Collier Cashes in at All American Finals by Hope Raley Hereford, Texas Barrel Racer Kellie Collier Has Had a Year for the Asy Ix Books
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OCTOBER 17, 2017 Volume 11: Issue 42 In this issue... • AQHA/WPRA Horse of the Year, pg 2 • CA Circuit Finals, Pro Rodeos, pg 8 • McMinn Memorial, pg 15 • 3-Can Run & Western States, pg 23 • Barrel Bash & MVP Futurity, pg 32 fast horses, fast news • NWBRA Finals, pg 35 Published Weekly Online at www.BarrelRacingReport.com - Since 2007 Collier Cashes in at All American Finals By Hope Raley Hereford, Texas barrel racer Kellie Collier has had a year for the ASY IX books. After she sealed up her first WNFR qualification, she kept TREAKIN IX E S S S SI 97 that ball rolling winning the All American Pro Rodeo Series Finals SI 104 held this past week in Waco, Texas. MISS ASSURED A STREAK OF FLING The All American Pro Rodeo Series is built on the smaller season SI 95 SI 98 pro rodeos. Pro rodeos that add less than $30,000 in total prize FAST FLING money make up the series, and when rodeo contestants earn money MOON FLING SI 98 at those elected rodeos and finish the year in the top 30 in the All SI 102 American Pro Rodeo Series standings, they punch themselves a MOON BEAM LADY ticket to the finals. The top 30 must have competed in at least 30 STREAKIN EASY APRIL rodeos to get an invite to the finals which are held during the Heart 2008 SORREL MARE O’ Texas Fair and Rodeo in Waco. DOC O’LENA Collier, who didn’t start out the year with plans of trying to qualify for the finals, piloted her trusty mount Streakin Easy April DOC O DYNAMITE ‘LoLo’ to the victory at the Extraco Events Center. GAY BAR DIXIE Streakin Easy April is a 9-year-old daughter of A Streak Of Fling EASY APRIL LENA and out the Doc O Dynamite mare that stamps her offspring with a EASY MOVE passion for barrels, Easy April Lena. EASY APRIL BAR SI 110 “Qualifying for the All-American Finals wasn’t a huge goal of mine, but Ann Thompson, who enters me, convinced me that I APRIL SAL BAR needed to make it a priority,” Collier said. “I am so thankful for her RIdeR: KELLIE COLLIER; OWNER: KATHLeeN COLLIER; BReedeR: FULTON PERFORMANCE HORSES and her continued advice and guidance.” With the smaller rodeos being a little less stressful for Collier who was trying to clench a spot in the year end top 15, she loved the concept behind the All American Pro Rodeo Series. THE RUNDOWN w/Kellie Collier “I think it is a terrific opportunity to make a great year-end finals Streakin Easy April “LoLo” and get to run at some really good money!” BIT: Carolina Bit three piece Preparing for her runs in Waco, Collier just focused on keeping SADDLE: Tamy Fischer Treeless ‘LoLo’ fit and in shape. Collier describes ‘LoLo’ as a very quirky SADDLE PAD: CSI Saddle Pad mare and says that their bond is truly inseparable. LEG GEAR: Professional’s Choice splint boots on front and “I don’t normally work ‘LoLo’ on the barrels because she runs polo wraps on hind harder when she has not been worked and drilled on the pattern. I FEED: Purina Ultium Performance do a lot of long trotting and occasionally breeze them.” HAY: Alfalfa In the first round in her bracket, Collier posted a 16.00 which was SUPLEMENTS: MVP Supplements, BioMane good enough for second behind other Texas cowgirl Kelly Bruner ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES: Chiropractor, PEMF Machine and who won the round with a 15.96. stretching exercises “LoLo felt fantastic in the first round and I was anxious to see SPONSORS: Top Of Texas, MVP Supplements, CSI Saddle Pads, what we could accomplish in the second round,” explained Collier. Professional’s Choice, BioMane, Asco, Tireworks, Mobile Improving their time by almost a full tenth-of-a-second, Collier and Veterinary Practice, M Sport 6, Rock N Roll Cowgirl ‘LoLo’ stopped the clock in 15.93-seconds in the second round in their bracket which finished 4th in the round and got them a spot in heart.” the semi-finals. With another consistent run of 15.97 in the semi-finals, Collier “I couldn’t have asked for two better runs than what LoLo gave was locked into the final round. me. She truly loves her job and you can see it with her grit and All American Finals Continued on Page 5 Nellie Miller’s Homebred Rafter W Minnie Reba Voted AQHA/WPRA Horse Of The Year By Tanya Randall The pint-size, roan powerhouse Rafter W Minnie Reba (“Sister”) was IRST OWN ASH voted the 2017 AQHA / WPRA Horse Of The Year by the Top 25 ASH A AME F D D D T F SI 105 members in the WPRA. Bred, raised and trained by the Williams family SI 113 of Cottonwood, Calif., Sister earned Nellie Miller her second trip to the SUDDEN FAME Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. KS CASH N FAME SI 98 “I just want to thank my family,” said Miller, who is sponsored by EASY JET Wrangler, Professional’s Choice, Total Equine, Oxy-Gen, Corral Boots EASY CHARETT SI 100 and Haleakala Walnut. “My dad really played a part in making that SI 99 horse as good as she is. He deserves a lot of the credit. It took her a MIZ DISCO CHICK whole team to get her down the road this year. It’s rewarding for us as a RAFTER W MINNE REBA SI 91 family to get that award.” 2008 BLUE ROAN MARE Sister, a 9-year-old blue roan, is by the Dash Ta Fame, Easy Jet WHITE LIGHTING IKE stallion KS Cash N Fame and out of the Williams family’s all-around performer Espuela Roan (“Reba”), by Blue Light Ike. BLUE LIGHT IKE “We did every event on her,” recalled Miller. “My brother roped BLUE BELLE GILL calves on her. I breakawayed on her. You could team rope on her. She ESPUELO ROAN did every event. She was our high school rodeo horse, and I amateur DONNA’S BLUE BOY rodeoed on her for years.” AZUL CHIPS MOUSE Reba was bred to Mr Bar Truckle as a 3-year-old with the hopes of getting a rope horse for Miller’s dad Sam. The resulting foal was the CHIP’S ROANIE roan gelding Rebas Smokey Joe (“Blue Duck”), who would take Miller RIdeR: NELLIE MILLER; OWNER/BReedeR: SAM WILLIAMS & NELLIE MILLER to her first National Finals Rodeo in 2010. “Blue Duck was originally meant to be my dad’s rope horse, but he mare had little experience running inside. didn’t like that event as much as he did barrel racing,” laughed Miller. “I “I worried about, but she just hunts the barrels,” Miller explained. really got Blue Duck going when I was in college. When we figured out “It just doesn’t seem to bother her. No matter what arena you put her he was so good, we decided to breed her some more and that’s when in, she’s going to go look for those barrels. She’s just really consistent we got Sister.” that way. After a couple of times she really had it figured out. She’s just Reba is still alive at age 26 and Miller’s two daughters still ride her. always willing to her job.” Unfortunately, they weren’t able to get many more foals out of her. In Sister had strong performances at Rodeo Houston, the RAM Na- addition to Blue Duck and Sister, Miller has a 6-year-old full brother to tional Circuit Finals and the Calgary Stampede. The highlight wins for Sister and 7-year-old half-brother by Dashair. the gritty 14.1 hand mare were the St. Paul Rodeo in Oregon, the Reno Miller said they’ve given a lot of thought as to Sister’s reproductive Rodeo in Nevada and Ellensburg Rodeo in Washington. future. Officially, Miller attended 47 rodeos and won $130,536. Miller “We’ve held off this far because I wanted focus more on running borrowed a horse for two rodeos and ran 22-year-old Blue Duck at her,” she said. “The timing of doing everything is hard to do when three—Coarsegold, Calif., the Prescott Frontier Days in Ariz., over the you’re trying rodeo. I also didn’t want to get too many things going this Fourth of July, and at Livermore, Calif., where the old warrior collected year. I wanted to focus on rodeo. But, we’re definitely thinking about $1,240 for fourth. what we want to do as far as breeding her, embryos and everything.” While No. 1-ranked Tiany Schuster and No. 2-ranked Stevi Hillman With Miller busy starting her family—she and husband James have split time between two stellar horses—JSYK Im Famous in the winter two daughters, Sister was eased into training and Miller’s dad had put a and Show Mance in the summer for Shuster and Cuatro Fame and solid foundation on the mare before she ever threw a leg over her. MCM Imasharpguy for Hillman—Miller and Sister won $129,297 at 42 “My dad just camped on her and rode her,” Miller said. “He did all his rodeos for average winnings of $3,078. ranch work on her. I think I started riding her pretty heavily when she MCM Imasharpguy, bred and owned by Matt and Bendi Dunn of was 6.” Bismarck, Mo., and ridden by Stevi Hillman, finished second in the Sister made her pro rodeo debut over the Fourth of July in 2015.