Which Equine Athletes Will Light up the Thomas and Mack NFR Barrel Racing?

The pedigrees and fun facts behind the horse's of the top 15 NFR barrel racers

Hailey Kinsel and DM Sissy Hayday / Cowboy Channel

While some may say, "You can't ride papers," they should study the pedigrees of the best in the business. This business specifically is the barrel racing of the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Some of these matchups are new for the NFR and it will be exciting to see what they can accomplish together.

These horses pound more miles of pavement in the horse trailer in one year, than most horses do in a lifetime. To qualify once tests limits, but to do it year after year proves that there is something unique about them.

#1 Hailey Kinsel - DM Sissy Hayday

One of the most familiar duos of barrel racing, Hailey and "Sis" have 21 National Finals Rodeo round wins, the arena record in the Thomas and Mack, and over $1 million in NFR earnings alone. Sis won only $11,000 her futurity year and has gone on to earn over $3 million in her career at age thirteen.

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KN Fabs Gift Of Fame

At the Hondo Rodeo in Phoenix, Ariz., we saw Kinsel aboard KN Fabs Gift Of Fame. Fifteen-year-old "JLo" has found great success in the little yellow arena with Ivy Saebens, including an NFR Average title and round wins.

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BCK Spyder Monkey

Kinsel purchased Spyder from Kallie Wright, who amassed a very impressive resume on the mare.

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#2 Leslie Smalygo - JustAHeartBeatToFame

With just over $500,000 in lifetime earnings, "Gus" accomplished a feat in 2024 that few have - winning the Calgary Stampede and Rodeo Houston in the same year. Now fourteen, Gus had five starts on the track, with a speed index of 80 and zero dollars won. That did not determine his life's success and he won his first professional rodeo check at the age of eight, in 2018.

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Blazin Boss

Near the end of October, I saw an exciting announcement on Facebook that the stallion "Boss" would be joining Smalygo in Vegas. Their runs together have been looking outstanding. Futurity trainer, DaCota Monk, who trained Famous Lemon Drop (ran at the 2021 NFR with Stevi Hillman), has also won about $150,000 on Boss.

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#3 Ashley Castleberry - Skyy Blue

On the race track, Skyy Blue had a speed index of 81 and thirteen starts, one win, three second-place finishes, and one third-place finish. With lifetime earnings of $243,000 in the barrel racing, the eleven-year-old started the season in the backup position of Castleberry's string, but certainly did not end it there. I have heard fellow competitors call Skyy Blue an "absolute war horse" and I wholeheartedly agree.

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Calfee Stormy Dash

In 2022, "Stormy" suffered what most would have thought was a career ending injury. At the time, he was Castleberry's main mount. With time and care, he recovered and was back to his winning ways in 2024.

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TMM Hi Do Man

Earlier this year, Castleberry picked up "Little Man," who is by Captain Perk and his dam is a maternal sibling to Stormy.

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#4 Kassie Mowry - Force The Goodbye

At age six, "Jarvis" has over $1.1 million in lifetime earnings. He dominated in the aged events and absolutely took over in professional rodeo. I am unaware of any horse who has accomplished anything like this EVER: Jarvis won his first pro-rodeo check at the 2023 NFR, placing second in Round 7, then came back for his first pro-rodeo WIN in Round 8, running the fastest time of the rodeo, and winning again in Round 9. He ran 13.3 second times on back-to-back nights.

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CP He Will Be Epic

Mowry's great gray gelding, "Will" may be a big boy (at 17 hands), but he excels in the small pens.

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#5 Emily Beisel - Teasin Dat Guy

Owned by Felicity Martin of 4M Equine, "Chewy" was the Reserve Champion in the NFR Average with Molly Otto as a five-year-old. With nearly $500,000 in lifetime earnings, Chewy had an outstanding year with Beisel. While there are several Blazin Jetolena offspring in this group, Chewy is the only one with it on the maternal side.

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Ivory On Fire

Better known as "Liza," this great mare made several runs in the T&M last year and was in the money for nearly all of them.

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Namgis D 33

"Chongo" is hard to beat in any setup - from big outdoor pens to the trappy T&M. He and Beisel have several NFR round wins under their belt.

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#6 Lisa Lockhart - Promise Me Fame Guys

With lifetime earnings of $758,000, "Levee" had a solid futurity career and has absolutely excelled with Lockhart. They duo have notched consistent round wins and placings in the T&M.

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Blazin Ta Betty

"Sasha" is a full sister to Jordon Briggs' World Champion, Famous Lil Jet, "Rollo," making her another successful product of the Busby Quarter Horses program. Lockhart paired up with Sasha at the Hondo Rodeo and banked roughly $60,000 at the event.

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#7 Tiany Schuster - Famous Mic Guy Ver

This will be the second NFR for MicGuyVer, who also ran in Arlington in 2020. The gelding had just under $60,000 in futurity earnings, winning his first pro rodeo check in 2019 and first pro rodeo in 2020.

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Show Mance

Another trusty veteran in Schuster's string, Show Mance has "been there, done that" with roughly $493,000 in earnings. He placed in rounds at his last NFR in Las Vegas in 2017, as well as in Arlington in 2020.

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Schuster also won money in 2024 aboard JJ Carizzo Fire Bug (2016 - Carrizzo x Admire My Fire x Turn N Fire), Shines By Design (2019 - Slye By Design x SSheShinzLikADiamond x Zans Diamond Shine), and Admire My Fame (2019 - Carrizzo x Admire My Fire x Turn N Fire). We could see her aboard any of these great young horses, as well.

#8 Latricia Duke - DM High Roller

With lifetime earnings of $520,000, "Vanilla Wafer" was Reserve Horse of the Year. The stallion did the lion's share of winning for Duke in 2024. Duke not only raised Vanilla Wafer, but also his dam, who she competed on very successfully.

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Rey Of Fame

"Rey Rey" may be the only Dual Rey bred horse in this list, but he has an extensive list of wins to his name.

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Judge JB Cash

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#9 Halyn Lide - Jettin Ta Heaven

"Keeper" has earned roughly $277,000 in his lifetime. With a little over $4,000 in futurity earnings, Keeper found his stride, earning his first pro rodeo check in 2018 and his first pro rodeo in 2019.

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SR Easin Ta Heaven

Raised and owned by Stock Ranch, "Tottie" found success her futurity year, winning the first round of the BFA Juvenile in 2019 by two-tenths of a second. Per Lindsay Stock on Facebook, the mare had not been around the barrels in over a year, but placed third with Lide last week in Fort Worth behind fellow NFR competitors, Wenda Johnson and Tiany Schuster.

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#10 Dona Kay Rule - High Valor

"Valor" is knocking on the door to $1 million in lifetime earnings and I hope we get to see that breakthrough this week. Qualifying for his fifth NFR, Valor is a round winner in the T&M.

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NB Ladybird

With over $171,000 in lifetime earnings, "Birdie" has found exceptional success with Kenna Squires over the years. Her dam is none other than NFR qualifier "Dolly" who always put on a great show in Las Vegas with Jill Moody.

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#11 Wenda Johnson - Steal Money

With a speed index of 89, "Mo" had nine starts and one win on the track before finding his way to the barrel pen. Roughly $610,000 in lifetime earnings, four NFR qualifications, and NFR round wins are all on his resume.

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Hesa Mr Moonflash

"Diego" has a lengthy list of high-level wins with Jamie Montano, before joining Johnson's team with Highpoint Performance Horses.

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#12 Andrea Busby - Jets Top Gun

Your 2023 World Champion with Brittany Pozzi, there is not much that "Benny" has not won. Busby and husband, Jeff, raised and own the gelding, who has $863,000 in lifetime earnings and placed in eight rounds of the 2023 NFR.

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Born On Derby Day

With over $355,000 in lifetime earnings, Derby and Ashley Schafer were incredibly successful in the aged events prior to the mare joining Busby's string. Schafter also won substantially on both the sire and dam of this mare.

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Blazing With My Dude

With a sire and dam who both competed in the T&M, "Tito" had a stellar futurity year with Sue Smith.

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#13 Abby Phillips - VF Expensive Taste

Another great reminder that a horse's career is not determined by what they do at age five - "Andi Anderson" had $0 in futurity earnings. When she was ready to come to play, she came on hot. Andi Anderson won her first pro rodeo check in 2023, won her first pro rodeo later that fall, and qualified for the NFR one year later.

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VQ Im Buzzed

"Big P" won roughly $20,000 in the aged events with Ryann Pedone, before making a successful transition to rodeo with Phillips.

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#14 Carlee Otero - Blingolena

"Sly" was also raised by Busby Quarter Horses. I believe he is the youngest main horse in the field, at age six. With just over $7,000 in futurity earnings, he has now amassed $286,000 in lifetime earnings.

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HB Firewater Vanila

At just five-years-old, "Leroy" had a strong start to his career with Brett Monroe at the futurities and open events.

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#15 Shelley Morgan - HR FamesKissAndTell

"Kiss" has lifetime earnings of over $855,000, including a little over $40,000 in futurity earnings as a four-year-old. In 2022, she and Morgan won the NFR Average, placing in seven rounds.

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Bucky Wonder Horse

"Bee" is a full sister to Myers' great stallion, Lucky Wonder Horse. I have had the privilege of watching this very neat mare run up north with Melissa Brandt, before she joined Morgan's string.

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Thank you to AQHA, Facebook, Q-Data, Barrel Horse News, and Barrel Racing Dot Com, all of which were instrumental in my creation of this peice.