KEY WIN Kinsel Wins San Antonio Title for Third Time By Ted Harbin A uthentic Texans believe in certain things: The 23 flavors in Dr Pepper, the taste of a Whataburger and Buc-ee’s is the greatest convenience store in the world.
They also remember the Alamo and bleed for the Lone Star flag. For competitors like Hailey Kinsel, finding success in Texas is a big deal. She’s a Texas A&M Aggie and a woman who’s made a name for herself in barrel racing by running one of the best horses of this era with DM Sissy Hayday, an 11-year-old palomino mare she calls Sister. The two were strong over five runs to win the title at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, collecting $24,000 in the process to win the rodeo for the third time in her already storied career. “Winning San Antonio is important for a Texan, but it’s even more important for a south Texan,” said Kinsel, a three-time world champion from the town of Cotulla, about an hour-and-a-half drive from the AT&T Center in San Antonio. “That was the big rodeo growing up that we would go to. It was a little too far to go to Houston, so my family would go there. I was also much more familiar with San Antonio as a kid. “I’m extra proud to have a few wins there. That was the rodeo that I wished I could compete at when I was a kid.” Running in the fifth bracket of the tournament-
Hailey Kinsel and Sister are now as recognizable as the Whataburger logo on the barrels at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo having won this rodeo three times in their storied career. They won a total of $24,000 over five runs to take the title by $6,000 over Dona Kay Rule, as the title in San Antonio goes to the individual who wins the most money during the bracket format. Photo by Kay Miller
13.70-second run, the fastest of the 17-day rodeo. They kept the pressure on the field with a 13.76 in the final round to collect another $15,000, finishing the event with the most earnings among barrel racers. San Antonio is unique in that total money is what earns the championship, and Kinsel did that by out-distancing runner- up Dona Kay Rule by $6,000. That’s just part of the equation for the iconic Texas cowgirl, who is as recognizable as the Whataburger logo on the barrels that create the cloverleaf pattern inside AT&T Center. She also earned just shy of $20,000 at both RodeoHouston and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, pocketing $61,520 at the first three big indoor rodeos in Texas this year. After a year in a smaller building because of COVID restrictions, the rodeo returned to the home of the San Antonio Spurs for its 17-day rodeo. That was a welcome site for Kinsel and for Sister. “It’s always exciting when there’s a lot of fans in the seats,” Kinsel said. “I know San Antonio was happy to be back in their arena … the committee and the fans. “Sister has always worked pretty good in there. We’ve made the finals every year that we’ve run in there; winning three out of four attempts in that arena has been pretty good.” As of the end of March, she was No. 2 in the world standings, a good place as she prepares for the summer run and a chance to return
style event, Kinsel and Sister placed in the first round and won the second to earn a spot in the semifinals. That’s where the situation lit a fire under the team, and they raced to the Semifinal 1 title with a
Hailey Kinsel and Sister raced their way to their third title at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. Kinsel, who grew up in Cotulla, Texas, just south of San Antonio, considers this her hometown rodeo and is always grateful to take the victory lap around AT&T Center with her family and friends cheering her on in the stands. Photo by Hailey Rae
22 WPRA NEWS APRIL 2022
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