LaTricia Duke made an undeniable splash in 2024, long-known in the futurity world for ability to get the best out of every horse, she partnered with a 7-year-old palomino named Vanilla Wafer to make her first career NFR.
Austin County Fair and Rodeo, $2,547
Duke got things rolling right away, winning her first rodeo of the season, the Austin County Fair and Rodeo in October. Her time of 15.87 seconds would pull through for the win by barely enough, as it was only one hundredth of a second faster than Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, who would go on to win the 2023 World Championship.
La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros, $5,306
After coming up empty at the first two rodeos of the Texas Swing, Duke needed a jolt and got it in Tucson. She finished second in the First Round and sixth in the Average.
Cowboy Christmas, $9,431
Typically a big Fourth of July is headlined by one or two major victories, but that was not the case for Duke, who stacked checks between $1,000 and $4,000 at four different rodeos. Her best finish was second at the Molalla Buckeroo Rodeo in Oregon and her biggest check was $3,585 at the Basin City Freedom Rodeo in Washington.
Once the smoke cleared on Cowboy Christmas, she had moved from No. 38 to No. 33 in the World, which shows you how good she was the rest of the season.
Cheyenne Frontier Days, $14,890
The first sizable trip to the pay window for Duke came at the Daddy of ‘Em All, where she was in the Top 3 on all three of her runs following the Qualifying Round.
A 17.16-second run would win her the First Performance and she would find herself finishing third in the Semifinals to advance. She clocked her fastest time in Cheyenne with a 17.08 that put her second in the Finals.
Nebraska’s Big Rodeo, $2,741
The same weekend she turned up the heat in Cheyenne, Duke picked up a win in Burwell, Nebraska. Her 17.30-second run was enough for the victory by over two tenths of a second to beat the likes of veteran NFR cowgirls Emily Beisel and Jessica Routier.
Following the Weekend of July 28, Duke was No. 26 in the WPRA World Standings.
Moses Lake Round-Up Rodeo, $5,131
A swing up to the northwest resulted in another win coming Duke’s lone win in August. The only sub-17-second run was courtesy of her and it was a battle of top tier futurity trainers as she beat out Kassie Mowry at the Washington rodeo.
New Mexico State Fair and Rodeo, $4,688
A second-place pay day was in store for Duke in New Mexico. Behind her traveling partner, Jordon Driver, Duke and Vanilla Wafer clocked a 15.26 to keep the money in the rig.
It was followed up with another second-place finish at the Othello PRCA Rodeo. It took a drive back to the state of Washington, but Duke would put a 17.46-second run together to get on the leaderboard.
Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup, $23,250
Duke and Vanilla Wafer’s performance in Sioux Falls was what sealed their NFR fate. A second-place finish in Round 1 and a third place finish in the Finals, which paid $15,000, made up her money in Sioux Falls and helped her finish
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