Adios Superman, It's Furytyme: 2024 Championships at WPRA World Finals

The WPRA Permit and Cardholder titles are some of the first World Championships determined each year. This year, the races were fantastic and some close relationships made the wins even sweeter

Fallon Taylor / Fernando Sam-Sin

The WPRA World Finals is a pinnacle event every year for women in professional rodeo. While the 2024 Barrel Racing and Breakaway Roping World Champions will be determined in Las Vegas in December at the National Finals Rodeo, competition was stiff in Waco, TX, this week as cowgirls battled for several other titles. Check out coverage from earlier in the week here. Full results can be found here.

Barrel Racing

Card Holder Race

Former AQHA and WPRA World Champion Barrel Racer, Fallon Taylor, has been seasoning young horses to the rodeo road in 2024. That work paid off, not only with a huge win in the WPRA Tour and top 50 finish in the World Standings, but this weekend in Waco.

Aboard Furytyme (FuryOfTheWind x Three Tymes A Lady x Tres Seis) "Puma," Taylor took home $6,921 in the Card Holder Race, along with the WPRA World Finals Championship. The duo ran a 15.702 for 2nd place in the 1st round, a 15.898 for 15th place in the 2nd round, and a 15.990 for 7th in the short round.

The win was extra sweet for Taylor and Tricia Aldridge of Red Hot Running Horses, who previously owned, trained, and jockeyed Puma in her futurity year. In Waco, Aldridge picked up the year-end WPRA Futurity title on her standout stallion, Adios Pantalones, who came within a mane hair of $500,000 in lifetime earnings this weekend. Aldridge sold Puma to Taylor last winter and Taylor has been vocal about her big goals for the great mare.

Permit Race

Running a 15.934 for 1st place in the 1st round, a 16.004 for 4th place in the 2nd round, and taking the win in the short round with a 15.995, Ginger West and Barreras Superman (Barreras Fortune x EE Rare Lil Angel x Rare Bar) earned the 2024 Championship in the Permit Race. "Superman" was also voted the Professional's Choice Outstanding Barrel Horse of the WPRA World Finals. The duo won nearly $3,000 in the Permit Race.

West made the following post on Facebook about the win:

"Every horse has a journey, Superman’s began in February of this year in Mounds, OK at an ACRA rodeo. This weekend his journey took us to Waco to the WPRA permit race where we won the first round, got 4th in the second and won the short go and the average. Superman was also voted “Horse of the year” for the finals. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this Superman and his determination to win! There is so much to his story, so much just plain try in the midst of pain and things we still don’t have worked out! Thankful doesn’t begin to say how I feel!! Thankful to God for making such a phenomenal horse and allowing me to be in his path! I’m so thankful for family and friends that just know how to help me. Superman’s journey is just beginning and when we get all the things worked out, it will be something!! My favorite quote is “NEVER GIVE UP!” and Superman lives it out for me every run! Matthew 11:29-Ride with me and I will teach you what you need, for I am gentle and humble and it is here that you will find rest for your soul."

Only some will understand this, but for these two cowgirls, horses made their very dreams come true this past weekend. There is nothing more special than the bond between a horse and rider and it is so inspiring to watch these women run down their dreams. Congratulations to the 2024 WPRA World Finals Champions.