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Cervi Closes Out First Round in Fort Worth, Advances to Second Round

By Jolee Jordan

Sherry Cervi
Photo by Kenneth Springer

Fort Worth, Texas — The first barrel racing checks of the 2019 Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo were written on Tuesday night, February 5 as the long round came to a close with the 210th run of this year’s event.

The FWSSR took entries from 210 eligible card holders, giving each of them one round of competition here in Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum. Following the 21st performance, the fastest 70 from the opening round earn the right to run down the famous long alley one more time. That progressive round is held during performances from Wednesday to Saturday afternoon, February 6-9. The top twelve on the two-run average will compete in the Finals on Saturday night, February 9.

The final 40 of the round took their shots during the performances on Monday and Tuesday and the talent of the field was reflected in the quick times that were posted.

Monday was Military Appreciation Day at the FWSSR with many special tributes during both performances. All active and retired military members and their families received free admission to the grounds and many were honored during the rodeos with special introductions.

In addition, Gold Star families who have participated in the Snowball Express retreat through the Gary Sinise Foundation were recognized in each performance and a veteran received the key to his new mortgage-free home during the evening perf. Also during the evening perf, a new group of enlistees into the service were sworn in and congratulated and thanked by special dignitaries which included the son of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, Jr.

After all the tributes, the ladies of the WPRA got down to the business of barrel racing.

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo cowgirl Shelley Morgan took the perf win on Monday afternoon. Morgan always has a good mount beneath her and the five year old she calls Kiss carried her to a time of 16.77 seconds, just two one-hundredths of a second ahead of Wendy Suhn. Michelle Darling and Haley Wolfe also broke into the 16s.

A few hours later, the night performance was led by $2 million winner Lisa Lockhart, a veteran of 11 Wrangler NFR’s. Riding the freakishly fast Rosa, Lockhart ran 16.62 seconds, more than two tenths ahead of the rest of the field that night.

The final day of long round competition began with the Tuesday matinee perf. Great Lakes Circuit champion Lacinda Rose won the day aboard her horse, appropriately named Real Deal. Her time of 16.64 seconds will easily advance her to the next round. Four other cowgirls moved into the next round with quick times.

The final ten on Tuesday night were led by the WPRA’s only $3 million winner, Sherry Cervi. The four-time WPRA World Champion was first to run and broke out a new pony for Fort Worth. The seven-year old mare named MP Olive Your Money was raised by Cervi and her parents, Mel and Wendy Potter. She is a daughter of their legendary stallion PC Frenchmans Hayday. The run was fast at 16.59 seconds, good enough for a check in fact, but it was Oliva’s rodeo performance debut.

“I’ve been planning for several weeks that Olivia would be what I would ride at Houston and decided that I needed to take her to a few rodeos before running there so this was our first time out,” she told Kenneth Springer, who captured a great photo in the warm up pen. To get a little bit of pre-run exposure, Cervi rode Olivia in Fort Worth’s legendary grand entry.

Behind Cervi on Tuesday night was 2018 Wrangler NFR cowgirl Kylie Weast along with three others who were able to claw into the next go round.

Sydni Blanchard
Photo by James Phifer

Sydni Blanchard’s phenomenal run of 16.22 seconds not only held on to win the round and the corresponding $5,100 paycheck, the time stayed two tenths ahead of the rest of the field. Thanks to the hard work of the grounds crew not only in their daily preparation but also in the effort to hand rake the ground after every competitor, the first go money was distributed across many different performances, from the third perf (Ilyssa Glass) to the 21st (Cervi).

Other cowgirls to earn money in the first payoff here are Taylor Langdon, Jennifer Sharp, Jill Wilson, Tiany Schuster, Glass, Ivy Conrado, Cervi, Sidney Forrest and Amber Moore. Both Conrado and Moore are past Fort Worth champions.

Taking Blanchard’s time away, the top ten times were only separated by seventeen one-hundredths of a second.

From top to bottom, the barrel race has been electric in this, the final year of rodeo inside the infamous Will Rogers arena. The cut-off for the progressive was the fastest it has been in some time with only those able to beat 16.95 seconds making the cut. That’s 69 times—again excepting Blanchard—within about half a second.

The progressive round comes fast and furious here with two performances a day from now until the show’s end on Saturday. Barrel racers were able to give preferences for the second round so the Wednesday matinee will feature former Fort Worth champ and two-time World Champion Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi along with Wrangler NFR cowgirl Stevi Hillman, 2018 WPRA Rookie of the Year Jimmie Smith, 2018 Columbia River Circuit champ Cheyenne Allan and seven-time Wrangler NFR competitor Tammy Fischer.

Wednesday night hometown cowgirl and Wrangler NFR competitor Tillar Murray will be first gunner on the track while WPRA regular season earnings record holder Tiany Schuster will be last. In between is a field full of top circuit talent and top 30 cowgirls.

On Thursday afternoon, Kellie Collier—another Wrangler NFR cowgirl—will compete alongside top trainer and clinician Dena Kirkpatrick, Prairie Circuit champ Dona Kay Rule and Taylor Langdon, who won second in the opening round and Glass, who finished sixth.

Thursday night’s line-up includes another former Fort Worth champ and Wrangler NFR cowgirl Nikki Hansen along with Lockhart, Weast, Cassidy Kruse and Jill Wilson, who was fourth in the first round.

For more information on the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, visit them on-line at www.fwssr.com. Stay tuned to www.wpra.com for continuing updates from the 2019 edition. A complete second draw can be found on the WPRA Facebook page.


Results (In Progress)

1st Go

1. Sydni Blanchard, Famous Heartbreaker, 16.22, $5,175

2. Taylor Langdon, Dashin Louie, 16.43, $4,436

3. Jennifer Sharp, Six French Smooches, 16.48, $3,696

4. Jill Wilson, Lean Mean Blue Dean, 16.49, $3,204

5. Tiany Schuster, Show Mance, 16.53, $2,464

6. Ilyssa Glass, Championofthehouse, 16.58, $1,725

7. Ivy Conrado, KN Fabs Gift of Fame, 16.58, $1,725

8. Sherry Cervi, MP Olive Your Money, 16.59, $986

9. Sidney Forrest, So Epic, 16.60, $616

10. Amberleigh Moore, CP Dark Moon, 16.60, $616

11. Stephanie Fryar, The Red Maserati, 16.62

12. Stevi Hillman, Guys R A Mystery, 16.62

13. Sadye Simpson, God Given Fame, 16.62

14. Lisa Lockhart, Rosas Cantina CC, 16.62

15. Taci Bettis, Bogie is a Smash, 16.63

16. Dena Kirkpatrick, Kates Always First, 16.64

17. Lacinda Rose, RR Meradas Real Deal, 16.64

18. Kylar Terlip, Guys Voodoo Bug, 16.65

19. Emily Miller, Namgis D33 , 16.65

20. Michelle Alley, Seis Caress, 16.67

21. Hailey Kinsel, DM Sissy Hayday, 16.68

22. Alex Lang, Angels on the Moon, 16.69

23. Jennifer Driver, Famous ThreeBugs, 16.70

24. Dona Kay Rule, High Valor, 16.70

25. Jimmie Smith, Lena on the Rocks, 16.71

26. Kylie Weast, Hell on the Red, 16.72

27. Lesley Casper, Streakin ta Blues, 16.74

28. Christine Laughlin, Jess Undeniable, 16.74

29. Tillar Murray, Dirty Dan Stinson, 16.74

30. Kellie Collier, Koolspeed Ta Kash, 16.76

31. Katelyn Scott, Shiney Gold Bid, 16.76

32. Tammy Fischer, LK Sheza Hayday, 16.77

33. Shelley Morgan, HR Fameskissandtell, 16.77

34. Carolyn Uhler, Lil Pep of Gold, 16.78

35. Carlee Otero, RC Dashin ta Game, 16.79

36. Wendy Suhn, HLH Streakin A Fling, 16.79

37. Sherri Barnes, Famous Little Jet, 16.81

38. Kathy Petska, Dinero Made Me Famous, 16.82

39. Nicole Love, JL Josie Bar, 16.83

40. Suzanne Brooks, Fortune N Fame, 16.83

41. Michelle Darling, Morning Traffic, 16.83

42. Leia Pluemmer, Famous French Bug, 16.84

43. Cheyenne Allan, RS Mollys Honor, 16.84

44. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, 16.85

45. Brittney Barnett, Frenchmans Pick, 16.86

46. Ari-Anna Flynn, PC Uncle SI, 16.86

47. Nikki Hansen, Sky High Guy, 16.86

48. Andrea Busby, Dial It Fast, 16.87

49. Jessi Fish, Guys Night in Vegas, 16.87

50. Shea-Lynn Leach, Louis Bug, 16.87

51. Danyelle Williams, Sonny (NR), 16.89

52. Lisa Thornton, 16.89

53. Ryann Pedone, Slick by Design, 16.89

54. Teri Bangart, RCA Three Bugs Honor, 16.90

55. Halyn Lide, Jettin ta Heaven, 16.91

56. DeAnna Critton, DCWR Frosty Girl, 16.91

57. Tami Semas, Caliente, 16.91

58. Jacque Woolman, Yella Izabella, 16.91

59. Haley Wolfe, Mia Fabulous Fame, 16.91

60. Shelby Janssen, Famous Amous, 16.91

61. Toni Dixon, Guys R A Mystery, 16.92

62. Rainy Pratt, 16.92

63. Cassidy Kruse, Guys Six Pack, 16.92

64. Mindy Goemmer, Cuchara Fancy N Fast, 16.93

65. Ericka Nelson, Goodfrenchmanfriday, 16.93

66. KL Spratt, KK Cash Colours, 16.93

67. Heidi Tillard, Roxy, 16.93

68. Leslie Schur, KG Cashin In On Beau, 16.94

69. Carmel Wright, Fortunes Last Xtreme, 16.94

70. Gayle Jones, 16.95

Courtesy of WPRA

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