Leslie Smalygo and Gus were flying in their home state of Oklahoma. The 2022 National Finals Rodeo duo smoked a run at the Will Rogers Stampede to be your Montana Silversmiths WPRA Athlete of the Week.
It was a tight race between two cowgirls in Claremore but Smalygo’s time of 17.16 seconds was just fast enough to finish first. It was only by one hundredth of a second that she claimed the title over Tracy Nowlin, meanwhile, the next fastest time was 17.45 seconds.
Oklahoma brought Smalygo the big win but she found her way to the pay window in her neighboring state of Kansas when Gus clocked well for the second time this weekend. A time of 17.61 put them eighth at the Wilson County Pro Rodeo.
Smalygo is the No. 2 ranked barrel racer in the World and she added almost $3,000 to her season earnings this weekend. By the time the money is counted, she could reach the top spot in the World Standings for the first time in her career.
It looks like Smalygo and Gus could open up a nice little streak as well. During the slack at Arkansas’ Old Fort Days, they were 16.84 to jump out to the early lead at an event that pays more than $4,000 to its barrel racing champion.
