NFR Interviews & Rundowns W

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Thanksgiving Classic, San Antonio, TX, pg 40
• Barrel Bash, Pawhuska, OK, pg 44
• CBT Christmas Cash, Amarillo, TX, pg 46
• BRAT Race #5, Alvarado, TX, pg 47
• Fiddlers Turkey Run, Jacksonville, FL, pg 48
• WWP Day After Thanksgiving, Decatur, TX, pg 51

DECEMBER 1, 2020 // Volume 14: Issue 47

Published Weekly, online at www.BarrelRacingReport.com - Since 2007

NFR Interviews
& Rundowns w/ the TOP 15!

2020 TOP 15

- Courtesy of www.wpra.com

1 Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi

2 Hailey Kinsel

3 Dona Kay Rule

4 Jimmie Smith

5 Tiany Schuster

6 Jill Wilson

7 Shelley Morgan

8 Stevi Hillman

9 Jessica Routier
$86,724.83 41

$78,460.86 39

$67,453.54 42

$65,022.06 52

$55,060.38 65

$53,370.97 32

$53,074.95 46

$52,388.69 47

$51,370.93 41

FIDDLERS TURKEY RUN

Jacksonville, FL

— page 48

10 Cheyenne Wimberley $47,039.30 61

11 Ryann Pedone

12 Emily Miller

$42,580.60 65

$42,388.19 45

$40,904.14 44

$39,953.14 21

$39,565.33 81
13 Lisa Lockhart

14 Wenda Johnson

15 Brittney Barnett

www.BarrelRacingReport.com

phot

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annah M

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2020 NFR Heads to Texas...Are You Ready?

Its finally here, it’s finally here!! After a crazy 2020, we all are ready to settle in and watch 10 great rounds of barrel racing!! Nothing about 2020 has been normal…and rodeo in 2020 was definitely not normal either. After a blazing start to the year, Covid 19 shut down rodeo in the middle of Rodeo Houston in March and there wasn’t another rodeo until the last week of May. Then, when rodeos did start back up, many were cancelled for 2020 which left fewer rodeos in fewer locations for contestants to enter. The rodeos forging forward saw

#2 Hailey Kinsel, $78,461, 39 rodeos, 4 NFRs

Another year, another year with Hailey Kinsel right at the top of the pack. Kinsel has a fleet of horses coming to the NFR, but all eyes will be on Dm Sissy Hayday (Sister) and Kinsel. They have cruised to the last 2 world titles and along the way have won on every setup that a rodeo committee can come up with. Sister is now over $1.7 million in earnings and closing in on being the highest earning barrel horse of all time. This year at Dodge City, KS they set the PRCA/WPRA rodeo record on a standard pattern, runrecord numbers and the competition for those checks out there was ning a 16.63 on the bottom of the ground. Like the last 3 yrs at the stiff! Between the tough competition for 2020 along with the extra driving to make all the available rodeos, those who qualified for the 2020 NFR definitely ran the gauntlet. Although tough on the contestants, the fans across the country had the opportunity to see the best in the world at their hometown rodeo! After several years of record amounts needed to qualify for the NFR in Barrel Racing, the 2020 Earnings look like those from 10-15 years ago. Brittney Barnett earned the #15 spot with $39,565 earned. With the Covid restristions in Nevada, the NFR was moved out of Las Vegas for the first time since it went there in 1985 and headed to Texas and Globe Life Field in Arlington. The show must go on, but the payout will be a little less than in recent years. The total Wrangler NFR payoff will be $6 million instead of the $10 million of recent years. This means the go rounds will pay $15,738 for the win and the average will pay $40,362 (could increase if prize money increases); however the Championship points, which count towards the World Standings, will be the same as in the past years; $26,231 for a go round win and $67,269 to win the average. All in all, everyone involved in rodeo in 2020 is just thankful for the opportunity to hold the 2020 NFR and on top of that, have it in a really cool place like Globe Life Field. The NFR being there added another wrinkle, running a standard pattern at the NFR! It is going to be a blast to see all these great horses run a big pattern similar to what they do all summer at the classic outdoor rodeos. With the standard pattern are we going to see more horse switching? How will all the horses handle the wide open spaces of the 1st and 2nd barrels? It is going to be must see TV! Make sure you have the The Cowboy Channel, RFDTV or the Cowboy Channel Plus app! All the action is there!
NFR, Kinsel & Sister will be the team to watch and could easily grab a 3rd world title by the end of the ten rounds.

#3 Dona Kay Rule, $67,454, 43 rodeos, 2 NFRs

The team of Rule and her speedy sorrel, High Valor, have become fan favorites over the last couple years. The smooth communication between Rule & Valor allows them to adapt to any set up. Valor, by Valiant Hero, is of course bred to be a top race horse, so the standard pattern will be no problem for these two. It will be fun to watch this team at Globe Life. If they get on a roll they are going to push Tonozzi and Kinsel for the world title!

#4 Jimmie Smith, $65,022, 54 rodeos, 1 NFR

Jimmie Smith comes to her ﬁrst NFR with a horse she has been running for several years, Lena On The Rocks. She had a great winter before the Covid shutdown, so she was able to keep Lena fresh throughout most of 2020 and comes to the NFR fresh and ready for 10 rounds. Although Smith is competing in her ﬁrst NFR, she has competed at all the big rodeos across the country, knows her horse really well, and thrived in the building environment over the winter. She is also an experienced breakaway roper; so her wide experience competing should help her take the Globe Life Field NFR and standard pattern in stride.

#5 Tiany Schuster, $55,060, 66 rodeos, 2 NFRs

Schuster comes in to the 2020 NFR with 4 horses, Show Mance, Famous Mic Guy Ver, Marysmoonshinebandit, and Version Six, that could all be the #1 mount on a standard pattern. She will start on Show Mance, a high octane proven horse who she rode to her 2017 NFR Qualification when she set the new WPRA regular season earnings record of $250,378. Show Mance set an arena record in Jerome, ID this summer on a big outdoor pattern, so he should love the standard. All 4 horses she knows well and they are all very fit and ready, so look for her to move up the standings.
We want to take this chance to thank these Top 15 barrel racers for always taking time from their so, so busy schedule to get back to us throughout the year. We really appreciated all their time and effort. They should all be commended for their fortitude and determination to get qualified for the 2020 NFR! As in past years we thought we would include a few notes and insights into each of the Top 15!

#6 Jill Wilson, $53,371, 35 rodeos, 1 NFR

Over the last several years as we edited results, the names Jill Wilson and Lean Mean Blue Dean popped up over and over. It was only a matter of time until they went to a few more rodeos and hit a lick. They won Oakley City, UT and Big Ford over the summer and were the high money winners at the big outdoor rodeos over the 4th of July. Her big grey gelding is really deceiving, he will look like he is just loping around and then… boom to the lead!

#1 Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi, $86,725, 41 rodeos, 14 NFRs

The veteran competitor Tonozzi comes into the 2020 NFR with three really fast home raised horses, Kisskiss Bangbang, Ima Famous Babe, and Babe On The Chase. All 3 of her horses contributed to her #1 position throughout the year. The standard pattern ﬁts her horses perfectly; Kisskiss Bangbang in fact set the North American record on a standard with a 16.4. With the new NFR setup, her vast experience is sure to come in handy! She has been winning along all fall with her crew and with a good week Tonozzi could cruise to her 3rd World Title.

#7 Shelley Morgan, $53,075, 49 rodeos, 2 NFRs

Morgan and her big strided mare HR Fameskissandtell placed consistently all summer long on those big summer setups. The 1st and 2nd barrels way off the fence in the Globe Life NFR arena won’t be a problem for this team. Morgan has just brought this mare along slowly over the last couple years to prepare her for

NFR 2020 Continued on Page 6

NFR News.......NFR NEWS......NFR news......NFR News......NFR News...

Cowboy Channel to Broadcast 10+ Hours Daily From 2020 NFR

2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Barrel Racing Records

*Information courtesy of the 2020 WPRA Media Guide

Wrangler NFR Payoﬀ minimum total: $6 million Guaranteed prize money: $720,000

The Cowboy Channel, which is the official network of ProRodeo and the first 24-hour television network totally dedicated to western sports and the western lifestyle, officially announced today the broadcast schedule and talent reporting for its first live broadcast of the most coveted rodeo, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, December 3-12, 2020. For 10 nights, the NFR will showcase 10 rounds of professional rodeo competition where the top 15 cowboys and cowgirls in each event compete for a world championship.

Competition prize money: $5,280,000 Each of the 10 Full Go-Rounds: $50,769.23 each

1) $15,738.46 2) $12,438.46 3) $9,392.31 4) $6,600.00 5) $4,061.54 6) $2,538.46

Average Payout: $152,307.69

1) $40,361.54 2) $32,746.15 3) $25,892.31
“We have an incredible lineup of television hosts who will be covering some of the

most iconic events and athletes for 10 days straight, and we have a few more surprises in the works,”said Raquel Gottsch, The Cowboy Channel CEO. “If you’ve never seen a rodeo before on television, you don’t want to miss out on this sold-out championship event. We are taking our broadcast technology and reporting to the next level to showcase the best of rural America, the western lifestyle and rodeo fans.”
“This NFR has a level of excitement that I have never seen before,”said Jeff Medders, main television host of the Wrangler NFR and The Cowboy Channel GM/President. “I think fans are excited for the Texas experience, but the wall-to-wall coverage planned on The Cowboy Channel is a complete game-changer! Even though this is the first time the NFR has been on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV, we will have a strong and familiar talent lineup. Butch Knowles, Joe Beaver, Luke Branquinho, Don Gay and myself have a few NFRs under our belts. This will be a great blend of old and new.” The Cowboy Channel, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and Rural Media Group (RMG) announced earlier this year a multi-year agreement which had the NFR move to The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV beginning in 2020. The Cowboy Channel NFR broadcast also will air on RFD-TV and Rural Radio. The simulcast will showcase new technological advances such as 4K, Sky Cam footage, 360 Degree cameras and Ghost cams to not miss one single second of the action. In addition to The Cowboy Channel’s television network, the coverage will also be available for live streaming + on demand in three languages – English, Spanish and Portuguese – on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel+ app for $99.99 for the 10 days at www. cowboychannelplus.com. The mobile app will offer up-to-the minute scoring, news, highlight clips, standings, trivia, interactive games and more.
4) $19,308.46 5) $13,707.69 6) $9,900.00 7) $6,853.85 8) $3,807.69 Regardless how much money the monetary payoff actually is, Contestants will be awarded Championship points that will count towards WPRA World Standings in an amount equal to the championship points that were awarded at the 2019 Wrangler NFR, as set forth below: Points for each of the 10 Full Go-Rounds: $84,615.38 each 1ST $26,230.77; 2ND $20,730.77; 3RD $15,653.85; 4TH $11,000.00; 5TH $6,769.23; 6TH $4,230.77 Average Payout: $253,846.15 1ST $67,269.23; 2ND $54,576.92; 3RD $43,153.85; 4TH $31,730.77; 5TH $22,846.15; 6TH $16,500.00; 7TH $11,423.08; 8TH $6,346.15

Wrangler NFR Records

Earnings: $189,385, Hailey Kinsel, 2017 Fastest times: 13.11 seconds, Hailey Kinsel, 2017 – Thomas & Mack 137.32 seconds on 10 runs, Nellie Miller, 2017 – Thomas & Mack

Regular season earnings (prior to the Wrangler NFR)

$250,378, Tiany Schuster, 2017

Qualiﬁcations:

19 - Charmayne James, 1984-2002; 19 - Sherry Cervi, 1994-2001, 2003, 2005-06, 2009-16; 14 - Lisa Lockhart, 2007-2020; 14 -Brittany Pozzi – Tonozzi, 2003, 2005-13, 2017-20; 12 – Mildred Farris, 1959-70; 12 – Sherry Johnson – 1959-68, 1970, 1991; 12 – Kay Blandford, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1993, 1995-97, 1999-2002

Placed in 10 Consecutive Rounds at NFR:
2020 NFR BROADCAST LINEUP

2:00pm-3:00pm ET: Outside the Barrel; Host: Flint Rasmussen 3:00pm-6:00pm ET: NFR Tailgate Party

Colette Graves Baier, 1974; Lynn McKenzie, 1978; Charmayne James, 1986; Kristie Peterson, 1996-97; Sherry Cervi, 2013

WPRA Career Earnings Leaders (Through 2020 regular season)

1 Sherry Cervi, $3,342,661; 2 Lisa Lockhart, $2,717,315; 3 Brittany Pozzi, $2,454,801

Highest Single-Year Earnings

3-hour daily broadcast during the 10 days of NFR live from the lawn of The Cowboy Channel headquarters in the Fort Worth Stockyards, where cowboy hosts and guest analysts will talk rodeo, western fashion, outdoor cooking, country music and more.

6:00pm ET-7:00pm ET: Western Sports Round-Up

$350,700 by Hailey Kinsel, 2018 $323,570 by Lindsay Sears, 2008
Hosts: Steve Kenyon, Amy Wilson, Janie Johnson
$308,498 by Nellie Miller, 2017

7:00pm ET-7:45pm ET: NFR Pre-Show
Most Money Won, Rookie Year

Hosts: Justin McKee and soon to be announced
$164,780 by Jackie Ganter, 2015
Red Carpet Correspondent: Kirbe Schnoor
$164,484 by Taylor Jacob, 2013

7:45pm ET-10:30pm ET: Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

Host: Jeﬀ Medders; Sideline Reporters: Amy Wilson, Janie Johnson Statistics: Steve Kenyon; Analysts: Butch Knowles (Lead Analyst), Joe Beaver (TieDown Roping, Team Roping), Luke Branquinho (Steer Wrestling), Don Gay (Bull Riding)

10:30pm ET-11:00pm ET NFR Post-Show; Host: Justin McKee 11:00pm ET-12:30am ET NFR Buckle Presentation; Host: Flint Rasmussen
Purina Horses of the Year Presented by AQHA

1) High Valor (Valor), rider/owner Dona Kay Rule 2) Bidden On Fame (Beau), rider/owner Emily Miller-Beisel 3) Lean Mean Blue Dean (Blue Dean), rider/owner Jill Wilson

2020 WPRA Rookie of the Year: Paige Jones

The Barrel Racing Report is emailed weekly, every Tuesday night, 52 weeks per year by Tracy and Dusti Swan, Hubbard, TX. The information enclosed in this issue is courtesy of the Barrel Racing Report. If you reprint any of the following information verbatim, or if you read it verbatim on a radio or television broadcast, please mention that the information is courtesy of the Barrel Racing Report.

If an article is authored please contact us before using the information.

All results have been approved by event producers or association personnel.
All breeding information is provided via AQHA and/or APHA and is approved content. The information provided in the Barrel Racing Report is believed to be accurate.
The Barrel Racing Report will not be responsible for mistakes. However, we would like to correct any that we may have. Please give us a call or email us at [email protected].

Tracy & Dusti Swan • Hubbard,TX

254.592.6406 (Tracy) [email protected]
Subscriptions: www.BarrelRacingReport.com

BARREL RACING REPORT

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just this situation. It’s close to home for Morgan and she will take advantage and win through all 10 rounds. time win at the Tour Finale in Rapid City, SD to qualify for the 2020 NFR on the very last weekend of rodeos for the 2020 season. Although Stinger is injured and will sit out the 2020 NFR, Pedone comes loaded with 3 talented horses, French Zone, HP Dash Ta Fiesta, and Js Milo And Stitch. French Zone set an arena record in Sikeston, MO and is winning form recently; HP Dash Ta Fiesta recently won the Northside rodeo and JS Milo And Stitch recently won the High Roller Race at the BFA. She is a veteran competitor in the futurity world and with the talented horses she has she should make some noise!

#8 Stevi Hillman, $52,389, 49 rodeos, 5 NFRs

Hillman throughout her 5 NFR years has relied heavily on Cuartro Fame (Truck) over the summer at those bigger summer rodeos to push her up the standings. This more wide open set up at Globe Life Field is quite similar to the set up right across the street at AT&T Stadium where this pair won the 2020 The American right before the shutdown. Recently, her main backup MCM Imasharpguy and Truck ran 1-2 at a jackpot on a standard pattern. Her team is ready for a big 10 days!

#12 Emily Miller-Beisel, $42,388, 47 rodeos, 2 NFRs

Beisel and her team of horses just kept getting stronger all summer long. Her young horse Biddin On Fame (Beau) really came on over the summer and he will be teamed up with Namgis D 33 (Chongo). Chongo was on ﬁre at the 2019 NFR in Vegas but also has proven to run well in big set ups too. With the world championship being decided by the points; the $26k per round win and $67k for the average win will allow any of the Top 15 to make a run at the world title; so look out for Beisel and her team.

#9 Jessica Routier, $51,371, 42 rodeos, 3 NFRs

Routier and her amazing palomino mare, Fiery Miss West (Missy) are prepared and ready for their 3rd straight NFR. Riding through the pastures of South Dakota is a great way to get some air in one! Routier knows how to have this mare ready for those bigger patterns when she leaves home, as she is very selective how many rodeos she goes to all year. This team should be one to look out for in the average as well as the rounds!

#13 Lisa Lockhart, $40,904, 46 rodeos, 14 NFRs
#10 Cheyenne Wimberley, $47,039, 65 rodeos, 4 NFRs

Wimberley is coming into her 4th NFR and second in a row. She is another one who won along all summer long and is yet another barrel racer with an amazing team of horses. She plans to start out on former Old Fort Days Futurity Champion, Kn Fabs Mist Of Fame (Misty) and also use Dash Ta Suz who has been a big part of her last two NFR Qualiﬁcations. Misty is a full sister to JLo (Kn Fabs Gift Of Fame) who has dominated recent NFRs and Misty really loves a big open pattern so this could be a team to watch in those go rounds!
Lockhart comes to Arlington with two pretty famous mare; Rosas Cantina CC (Rosa) and Tres Movidas (Vida). Both of them love big patterns; Rosa has won Calgary and Vida recently won both rounds and the average of the Pink Buckle with Hallie Hanssen. Lockhart is a veteran competitor ($2.7 million in career earnings) and will know how to have her horses just right for this Globe Life NFR setup. Both these mares could win rounds and push Lockhart right to the top of the standings….

#14 Wenda Johnson, $39,953, 24 rodeos, 1 NFR

With only 24 rodeos, Johnson made the most of the rodeos she went to. She plans to start on one of her high octane First Moon-

NFR 2020 Continued on Page 9

#11 Ryann Pedone, $42,581, 70 rodeos, 1 NFR

Pedone and her main mount for 2020, Feel The Sting had a big

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ﬂash team, Macgyver Moonﬂash. He is bred to run 440s for big money in Ruidoso so the standard pattern isn’t going to bother him. He is a 1st place type of horse and if he gets tapped off there, they will be an exciting team to watch. She also has Sr Industry Tital and Dreams First Flash to back up Mac if they are needed.

Dash For Cash
First Down Dash

si 114 si 105

First Prize Rose

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Dash Ta Fame

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Tinys Gay

#15 Brittney Barnett, $39,565, 84 rodeos, 1 NFR

Sudden Fame

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If you caught the rodeos on the Cowboy Channel through the year, you couldn’t miss this team of Barnett with the little Paint (Chicks Keen O Pocopoo). The wild colored sorrel and white paint and Barnett give it their all every time they run through those gates. That try and grit got them into the 15th position and they are sure to bring that to Globe Life. They won’t miss a barrel and they will put up a good time and the others are going to have to come try to outrun them every night. They will be another exciting team to watch. All these girls have worked so hard all year to get here and each one of them have assembled an awesome set of horse to run at Globe Life. We wish all of you the best of luck! May you all have 10 fast, safe runs and see where the chips fall!

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Bar Dearie

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KissKiss BangBang

2010 Sorrel Mare

Flit Bar
Dr Nick Bar

CD Nick Bar
Este Tag Pass ‘em Up
Pass Em Susie

tb si 83

This year the standings are so close, it really will come down to who has the best NFR; so let’s sit back, watch and enjoy a little bit of normalcy in a far from normal year!

Fur Stole

Rider/Breeder: Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi; Owner: Garrett & Brittany Tonozzi