Barrel Racers’ Sprint for CFR Heats Up

As the dog days of summer settle in and the races for coveted CFR berths intensify, a couple of people who narrowly missed getting to the Finals in 2012 are doing all they can to see that history doesn’t repeat itself.

Merritt, British Columbia’s Katie Garthwaite added to her earnings total on a weekend that featured the ‘east run’–the trio of rodeos in Kennedy and Maple Creek, Saskatchewan and Morris, Manitoba—with a win and two solid placings on her palomino mare, Frenchie.

The duo clocked a 17.161 at Maple Creek for the win, and added a fourth place finish at Kennedy and a 5/6 split at the 50th anniversary edition of the Manitoba Stampede for a total of $2289 and a move to tenth in the overall standings and, more importantly tops among the Canadians who will make up seven of the twelve CFR qualifiers.

Garthwaite who was $600 out of a CFR spot a year ago stated emphatically, “I don’t want that to happen again!” Her 10 year-old mare (FC Guys Prime Time), an own daughter of Frenchman’s Guy out of an own daughter of Martha’s Six Moons has been solid all year. “I actually found her for a friend of mine who bought her but didn’t get along with her so I got her a year later and things have really clicked for us.”

“I have two really nice horses now so this is just a lot of fun,” Garthwaite smiled. The second mount is the talented young stallion, Fiesta Royale that belongs to Bruce H. Robinson. She likes the equine pair enough that next year she is planning to breed the mare to the grey stud for an eventual embryo transfer.

Also on a mission to ensure that 2013 isn’t a repeat of the year previous is Big Valley, Alberta’s Kirsty White. The talented trainer / farrier / rider has never been to the Edmonton season-ender and missed last year’s CFR by a heart-breaking nineteen dollars. White cashed decent cheques at Morris and Maple Creek and as things sit now, she is 11th overall and second, right behind Garthwaite among the Canadians.

“I’m really excited about the way the season has gone so far,” White commented, “and I really feel that a lot of the runs from here on are set up just right for my horse.” The horse is Special Tack (aka Racy) a seven year old daughter of Plain Special, race bred on top and cow bred on the bottom side.

If last year is any indicator, White could be right as she and Racy were very tough over the latter part of last season before falling just short in their quest for a Finals berth.

There were other contestants who made important moves over the weekend including Cochrane bulldogger, Harley Cole, who parlayed a 3.9 first place run and $2319 payday at Morris into a spot in the top fifteen in Canada. Ky Marshall won one of the three weekend events and shared the lead at a second to move up in the overall bareback standings and the all around race. The Bowden cowboy was 89 points on Big Stone’s Second Thoughts at the Moose Mountain Pro Rodeo in Kennedy for $1068 and split first place in Maple Creek with 84 points on Bar C5’s Fabio for $822. 2008 Canadian champion bronc rider Dusty Hausauer of Dickinson, North Dakota captured top honours at Maple Creek with an 84 point ride on the Big Stone bronc, Buckle Up, and added a second place finish at Kennedy and a ninth place cheque at Morris for a productive $2012 weekend that should go a long way toward getting the talented cowboy’s – thus far frustrating Canadian season – back on track.

Additional winners at Manitoba’s only professional rodeo stop included Sam Kelts (82 points on Vold’s Days and Nights) for $2808; Matt Lait (81 on Vold’s Medieval Knevil) for $2436; Chad Johnson in Tie Down Roping with an 8.8 for $2040 (Johnson added a $1237 second place cheque in Team Roping); bull rider Garret Green (86.5 on Vold’s Bong and a Blitz) for $2842; Melissa Theissen, 17.544 for $2060 and team ropers Stacey Cornet and Dake Skocdopole, 4.8 for $1422 each at the first-ever team roping at Morris, added especially for the 50th year celebrations.

See rodeocanada.com for complete weekend results and payouts.

This week’s CPRA stops are the Medicine Hat Stampede, July 25-27 and the 100th Annual Bruce Stampede July 28 with CPRA Bull Ridings at Oyen July 24 and Cochrane July 27.