2016 BARREL RACING RECORDS Women’s Professional Rodeo Association 431 S. Cascade Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Phone (719) 447-4726 • Fax (719) 447-4631 www.wpra.com the average, I was just so excited to win the fore. average,” she said. “I didn’t even know I’d “He knew just where the first barrel was won the world, but I was excited about keep- and did great each night. He’s definitely one ing up barrels all 10 nights. When I found out in a million.” I won the world, it was incredible. Winning He’s run that pattern 40 times in his life- both is just amazing.” time, so he should know exactly where that Days later, it had yet to sink in. The reality, first barrel is. The key factor was for the cow- though, is it won’t finally hit the young cowgirl girl to stay focused on task while also provid- from Boerne, Texas, until her name is etched on ing the greatest care possible for her talented that gold buckle and it’s in her grasp. mount. “I just try to keep him happy,” duPerier He is Rare indeed said. “Being away from home, he sometimes doesn’t eat very good or doesn’t drink water. I make sure to let him out of his stall so he can roll around and play. I’d put my Back on Track cover on him at night, both the blanket and boots. And I’d also put him on the Thera- Plate; he loves that.” It all worked. Dillion and duPerier staked claim to the most prestigious titles in rodeo in the same season, and she earned the champi- onship over two-time reserve champion Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, S.D., who was $18,787 behind. Rare Dillion carried Callie duPerier to her first world title at her When they placed, duPerier and Dillion first Wrangler NFR. Dillion made his fourth appearance at the comes with the Wrangler NFR. finished more toward the middle of the pack. NFR after having carried Annesa Self and Carlee Pierce to the She was riding with as little risk as possible It paid off for duPerier, who not only won “Super bowl” of rodeo. WPRA photo by Kenneth Springer duPerier the average championship with a 10-run cu- as to not hit any of the barrels. Still, she post- mulative time of 140.41 seconds, but she also ed three sub-14-second times – she was 13.86 placed in six go-rounds. In all, she pocketed seconds on the fifth night to place fifth in the Crowned Rare Dillion is a 16-year-old gelding out of $126,923 during the week and a half in Sin round, then followed that with back-to-back Rare Class and by Firecracker Fire. His ven- City and earned her first Montana Silver- 13.87s to finish second in Round 7 and tie for ture to Las Vegas this past December marked smiths world championship gold buckle. fourth in Round 8. 2015 WPRA the fourth time the talented buckskin has run “I wasn’t real focused on placing in the Lockhart and her great horse, An Oakie inside the Thomas & Mack Center for the rounds,” said duPerier, who earned nearly with Cash, made a run for gold through the Wrangler NFR. Barrel Racing $60,000 by finishing among the top six on six first six nights of the 10-day championship. Over the last eight years, Dillion has quali- nights. “If I won a go-round, that would be Tipped barrels in Rounds 7 and 8 made it a fied to compete in Sin City with three cow- awesome. I was making sure we kept the bar- stretch for Lockhart to win her first world girls – Annesa Self in 2008, Carlee Pierce in Champion rels up. That average was really important.” title. 2011-12 and duPerier this past December. He Behind the gold buckle, the Wrangler NFR Sarah Rose McDonald, who won at least a By Ted Harbin has guided them to nearly $286,000 in earn- allie duPerier had the simplest of game average title is the second-most important share of the title in three go-rounds, finished ings with four go-round wins. plans during the Wrangler National Fi- championship in ProRodeo. Of course, the in a close third place in the year-end stand- His biggest runs, though, came over the nals Rodeo: Leave all three barrels up payout of $67,269 also played an important ings behind Lockhart. She and Fame Fling N C course of 10 days to close out the 2015 sea- in all 10 go-rounds. role in the overall outcome in the race for Bling were consistent until a downed barrel son with duPerier. That’s harder than anyone might imagine, the world championship. There are many in the ninth round dropped them from in the “Dillion is just an amazing horse that is but the 22-year-old cowgirl did it. What is cowgirls who have been part of the Wrangler average-title race; they finished sixth in the very consistent,” she said. “Going into the more impressive is that she did it in her first NFR’s history that have never claimed the aggregate. NFR, it’s always nerve-wracking because of appearance on ProRodeo’s grandest stage aggregate crown. “It was a really cool barrel race to watch,” all the things that are going on. I wasn’t too in the middle of all the bright lights of Las “When I got done (in the 10th round) and duPerier said. “It was really awesome. All the nervous, mainly because he’s been there be- Vegas and the pomp and circumstance that was running to get on the horse for winning girls were amazing all week.” The attention, though, returned to Dillion. him, I know to never give up.” A solid foundation Worth (Texas) Stock Show and Rodeo. He He was one of just four horses to register It’s a sentiment she shares with her entire and Self placed there, and with the earnings, 10 clean runs over the course of the rugged family, including younger sister Lydia, mom the tandem got into RodeoHouston. championship. Cheryl and dad Trip. The latter is a prominent “That little turd will definitely let you “I watched the replays but never added up Hill Country ranch real estate broker who know if he doesn’t like you,” she said. “He the money,” duPerier said. “I just wanted to owns Texas Landmen. In fact, Trip duPerier absolutely loves Callie and Trip. They came go out there and do my job. If I know how was with his daughter through every run in- here and stayed, and it was his first time he much money I have to win or how I have to side the Thomas & Mack Center, guiding her was back in his old pen since I sold him in do, I would worry too much about it. I just and Dillion down the alley. 2011. He rolled and jumped up and bucked wanted to focus on what I was doing and let “It means everything to me,” she said. “My and kicked and carried on. He definitely Dillion do his thing.” dad and I are very close, and Dillion loves my knew where he was.” dad. Having him there with me at the most The last year hasn’t been the best for Self. Family first important part of my life is amazing. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and “Dillion gave me some trouble in the al- had surgery. She’s cancer free now. She also ley, but since my dad was with me, it kept me suffered a broken ankle and lost her step-fa- calm down there.” ther in 2015. When the runs were over, there was plenty Callie duPerier (center) won her first 2015 NFR Average title “With Callie and Dillion doing what they of support in Las Vegas. Besides her immedi- en route to her first WPRA World Championship. Presenting did made this year so much better,” she said. ate family, she also shared the special experi- duPerier with the saddle and buckle were Jackie Ferrando (left) “We texted each other every night. It eases ence with her fiancé, Kaleb Apffel, who pro- from Boyd Gaming and Steve Miller (right) from Montana your pain, her doing what she was doing and posed during the Houston Livestock Show Silversmiths. WPRA photo by Greg Westfall living her dream. She made me feel like I was and Rodeo this past March. out there with her.” “We get married in May,” she said. “We Self made it clear to duPerier that this was met in college. We just started dating and When Annesa Self was a little girl, she her show and that Self enjoyed watching all dated for two and a half years. loved her buckskin, Hank. Even after he died, the action from north Texas. “He’s not a cowboy, but he’s a hunter and she still held a strong fascination with horses “Knowing that I put that kind of love fisher. We get along really good. He also is a of that color. and foundation and try into Dillion for him big supporter. I was away from him a lot this In the early 2000s, she began looking for to keep doing his job like he did for Callie Callie duPerier was surrounded by her family as she collected her year being on the road.” another buckskin on which she could run bar- is awesome,” Self said.