WPRA Barrel Racing Standings Update, Sept. 5: Three of the Best are at the Top and Three Ride the Bubble

The Top 15 barrel racers in the World as of September 5 has some familiar faces and four new ones.

With Leslie Smalygo keeping a hefty lead for the regular season, Hailey Kinsel and Kassie Mowry look to close that gap in the final weeks.

With seven potential first-time National Finals Rodeo cowgirls inside the Top 20, four of them are inside the Top 15 and Ashley Castleberry’s story with Skyy Blue is sure to be a topic of conversation in Las Vegas.

No. 1 Leslie Smalygo, $185,463

A successful winter has paid off for Smalygo and Gus but the two have continued to cash in over the summer. Their most recent pay days came at the Horse Heaven Roundup and Walla Walla Frontier Days. When combined, the two rodeos added over $8,400 to her season earnings.

No. 2 Hailey Kinsel, $154,211

After a fourth-place finish at the Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo and making the Short Go in Dodge City, Kinsel’s August kicked off with a 16.59-second win at the Mountain Valley Stampede that was worth $7,700.

No. 3 Kassie Mowry, $151,282

Mowry’s name of the game is cashing in at all the right places. With only 24 rodeos to her name this season, she and Jarvis claimed win after win. Most recenetly, the duo blew away the competition at the Horse Heaven Roundup and the Kitsap Stampede. The two rodeos added over $15,300 to her earnings.

No. 4 Emily Beisel, $146,036

Beisel’s newest addition, Chewy, has been a force all summer long. Over Labor Day Weekend, they took home second in the Final Round and second in the Average at the Ellensburg Rodeo and before that, a third-place finish at the Lea County PRCA Rodeo was worth over $5,000.

No. 5 Ashley Castleberry, $125,622

A fourth-place finish in the Average at the Caldwell Night Rodeo after a 16.96 put them fourth in the Final Round. She followed it up with a 16.87 that was worth $2,000 in Gooding before a 17.00 added another $4,800 from Kitsap Stampede.

No. 6 Lisa Lockhart, $118,038

Lockhart hasd back-to-back wins in early August at the Sheridan County Fair and Rodeo and the Richland County Fair and Rodeo that added over $3,000 to her season earnings. More recently, she kicked off September with a second-place finish at the Dillon Jaycess PRCA Rodeo - Montana’s Biggest Weekend with a 17.46-second run.

No. 7 Wenda Johnson, $117,969

Johnson and Mo dialed in for two big wins one after another in August. A 17.15 was worth $4,000 and the title at the Lawton Rangers Rodeo before they clocked a $7,900 run at 17.50 seconds at the Lea County PRCA Rodeo.

No. 8 Tiany Schuster, $115,945

The Texas cowgirl locked in a win at Golden Spike Rodeo that came to the tune of 17.10 seconds and added almost $7,000 to her name. Before that she also added the Fallon County Fair and Rodeo win to her resume with a 15.82-second run.

No. 9 Dona Kay Rule, $107,253

Rule and her equine partner, Valor, found themselves with a second-place finish in Round 1 of the Farm-City Pro Rodeo after a 17.12-second run. This added over $7,000 to their regular season earnings and since then, they have added another $5,500 to it.

No. 10 Abby Phillips, $106,563

Phillips is one of the cowgirls looking at her first trip to Las Vegas. In August she had two second-place finishes that, when combined, add almost $6,000 to her earnings. These were at Canby Rodeo and Cassia County Fair and Rodeo.

No. 11 Andrea Busby, $104,929

Busby had a phenomenal $11,000 week that started and ended in Idaho with a stop in Oregon along the way. It consisted of a second-place finsih in the Caldwell Night Rodeo Average and third in the Short Go.

No. 12 Carlee Otero, $101,623

Two big wins came Otero’s way in August. The first was at the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo when she stopped the clock at 17.05 seconds. The second win came at the Cassia County Fair and Rodeo with a 16.62-second run. The two wins added $12,000 to her earnings.

No. 13 Halyn Lide, $99,654

Lide is also looking at the possibility of her first ever NFR qualification. A fifth-place finish in Round 1 of the Farm-City Pro Rodeo was worth $3,500 and she followed it up with a fourth at Moses Lake Round-Up Rodeo.

No. 14 Shelley Morgan, $94,509

Morgan’s August came with four trips to the pay window and one inlcuded a stop at the Winner’s Circle. She placed third in Castle Rock with a 17.53 as well as with a seventh at Walla Walla Frontier Days. Most reently, she won th eLakeview Roundup.

No. 15 Paige Jones, $93,312

A huge win came Jones and Bazinga’s way when they cinched the Dodge City win. It came with an $8,000 pay day and momentum in August. She went on to place at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo and the Omak Stampede.

No. 16 Jordon Briggs, $86,367

The World Champion and Rollo hae had an impressive month of August that started with palacing fourth at that Famous Preston Ngiht Rodeo when she was 16.89 seconds. She also won Round 2 of the Caldwell Night Rodeo with a 16.95-second run.

No. 17 LaTricia Duke, $85,984

Duke picked up a $5,000 win at the Moses Lake Round-Up Rodeo with a time of 16.99 seconds. This turned the tables in her favor as she has made four more trips to the payday window since including a fourth-place finish at the Kitsap Stampede worth over $3,000.

No. 18 Tayla Moeykens, $82,016

Moeykens had a $4,000 payday at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo and followed it up by placing at the next three rodeos. As for the fourth, the Cascade Pro Rodoe, Moeykens would clock a 17.41 and it would top the leaderboard to add another $2,000 to her name.

No. 19 Summer Kosel, $80,004

Kosel and Apollo have hit a hot streak as of August 17. It started with a Range Days Rodeo win and $2,500. She picked up the Gem State Stampede win with a 17.16 before most recently getting the win at the Walla Walla Frontier Days.

No. 20 Sara Winkelman, $76,322

Winkelman picked up one win in August that came to the tune of 14.40 seconds at the Larimer County Fair and Rodeo. It added $3,600 to her name and she is on the very outside edge of the bubble with wins left to be had.

Standings current as of wpra.com on September 5, 2024 at 12:45 PM EST.