CALGARY continued from page 16 the trailer, and he’s ready to go. He’s just so full of life.” It showed in Calgary. In addition to posting an arena-record run, Mowry and Emmett weren’t far off in their two runs on the final Sunday of the Stampede on July 17. In the semifinals, they stopped the clock in 16.95 seconds, sharing the round victory with Oklahoman Dona Kay Rule. In the Showdown Round, which was clocked to the thousandth of a second to ensure a winner, Mowry and Emmett strode passed the electric eyes in 16.977 seconds. That was less than two- tenths faster than Rule’s second-place run. “He felt amazing that run,” said Mowry, who ran at the NFR in 2005 and 2017. “He was just on point on his turns and really ran free. I knew he was going to take care of the clock; I just needed to make sure we were clean.” He was, and Mowry had learned to trust her powerful mount just a little more. It’s proven to be a winning formula.
having a place to let her horses rest off-grounds was great, especially since Darling was sick for part of the time. So being in that environment was such a blessing for her. As of press time, Darling is going to turn out of a few rodeos and head home to give herself and Martini some much needed rest and relaxation before heading back to the Northwest and hopefully cinch her first Wrangler NFR qualification. Her plan for the rest of the season is to pick and choose the rodeos she thinks Martini will excel at. “I don’t want to go to a lot of rodeos. I really am counting on the Northwest rodeos to help me [stay in the standings’. It’s been a lifelong goal [to qualify for the NFR], and something I’ve always
Michelle Darling was all smiles collecting her first set of famous Reno Rodeo spurs after winning the average in a time of 51.37 seconds on three runs. Photo by Fernando Sam-Sin
wanted to accomplish… I’ve never tried to force [the qualification]. It if you make it you make it. I try not to dwell on it,” said Darling who is sponsored by 5 Star Equine and Oxygen Equine Products. Darling remains positive that she will be able to finish the year strong with her first NFR qualification!
Kassie Mowry had to learn to trust Emmett on the big stage in Calgary and once she did it was magical. The duo not only set a new arena record but outran all the star-studded field of barrel racers to be crowned Calgary Stampede champions. Photo by Emily Gethke
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two equine athletes have made all the difference. “Ever since I bought Jesse James, honestly, I feel like my roping has changed a lot. I feel like everything has been more consistent and it’s a lot easier for me to be placing consistently everywhere,” said Angelone. “You can only be as good as the horses underneath you and I feel like I have some of the best horses right now and it’s a really awesome feeling.” Now hauling by herself, Angelone has earned the freedom to be more selective about where she ropes to keep her expenses down, but still earn enough to hold her lead in the world standings. No stranger to the bright lights of the NFBR arena, Angelone says she is looking for redemption after barely missing the world title in 2020. This has been her driving factor for the last two years – but the difference now for Angelone, besides horsepower, is the elevation in her mental game. “This year, I feel like I’ve been a lot better about worrying about the one I have to run tomorrow instead of if something goes wrong,” stated Angelone. Between the advancement of her mental game, her increased horsepower, backing from her sponsors and her determination for a world title, Angelone is a forced to be reckoned with in 2022. “That’s my biggest goal for this year is to win [a gold buckle],” said Angelone. “I’m sitting good right now, but there’s a lot of season left. There’s a lot more to go and we still have the finals and everything like that, but I have a good mentality going into it, so I have a really good feeling about it.”
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winning the Columbia River year-end championship, the pair also placed second at the Pendleton Round-Up. Allan and her husband got Three as a colt and their trainer Josh Auman spotted something special in the horse right away. “Josh told us, ‘He’s a good one. This one is a keeper,’ ” Allan said. “The horse has a wonderful personality, a great disposition. He’s a gentle giant. Three is very polite and minds his manners. He reads you very well. And he does love his treats.” Allan and Three plan to focus on their circuit schedule for the remainder of 2022 but may add a few more rodeos. “We want to qualify for the big winter rodeos,” she said of 2023. “The horse tells you where you need to go. It’s fun to win and now you move on to the next one. “You know, it really hasn’t hit me that I won.” However, she does have a reminder. Contestants had to return their championship buckles to be engraved but got to keep the rest of their prizes. “When I go and open the tack door, oh boy, there it is,” Allan said of the championship saddle. “This is frosting on the cake.”
AUGUST 2022 WPRA NEWS 29
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