Randy Spraggins must have had the dirt just right for Round 5 of the NFR 2024 barrel racing because Kassie Mowry had to claw her way to a second consecutive round win on Force The Goodbye, better known as “Jarvis,” in 13.43 seconds with a pack of sharks circling behind her in the NFR timesheet.

The times stacked behind Mowry, with Carlee Otero’s 13.51 pulling second. Hailey Kinsel’s 13.59 was good for sixth in the round—Just .15 separating her from No. 1 in the round of 15 clean runs.

“I think he tripped a little going into the (first barrel) turn, but he recovered really quick,” Mowry said. I don’t even know if you could see it from the video. He ran right up in the hole his second and third and just smoked them, he just kept his forward momentum. I felt like he was running as hard as he needed to out of the pen, I didn’t even pick up my whip. He was trying so hard.”

Mowry also noted that at the time of rushing to the media room for interviews, she’d barely had the chance to watch her run—just watching a partial on the jumbotron replay, so she was doing her best to recollect the blur of the competition while being asked about it by multiple reporters. For the Dublin, Texas, cowgirl who spends most of her days relatively alone and training horses at home, the rush of NFR attention can be overwhelming. It’s something that contestants, no matter their affinity for the spotlight face when they’re on top at the “Super Bowl of Rodeo.”

• Roll Coll: The Complete List of Horses Headed to NFR 2024
• She’s Feelin’ 22: Hailey Kinsel and DM Sissy Hayday Kick off NFR 2024 With Round Win No. 22

“I’ve been getting some rest out here, actually,” Mowry said. “But this is stressful for me. The media, being around a lot of people. I’m an introvert, I guess, so it’s hard for me to be out there for this long and with people. But, I took a 20-minute nap before grand entry.”

Where Mowry is comfortable, however, is in the quiet morning practices happening every other day between rounds. It’s just the barrel racers and helpers, their horses and WPRA staff in those early sessions. (Well, and sometimes our BarrelRacing.com crew sitting on the bucking chutes taking notes, too.)

Skipping back to the first few rounds, Jarvis found himself just a touch too excited to run in front of the packed Thomas & Mack building.

“He ‘s so powerful, but he’s also smooth,” Mowry said. “Just, so smooth through the turns. But the first few rounds—you know those PEZ dispensers, how the top flips back when you open it? That’s how my head felt like it snapped back when he leaped and took off in the alley…with my head rocked back and I’m just looking at the ceiling in there.”

Committed to making adjustments as much as she can, Mowry has utilized every practice offered to at minimum, walk or trot through the pattern to help Jarvis stay comfortable and focused. Between her round wins, Mowry worked on Jarvis by stopping him in the alley and letting him relax to keep him on the right track.

It paid off, because the gelding patiently waited for Mowry’s subtle cue before rocketing into the pen for Round 5.

“I’m proud of him for that because I know when he walks in that gate, he really wants to go,” Mowry said.

Hear about Mowry’s start in barrel racing, her technical analysis and a full round recap on this episode with the full post-run interview on The Money Barrel podcast.