It’s another week of The Rundown on The Money Barrel podcast, featuring this week’s most talked about barrel racing scoop and news.
This week we’re starting with an incentive update. Blue Collar Breeders announced changes going into 2026, including a new year-end stallion payout structure that pays the top five based on their highest-earning individual offspring, plus re-entry options for dropped stallions and new enrollment opportunities for futurity-age stallions. Added money levels at OKC and the Fizz Bomb remain strong, and with stallion numbers growing toward 70, payouts are expected to increase even further.
The Breeders Challenge Finale in Fort Worth paid out $1 million and brought the toughest futurity and derby horses in the country to the John Justin Arena. Dusky Lynn Hall had a banner week, winning the Open on KD Baby Driver, qualifying multiple horses back, and adding the Youth Championship on JH Firewater Honor. Kassie Mowry and Force The Goodbye (“Jarvis”) did what they do best, winning the Open Derby Finals for more than $44,000, while Jolene Montgomery and TC Phelan Famous earned the futurity title and $70,400. Steeley Steiner and Get Tha Goody, fresh off their last-chance qualifier, finished reserve in the futurity, and the competition across every division showed just how deep the field was this year.
In North Dakota, the Blitz at Bowman handed out more than $191,000, highlighted by Samantha Flannery winning the Senior Slot Race on Miss Sassy Sue and Sigrid Scheid taking the futurity average with SS Kellie Dancer, a 2020 mare by RR Mistakelly. The weekend also saw strong showings from Hallie Moore on Boons French Stars and Austyn Tobey with JustasIexpectedblack in the Open.
North of the border, Royal Crown Canada at Ponoka showcased some incredible performances. Taylor Cherry and Lynns Honor set an arena record on their way to another futurity championship, adding more than $20,000 to their season total, and paired that with big wins on Frenchmans Extra. Tammy Lee Taylor and TT Frenchs Kona captured the Derby average, while Krystal Grad, Chelsea Milan, and Kirty White also picked up major checks. Cherry’s program alone earned more than $70,000 for the week, underlining how competitive the Canadian stop has become.
On the rodeo trail, the season is almost over, but there’s no shortage of drama. Pendleton was the headline, where Tayla Moeykens and JM PocketsDoubleDash won the average for more than $16,000, pushing her into the projected top 10. Lisa Lockhart and Cutter added another solid showing, and what stood out most was the diversity—every horse in the short round came from a different sire line. Tricia Aldridge and Katelyn Scott made waves as well, finishing first and second at both Abilene and Albuquerque to stay in the hunt.
As it stands, the top 13 riders are over $115,000 in earnings, while the cut line sits around $111,000. That leaves Michelle Alley, sitting 24th with roughly $80,000, as one to watch—especially with big money opportunities at Sioux Falls and Mandan, where a single win can change everything.