tries really hard, and she’s really quick. So, if you don’t ride her hard and pay attention really closely … if something happens, it’s already too late with her. I know that if I don’t come out breathing as hard as she does, then I didn’t ride her well enough!” Smith said she “never expected to win” Cheyenne, particularly after everyone watched Summer Kosel set an arena record of 16.97 seconds in the final round. “I thought, well, there’s always second!” Smith said with a laugh. But it wasn’t second place that was in the cards for Smith. Instead, she and Centerfold broke Kosel’s brand new record by stopping the clock in an even-quicker 16.89 seconds in the finals. For an instant, it was unbelievable to Smith. “It was thrilling! I just wanted to get off in the middle of the arena and hug my horse when they announced my time,” Smith said. “I was overwhelmed and so proud of her and just so appreciative. Like, ‘You did that for me?’ “And Summer was the first to congratulate me too,” she added. “She had a huge smile on her face. So that was really neat.” That lightning fast run was the culmination of an exciting rodeo that saw its challenges with the weather. Folks with the ground committee and Mountain States Circuit had been keeping a close eye on the ground conditions, ones that can be particularly difficult in Wyoming. Then, Mother Nature unleashed a downpour and the ground needed help. They called in Randy Spraggins with Special T Tracks, known as the “Dirt Guys” to help. Smith said it was interesting to watch the crew and “the amazing job” they did to improve the ground conditions. Ultimately, that led to the two new arena records. Interestingly enough, Smith had a hand in last year’s Cheyenne Frontier Days victory too. Winner Andrea Busby was riding a horse, Tito, that Smith trained. She futuritied her as a colt and handed her off
Diamonds Tiny Effort, came to Smith’s barn as a late two-year old. “I have some friends who train racehorses, and they owned her mom and her grandmother,” Smith said following the futurity title in 2016, adding that her dam had a speed index of 110 and set three track records in her race career. “They bred her to Dash Ta Fame thinking she might make a barrel horse once her racing career was done.” Now that she’s 12, Centerfold is a trusty barrel racing mount in Smith’s trailer. She picks and chooses from a few horses, but said she felt like the mare was a good option for Cheyenne. “I felt like she would run good there,” she said. “She’s gritty and Sue Smith was all smiles capturing her first Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo buckle and a check worth $22,258 from Cheyenne. Smith last qualified for the NFR in 2011 but will be back in 2023 aboard her 12-year- old mare Dashs Centerfold. Photo by Jackie Jensen
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SEPTEMBER 2023 WPRA NEWS 13
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