Monday barrel of fun for Big Valley racer
Kirsty White was at a loss for words after winning her first go-round in the ladies barrel racing competition at the Calgary Stampede.
White has qualified to compete at the Stampede a half-dozen times, but she had never won the top day money prize before Monday.
“I can’t even believe this is happening,” said White, who hails from nearby Big Valley. “This is my first time. This is a total career high. This rodeo is very hard to qualify for and then to actually have a good week when you’re here, it’s just icing on the cake. It’s so surreal.
“I’ve never won a go-round. That’s why I was so worked up.”
Aboard her horse Racy, White completed the barrel racing course in 17.33 seconds to set a blazing standard as the first rider out.
Her time held up and won her $5,500 to boost her earnings over four days to $15,000.
“I kind of felt like I was on a little bit of a hot seat there,” admitted White, who commended Racy for a job well done. “It felt like if I do my job, she just so does her job. She feels really good in this arena. It took her a few years to get this way.
“When she was younger, I was here and it was almost just a little bit much. Now she’s 11 and she just seems like she’s getting way more versatile ... very dependable.”
Emily Miller of Weatherford, Okla., finished atop Pool A with $16,000 in earnings, while Kimmie Wall of Roosevelt, Utah, ($13,000) and Nellie Miller of Cottonwood, Calif., ($10,500) also cracked the top four to earn automatic spots in the finals on Showdown Sunday.
Bareback rider Caleb Bennett and tie-down roper Shane Hanchey shrugged off slow starts to advance directly to Showdown Sunday.
Bennett and Hanchey didn’t have much to show for their efforts through two days of competition at the Stampede. That all changed as both cowboys responded with back-to-back first-place showings in their respective events Sunday and Monday.
Bennett, of Tremonton, Utah, followed up his 88-point ride Sunday with an impressive 87.5-point performance atop Zastron Acres 24 hours later.
“The first two rounds were maybe a little warm-up,” said Bennett, who took home $100,000 for winning the bareback competition in Calgary in 2013. “I got myself back in the groove. These last two have been awesome.”
Bennett finished second in Pool A with $13,500 in earnings through four days just behind Richie Champion of Dublin, Texas, who has collected a cool $14,833.
Meanwhile, Hanchey, of Sulphur, La., stopped the clock in 6.7 seconds for the second straight day to win the top day money prize of $5,500 once again.
“I didn’t know it was going to be the same exact time,” said the reigning Stampede tie-down roping champion, who was happy to bounce back with a pair of big efforts after finishing out of the money the first two days. “I did what I set out to do. If you had told me after Round 2 that I was going to win $11,000 in my group and advance, I’d probably have told you that you were damn crazy.”
Despite his efforts, Hanchey couldn’t catch Ryan Jarrett of Comanche, Okla., for top spot in the Pool A standings. Jarrett earned $15,500 over four days to finish $4,500 ahead of Hanchey.
A man of few words, Jason Thomas lets his actions speak for themselves.
After finishing second three days in a row in the steer-wrestling event, Thomas stopped the clock in 3.5 seconds Sunday to win the top day money prize of $5,500.
“It’s been good here so far,” said Thomas, of Benton, Ariz., who racked up $19,000 in winnings over four days to finish atop Pool A. “Just having a good steer and capitalizing on luck is the biggest thing. You can’t always draw ’em, but when you do, you’ve got to take advantage of ’em.”
Meanwhile, Coburn Bradshaw also took home $5,500 for winning Sunday’s go-round in the saddlebronc event thanks to an 86-point ride atop Shoshone Mountain.
“I was a little nervous halfway through there,” said Bradshaw, who hails from Beaver, Utah. “He was a really heavy horse. I just tried to keep it going.”
Unfortunately for Bradshaw, he finished seventh in Pool A and will have to hope to qualify for Showdown Sunday through Saturday’s wild-card round.
“I love this rodeo for the second chance it gives you,” he said. “Keep your head up and it’ll work out.”
Layton Green of Meeting Creek, Alta., was the top saddle-bronc rider in Pool A with $13,000 in earnings followed by Clay Elliott of Nanton, who has won $12,000.