One Weekend, Three Horses, One Barrel Racer Over $82,000 Richer
Eleven years ago a young barrel racer had a dream to bring something great to Colorado. She didn't know much back then, but what she did was stick her neck out and took a chance. She worked hard and built an incredible model that does more than just work, it brings more than $100,000 in added money to the futurity world and one of the best barrel races in the region.
Kayla Jones is the woman behind the Colorado Classic Futurity and Maturity. She probably won't but should take the credit for building something absolutely from the ground up.
The 2024 version was, according to contestants and close insiders, probably the best production thus far in her eleven years of producing the race. The Colorado Classic has found a home at the Montrose County Faiground & Event Center in Montrose, Colo.
June 13-15 the competition was tough, the horses were fast, the crew was working like a well oiled machine and the money was substantial.
Brandon Cullins came to town with a trailer full of talented barrel horses and he left needing an armored truck to take all his winnings.
Cullins captured the Open Futurity aboard Seis Shots of Beauty a 2019 model by Tres Seis out of RC Back in Black. With a total time on two runs of 30.420, Cullins outran the field by three tenths for the win.
Looking at the second place finisher is like deja vu. Brandon Cullins rode Good Things Comin a 2020 The Goodbye Lane out of Honor This Nonstop. The 30.703 second total on two runs was just enough for the reserve championship.
The substantial $100,000 added money comes to play in the Stallion Incentive Futurity. Cullins topped it as well on Seis Shots of Beauty and took home $8,846 in additional monies.
The Open Maturity was heartwarming as Jordon Briggs is back on the famous "Rollo" or Famous Little Jet after a long stint on the injury list, and he is feeling good. The pair teamed up for the win of the average with a 30.296 barely edging Cullins who was aboard the million dollar superstar MJ Segers Fast Lane.
Thinking back just a few months, if the name sounds familiar it is because Cullins rode MJ Segers Fast Lane to the million dollar win at The American.
If it seems like the name Cullins keeps occuring, it is because it is. In total, Brandon Cullins and his set of outstanding horses came home with $82,529 on the weekend.
Full results for the Colorado Classic can be found on their website.
LAURA MOTLEY LAMBERT
Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. With her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NFL, PGA and LPGA. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com