nightly wins. “I am just laughing as it is such a late night (when you win and go to the nightly buckle presentation) and you have this funny thought during the day that I like to win but second isn’t terrible as you can get to bed sooner. But all jokes aside it is a good reason to be up late.” Plus the money is nice as well as she has added another $28,914 to her winnings for 2022 and is second behind reigning world champion Jordon Briggs. Briggs has $212,496 but Kinsel has climbed up and now has a total of $187,217 with eight more rounds to go. She is the big money winner thus far with $67,827. Johnson leads the average with three clean and fast runs totaling 41.30 seconds. Briggs, who set an average record in 2021, is sitting second with a time of 41.48 seconds. Fan favorites Dona Kay Rule and Lisa Lockhart finished second and third, respectively on the night with times of 13.74 and 13.78. Valor was voted the WPRA Horse With The Most Heart earlier this week by the Top 15. ROUND 4: BEISEL BRINGS THE HEAT IN ROUND 4 AT WRANGLER NFR
ROUND 5: LOCKHART, KINSEL SPLIT THE ROUND 5 WIN AT THE 2022 WRANGLER NFR
It was an NFR Million Dollar winner’s circle during the fifth round. Hailey Kinsel, surpassed the $1 million in NFR earnings during the fourth round and joined Lisa Lockhart in that elite club. Tonight, they shared the round win and added to their figures both picking up $25,882.
“That is really cool but that is Sister’s record,” stated Kinsel about crossing the $1 million in NFR earnings. “I have had a lot of great horses to help but that is all her. To be able to do that in less than six years, I don’t know how to put that into words. “I came into the ProRodeo world when it was booming. The American took off and the rounds started paying better here (NFR), other rodeos started paying more, ground got better…I am a lucky kid.” Kinsel on Sister and Lockhart on Levee tonight and both jockeys stopped the clock in 13.52 seconds, to surpass Kassie Mowry who had a 13.57 second run as the second barrel racer on the pattern. “He has just been gaining confidence,” said Lockhart of the difference in Levee to get the win tonight. “The first round he was very hesitant, and I figured I should give him another chance. In round two he was definitely more confident and tonight he took the bit from me in the alley, and he went when he wanted to go. It wasn’t my plan, but I thought well I better hang on for the ride because I didn’t have much choice as he was going. He was just as strong as could be and our timing was good. It is so impeccable to nail the first barrel here and very hard to do. Once we did that tonight it was just trying to get him to the right spots and see what happened.” This is Kinsel’s third round win of the 2022 NFR and Lockhart’s first but probably not her last. Lockhart leads the average in a time of 68.71 seconds, while Kinsel is eighth after a downed barrel in the first round. Kinsel did move to No. 1 in the world, a spot Jordon Briggs has held since March after winning RodeoHouston. Kinsel is looking for her fourth world title. Briggs is second in the average with a time of 68.94 seconds on five runs. Kinsel has won $105,835 through five rounds and has $225,225 on the season. Briggs is second with $222,289. ROUND 6: SHARING IS CARING, BEISEL AND POZZI TONOZZI SHARE WIN IN ROUND 6
Emily Beisel had been waiting on this night since arriving in Las Vegas and knowing how hard her trusty stead Chongo was working. It all came together for her on Sunday night inside the Thomas and Mack. Beisel took an early lead
being the third racer out on the track setting the bar at 13.60 seconds. Two others came close, Margo Crowther and Lisa Lockhart with times of 13.65 seconds, but it was Beisel’s night. She had three good luck charms that aligned tonight…her husband, Austin, is now in town; she was third out on the ground, which has been the popular spot for three out of four rounds; and she was wearing unicorn socks. “It is so funny, Jimmie Smith Tew sent me out here with some unicorn socks. In Arlington, she cracked her unicorn socks out for her round win (at the 2020 Wrangler NFR) and now I am wearing my unicorn socks tonight,” noted Beisel. “There were plenty of good luck charms going on tonight.” Beisel started her fourth NFR with a fifth-place finish in the first round with a time of 13.82 seconds but was snakebit in the second and third rounds with downed barrels. She knew her horse was working better than he ever has out here so it was just a matter of time. “It is really confidence boosting to have a horse working like Chongo has been working this week,” stated Beisel. “It is a lot easier to fix an overachiever than it is to put a horse back together. He has just been overworking. Trying so hard to be so good and we were just inches from having it right. It is a game of inches. Tonight, I just tried to give him a little more room and it worked out.” Lockhart moved to first in the average in a time of 55.19 seconds on four runs, with reigning average and world champion Jordon Briggs holding down second in the average and still first in the world. Her lead has shrunk and holds only a $13,154 lead over No. 2 Hailey Kinsel, who was fourth on the night in a time of 13.66 seconds. Kinsel is the big money winner in the barrel racing thus far having amassed $79,953 and with that she crossed the $1 million mark in NFR earnings alone. Through four rounds at the 2022 Wrangler NFR, she has won $1,006,599 at the NFR alone.
The winner’s circle in the barrel racing the past two nights at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, presented by Teton Ridge has been crowded with round splits in the fifth and sixth round. During the sixth round it was Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi
and Emily Beisel sharing center stage with identical times of 13.57 seconds. Pozzi Tonozzi was aboard Babe On The Chase “Birdie” and Beisel on Namgis D 33 “Chongo.” It was Birdie that set the pace at continued on page 36
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 WPRA NEWS 15
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