Top 70 Advance to Second Round in Fort Worth
By Jolee Jordan
Amberleigh Moore
Photo by Kenneth Springer
Fort Worth, Texas—The first chunk of the nearly $100,000 WPRA purse at the 122nd Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo was divvied out on Tuesday night as the first round of competition came to a close.
The World’s Original Indoor Rodeo accepted 210 entries in the ladies barrel racing, with each competitor getting one run. Following the 21st performance, the field was pared down to 70 based upon the first round times.
The final forty for the first round competed during the Monday and Tuesday performances and though some wicked runs went into the books, no one was able to top the fast time posted by Amberleigh Moore and her tough mare Paige.
Will Rogers was on fire on Monday afternoon with five cowgirls stopping the clock under 17 seconds. The best run belonged to Shelly Anzick and her horse Scooter. The pair has won the title here in Fort Worth before, winning the rodeo back in 2014. Anzick ran fast, slipping into third in the round with a 16.51 second effort. Behind Anzick there were three 16.6’s in that set, run by Kellie Collier, Tammy Fischer and Sarah Rose McDonald, another former Fort Worth champion.
Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) qualifier Tillar Murray thrilled the hometown crowd on Monday night, running the fastest time of the night at 16.73 seconds. Murray was aboard Commander, the horse which carried her to a round win in Vegas in December.
On Tuesday afternoon, Bentonville, Arkansas cowgirl Bailee Snow won the performance, putting a smooth run of 16.79 seconds on the board. Though it did not earn a check, the time does ensure Snow will make a second run here with her twelve year old gelding, Baby Ghost.
A tough pack of cowgirls ended the long round on Tuesday night. They were led by reigning Canadian Champion Carman Pozzobon and Texas cowgirl Sadye Simpson. The pair put up identical runs at 16.63 seconds to split the final money holes in the go.
There were four sub-seventeen runs on the night with past Fort Worth champ Nikki Hansen and four-time WPRA World Champ Sherry Cervi also advancing to the next round.
For winning the first round, Moore earned better than $5,000 while Kylie Weast took second, running just four one hundredths behind Moore. Riding her young phenom Reddy, Weast earned $4,435. Apart from the two cowgirls on top, just .12 seconds separated the money winners for the first go round. Things were tight all the way down to the cut-off with the line for advancement landing at 17.11 seconds.
The progressive round runs off fast with two performances a day beginning on Wednesday afternoon. The second round of 70 barrel racers—as determined by their first round times—will complete the long rounds of competition on Saturday afternoon, February 3. Then it’s a fast turn-around to the Saturday night Championship Round where the twelve fastest on two rounds will compete for the title. In addition those that make the final round will also compete for the Jerry Ann Taylor Best Dressed Award.
The progressive round is drawn based on competitors’ first round times. Due up on the first two days of competition on Wednesday and Thursday are three former champions here: Hansen (2012), WPRA World Champ Fallon Taylor (2017) and Sarah Rose McDonald (2015). Former WNFR cowgirls Kellie Collier, Hailey Kinsel, Jana Bean, Cayla Small, Jane Melby, Michele McLeod, and Cindy Smith will all participate in the next two days along with Cervi.
For more information on the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, visit them on-line at www.fwssr.com and stay tuned to www.wpra.com and the WPRA Facebook page for continuing updates from the event.
Current Results
1st Go-Final
1. Amberleigh Moore, CP Dark Moon, 16.35, $5,175
2. Kylie Weast, Hell on the Red, 16.39, $4,436
3. Shelly Anzick, Scooten ta Fame, 15.51, $3,969
4. Hailey Kinsel, DM Sissy Hayday, 16.57, $3,204
5. Taci Bettis, Bogie is a Smash, 16.58, $2,464
6. Tracy Nowlin, DJG Madison, 16.60, $1,971
7. Cayla Small, Shameon U, 16.61, $1,479
8. Jodi Colton, BB French Effort, 16.62, $986
9. Kellie Collier, Easy Streakin April, 16.63, $411
9. Carman Pozzobon, Ripn Lady, 16.63, $411
9. Sadye Simpson, Apt to Be Special, 16.63, $411
| GBR Fort Worth Progressive | |
| Judges Draw | |
| 22 Perf Mat, Wed, Jan 31 @2p | Competition Order |
| Skyla Whitters | 1 |
| Kelly Forell | 2 |
| Nikki Hansen | 3 |
| Cindy Smith | 4 |
| Kassi Mowry | 5 |
| Brianna Trepanier | 6 |
| Katie Pascoe | 7 |
| Tami Semas | 8 |
| Teri Bangart | 9 |
| Brooke Rix | 10 |
| 23 Perf Night, Wed, Jan 31 @ 7:30p | |
| Fallon Taylor | 1 |
| Dena Milner | 2 |
| Kellie Collier | 3 |
| Leslie Schur | 4 |
| Loni Lester | 5 |
| Jordan Moore | 6 |
| Ryann Pedone | 7 |
| Kylan Shaw | 8 |
| Jordan Minor | 9 |
| Jill Wilson | 10 |
| 24 Perf Mat, Thur, Feb 1 @2p | |
| KL Spratt | 1 |
| Ari-Anna Flynn | 2 |
| Sherry Cervi | 3 |
| Cambra Smith | 4 |
| Bailey Snow | 5 |
| Jessi Fish | 6 |
| Blythe Beshears | 7 |
| Morgan Breaux | 8 |
| Kelly Tovar | 9 |
| Cierra Chapman | 10 |
| Haley Wolfe | 11 |
| 25 Perf Night, Thu, Feb 1 @7:30p | |
| Jody McKay | 1 |
| Jmaie Hinton | 2 |
| Hailey Kinsel | 3 |
| Jana Bean | 4 |
| Sarah McDonald | 5 |
| Cayla Small | 6 |
| Melissa Thiessan | 7 |
| Lacinda Rose | 8 |
| Jayne Melby | 9 |
| Michele McLeod | 10 |
| 26 Perf Mat, Fri, Feb 2, @2p | |
| Kim Schulze | 1 |
| Abby Phillips | 2 |
| Shelly Anzick | 3 |
| Sissy Winn | 4 |
| Tillar Murray | 5 |
| Christine Laughlin | 6 |
| Liz Herrin | 7 |
| Alex Lang | 8 |
| Martha Wright | 9 |
| Janie Johnson | 10 |
| 27 Perf Night, Fri, Feb 2, 7:30p | |
| Sadye Simpson | 1 |
| Cheyenne Kelly | 2 |
| Taci Bettis | 3 |
| Tammy Fischer | 4 |
| Jodi Colton | 5 |
| Tracy Nowlin | 6 |
| Carman Pozzobon | 7 |
| Stacey Grimes | 8 |
| Carissa Bryant | 9 |
| Andrea Busby | 10 |
| 28 Perf Mat, Sat, Feb 3, @2p | |
| Lisa Lockhart | 1 |
| Deb Guelly | 2 |
| Amberleigh Moore | 3 |
| Ashley Schafer | 4 |
| Ivy Conrado | 5 |
| Kylie Weast | 6 |
| Kristin Shoppa | 7 |
| Mary Walker | 8 |
| Michelle Darling | 9 |
| Shayna Gattis | 10 |
Courtesy of WPRA