If she got it, Mayes decided who went home. If Mayes made the finals too, it was Duke. If she didn’t, it was Mayes.
How it played out: Busby won the finals, Mayes made them and placed third, and Duke drops to No. 16.