A season of standout wins has punched Leslie Smalygo’s ticket to her second National Finals Rodeo.
Smalygo and her only equine partner, Gus, left no doubt that they were hungry for a Gold Buckle. As the No. 2 ranked barrel racer in the WPRA World Standings with $195,907 to her name, the only lady that Smalygo trails is four-time World Champion Hailey Kinsel.
RodeoHouston, $59,680
Houston was the first of two massive wins for Smalygo in 2024 and she kicked off that rodeo with a second-place finish in Round 1 of her Super Series. She slowed down to be third in Round 2, but flew to the top in Round 3 with a 14.61 to be the No. 1 cowgirl to advance from Super Series 2. It would be her blazing fast 14.35-second run in the Shootout that put Smalygo into the Winner’s Circle with the $50,000. It was the first Texas Swing victory of her career.
Will Rogers Stampede, $2,760
In May, Smalygo won in her home state of Oklahoma. In a rodeo that featured Dona Kay Rule, Hailey Kinsel and Emily Beisel all collecting checks, Smalygo’s 17.16-second run was the best of the bunch and allowed her to go back-to-back in Claremore. She has won at least one rodeo in Oklahoma each of the last three seasons.
Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo, $4,845
Right before the Summer Run revved up, Smalygo added another win to her resume, her third of four on the season. She was a hundredth of a second faster than Megan McLeod-Sprague to win the Playoff Rodeo in Vernal, Utah.
Calgary Stampede, $37,600
Once again when it mattered the most, Smaylgo was at her best. The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth would be Smalygo’s biggest win of the season at $65,000, however, only $37,6000 counted toward the WPRA World Standings.
Just like Houston, Smaylgo would once again advance to the Semifinals as the No. 1 barrel racer in her pool after racking up more money than anybody else with a Go-Round win and two second place finishes. Smalygo finished second to Hailey Kinsel in the Semifinals with a 16.99 and in the Finals, turned in her fastest run of the rodeo, a 16.94, to win the rodeo.
Cheyenne Frontier Days, $15,322
On each of her first three runs in The Daddy of ‘Em All, Smalygo finished first or second in the round. In the Finals, she was 17.40 to finish fourth and add an additional $5,000 to her earnings.
In both of her career trips to Cheyenne, Smalygo made the Finals as she won the rodeo in her debut there in 2022.
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