Fans learned the name April Black quick, fast and in a hurry in Tunica, Mississippi, when she and Dash Ta Fiesta Dunit changed the leaderboard in Round 1 of the Kinder Cup Barrel Racing Championships Derby and held for the win on February 6, 2025.
When the name April Black was announced inside the Tunica Arena, few heads turned, but when announcer Seth Roy called out a leaderboard change by nearly a full .1 of a second on her way out of the pen, all eyes were on the Louisiana cowgirl.
The next question practically echoed through the stall barns within an hour: Who is April Black?
“I’m a retired high school counselor,” Black said. “I’ve never had the chance to compete full-time around work, but now I can. Last year was the first year I got to train and run futurity horses.”
In year two of her efforts, Black added a line item to her resume when she won $3,035 and Round 1 of the $10,000 added 8-and-under class on the 2020 daughter of HP Dash Ta Fiesta and out of Dunit Rawhides Joy by Dunit Rawhide.
“She’s literally the easiest horse I’ve ever ridden,” Black said. “I knew she’d come in there blazing, and she did. I have been working on my timing at the first and third barrels, but I was talking myself through it the whole time. She was fast, ran straight in between the barrels and she did great.
Black’s raised and trained Dash Ta Fiesta Dunit, but she credits Kenny Jackson for helping start her as a filly.
The duo will return in Tunica, Mississippi, and be ready to run Round 2 on February 7 for a shot at the aggregate Kinder Cup Derby title. To lock it up, she’ll have to fend off recognizable teams Caleb Cline on From Famous to Vegas, Regan Henning on Socks Not Having A Corona and Taylor Carver on Miss Rare Perks with immediate chances to challenge. See full Round 1 results here.
No matter the outcome in Round 2, Black will truly be having a good time at the Good Times Barrel Racing event.
“I still haven’t stopped smiling. I think I embarrassed myself back there because I was just so excited. I never thought we’d be that fast—that mare is barely 14.3 and this race was so tough. But the Bible verse that popped up on my phone was 2 Chronicles 15:7 today, and it said ‘But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.’ I don’t believe that I’ve worked harder than anybody else here, per say, but I wholeheartedly believe God does reward our hard work in His timing.”
April Black
Mare Power: Dunit Rawhides Joy
While it’s becoming increasingly popular and accessible to flush multiple embroys each year out of great mares, partake in ICSI breeding or pick the priciest studs on the market, Black’s budding program is reminiscent of barrel racing’s past with the 2000 model, Dunit Rawhides joy. The recently deceased producer was a 2000 daughter of Dunit Rawhide out of Barb A Cita by Skip N Stage and tops $130,000 in recorded QData earnings from her foals.
“I gave lessons on that mare for years,” Black said. “She showed in the reined cow horse and won a lot before I got her, and she’s given me so much through her babies. She passed on her intelligence and athleticism.
When it came time to pick a stallion for their mare in more recent years, they dialed in on what they wanted, and how to achieve it for their program. HP Dash Ta Fiesta was the perfect pick.
See HP Dash Ta Fiesta’s QStallions report here.
“My brother is the one who found him initially,” Black said. “But we liked everything about him. I love Fire Water Flit, and we are big believers in mare power, so I love that he’s out of Firewater Fiesta. He’s a great Dash Ta Fame son, and honestly, the price was right. He was young back then and he was affordable, so we took a chance.”
- Prior to Kinder’s kicoff, Dash Ta Fiesta Dunit posted $34,696 in recorded QData Earnings
- Kanely Cooper owns the 2016 gelding Red Native Dunit, the first foal out of Dunit Rawhides Joy by Reds Western Native, and the gelding boasts $43,038 in lifetime earnings.
- Cooper is also the owner of Dash Ta Fiesta Dunit’s full sibling, a former OKC Rookie Futurity champion.
- Allison Black owns the Reds Western Native 2009 gelding, Chips Native Dunit, who’s earned $26,340 in trackable earnings.
- Kayla Tice has gone to find rodeo success aboard her regional standout by Joshs Lil Win To Win, AJS Lil Dunnit Star, known as “Star.”
See Dunit Rawhide Joy’s full QData progeny report here.
- Ashley Schafer and HP Hotrod Add Kinder Cup Slot Race Title and $22K to 4-Year-Old Stallion’s Resume
Stay tuned for more barrel racing results and stories from Kinder Cup Barrel Racing Championships 2025 all week long.
