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 DECEMBER 1, 2020 // Volume 14: Issue 47 • WWP Day After Thanksgiving, Decatur, TX, pg 51 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 $86,724.83 41 2 Hailey Kinsel $78,460.86 39 3 Dona Kay Rule $67,453.54 42 4 Jimmie Smith $65,022.06 52 5 Tiany Schuster $55,060.38 65 6 Jill Wilson $53,370.97 32 7 Shelley Morgan $53,074.95 46 8 Stevi Hillman $52,388.69 47 9 Jessica Routier $51,370.93 41 FIDDLERS TURKEY RUN 10 Cheyenne Wimberley $47,039.30 61 Jacksonville, FL 11 Ryann Pedone $42,580.60 65 12 Emily Miller $42,388.19 45 — page 48 13 Lisa Lockhart $40,904.14 44 14 Wenda Johnson $39,953.14 21 15 Brittney Barnett $39,565.33 81 www.BarrelRacingReport.com photo by Hannah Miller 2020 NFR Heads to Texas...Are You Ready? Its finally here, it’s finally here!! After a crazy 2020, we all are #2 Hailey Kinsel, $78,461, 39 rodeos, 4 NFRs ready to settle in and watch 10 great rounds of barrel racing!! Noth- Another year, another year with Hailey Kinsel right at the top ing about 2020 has been normal…and rodeo in 2020 was definitely of the pack. Kinsel has a fleet of horses coming to the NFR, but not normal either. all eyes will be on Dm Sissy Hayday (Sister) and Kinsel. They have After a blazing start to the year, Covid 19 shut down rodeo in cruised to the last 2 world titles and along the way have won on the middle of Rodeo Houston in March and there wasn’t another every setup that a rodeo committee can come up with. Sister is now rodeo until the last week of May. Then, when rodeos did start back over $1.7 million in earnings and closing in on being the highest up, many were cancelled for 2020 which left fewer rodeos in fewer earning barrel horse of all time. This year at Dodge City, KS they locations for contestants to enter. The rodeos forging forward saw set the PRCA/WPRA rodeo record on a standard pattern, run- record 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 NFR, Kinsel & Sister will be the team to watch and could easily driving to make all the available rodeos, those who qualified for grab a 3rd world title by the end of the ten rounds. the 2020 NFR definitely ran the gauntlet. Although tough on the #3 Dona Kay Rule, $67,454, 43 rodeos, 2 NFRs contestants, the fans across the country had the opportunity to see The team of Rule and her speedy sorrel, High Valor, have be- the best in the world at their hometown rodeo! come fan favorites over the last couple years. The smooth commu- After several years of record amounts needed to qualify for the nication between Rule & Valor allows them to adapt to any set up. NFR in Barrel Racing, the 2020 Earnings look like those from Valor, by Valiant Hero, is of course bred to be a top race horse, so 10-15 years ago. Brittney Barnett earned the #15 spot with $39,565 the standard pattern will be no problem for these two. It will be fun earned. With the Covid restristions in Nevada, the NFR was moved to watch this team at Globe Life. If they get on a roll they are going out of Las Vegas for the first time since it went there in 1985 and to push Tonozzi and Kinsel for the world title! headed to Texas and Globe Life Field in Arlington. The show must go on, but the payout will be a little less than in #4 Jimmie Smith, $65,022, 54 rodeos, 1 NFR recent years. The total Wrangler NFR payoff will be $6 million in- Jimmie Smith comes to her first NFR with a horse she has been stead of the $10 million of recent years. This means the go rounds running for several years, Lena On The Rocks. She had a great will pay $15,738 for the win and the average will pay $40,362 (could winter before the Covid shutdown, so she was able to keep Lena increase if prize money increases); however the Championship fresh throughout most of 2020 and comes to the NFR fresh and points, which count towards the World Standings, will be the same ready for 10 rounds. Although Smith is competing in her first NFR, as in the past years; $26,231 for a go round win and $67,269 to win she has competed at all the big rodeos across the country, knows the average. her horse really well, and thrived in the building environment over All in all, everyone involved in rodeo in 2020 is just thankful for the winter. She is also an experienced breakaway roper; so her wide the opportunity to hold the 2020 NFR and on top of that, have it experience competing should help her take the Globe Life Field in a really cool place like Globe Life Field. The NFR being there NFR and standard pattern in stride. added another wrinkle, running a standard pattern at the NFR! It #5 Tiany Schuster, $55,060, 66 rodeos, 2 NFRs is going to be a blast to see all these great horses run a big pattern Schuster comes in to the 2020 NFR with 4 horses, Show Mance, similar to what they do all summer at the classic outdoor rodeos. Famous Mic Guy Ver, Marysmoonshinebandit, and Version Six, that With the standard pattern are we going to see more horse switch- could all be the #1 mount on a standard pattern. She will start on ing? How will all the horses handle the wide open spaces of the 1st Show Mance, a high octane proven horse who she rode to her 2017 and 2nd barrels? It is going to be must see TV! Make sure you have NFR Qualification when she set the new WPRA regular season the The Cowboy Channel, RFDTV or the Cowboy Channel Plus earnings record of $250,378. Show Mance set an arena record in app! All the action is there! Jerome, ID this summer on a big outdoor pattern, so he should love We want to take this chance to thank these Top 15 barrel racers the standard. All 4 horses she knows well and they are all very fit for always taking time from their so, so busy schedule to get back and ready, so look for her to move up the standings. to us throughout the year. We really appreciated all their time and effort. They should all be commended for their fortitude and deter- #6 Jill Wilson, $53,371, 35 rodeos, 1 NFR mination to get qualified for the 2020 NFR! Over the last several years as we edited results, the names Jill As in past years we thought we would include a few notes and Wilson and Lean Mean Blue Dean popped up over and over. It was insights into each of the Top 15! 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 #1 Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi, $86,725, 41 rodeos, 14 NFRs were the high money winners at the big outdoor rodeos over the The veteran competitor Tonozzi comes into the 2020 NFR 4th of July. Her big grey gelding is really deceiving, he will look like with three really fast home raised horses, Kisskiss Bangbang, Ima he is just loping around and then… boom to the lead! Famous Babe, and Babe On The Chase. All 3 of her horses contrib- uted to her #1 position throughout the year. The standard pattern #7 Shelley Morgan, $53,075, 49 rodeos, 2 NFRs fits her horses perfectly; Kisskiss Bangbang in fact set the North Morgan and her big strided mare HR Fameskissandtell placed American record on a standard with a 16.4. With the new NFR consistently all summer long on those big summer setups. The 1st setup, her vast experience is sure to come in handy! She has been and 2nd barrels way off the fence in the Globe Life NFR arena winning along all fall with her crew and with a good week Tonozzi won’t be a problem for this team. Morgan has just brought this could cruise to her 3rd World Title. 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 The Cowboy Channel, which is the official network of ProRodeo and the first 24-hour *Information courtesy of the 2020 WPRA Media Guide television network totally dedicated to western sports and the western lifestyle, Wrangler NFR Payoff minimum total: $6 million officially announced today the broadcast schedule and talent reporting for its first Guaranteed prize money: $720,000 live broadcast of the most coveted rodeo, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) at Competition prize money: $5,280,000 Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, December 3-12, 2020.