Cervi and Hailey Kinsel. She has won $1,0006,704 and is destined to add to that total over the course of the next six rounds. She is also on the brink of setting a new all-time season earnings record in the WPRA as she is now just $2,286 away from that. She sits No. 1 with $348,415 and the record is held by reigning world champion Hailey Kinsel with $350,700 set in 2018. SUMMER KOSEL BROUGHT THE HEAT IN THE FIFTH ROUND OF THE WRANGLER NFR Summer Kosel, who
never been to before, it is tough and something even Chongo had to work hard for. She was doing it pretty effortlessly and gave me confidence to stay on her.” Round six was held at 10 a.m. PST as the make-up round for the postponed Thursday, December 7 night performance due to the shooting that happened on the campus of UNLV on December 6 during contestant grand entry rehearsal. This was Beisel’s third time in her career to win the sixth round at the NFR. Her first coming when the NFR moved to Arlington, Texas, for 2020 due to COVID, the second time in 2022 and now another historic sixth round in 2023. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi who leads the world and average made a horse change for the sixth round and she brought her 12-year-old mare Babe On The Chase “Birdie” down the alleyway. Although they didn’t place in the round, Birdie turned in a safe run to keep Pozzi Tonozzi atop the average leaderboard with 82.17 seconds on six runs. POZZI TONOZZI ON BRINK OF THIRD WORLD TITLE, GETS ROUND 7 WIN
is competing in her first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, brought the heat during the fifth round turning in the fastest time thus far of the 2023 edition. Firewaterfrenchfame better known as Apollo stopped the clock in a time of 13.42 seconds as the first
Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, the No. 1 WPRA barrel racer in the world, has been patiently waiting to make her way to the winner’s circle at the 2023 Wrangler NFR. The wait is over.
runner out on Tuesday night. Last week, Apollo was voted as the Scoti Flit Bar Rising Star Award winner and the 8-year-old bay gelding showed the sold-out crowd just how good he is. “It is pretty amazing,” said Kosel, who hails from Glenham, South Dakota, when asked what her first NFR win felt like. “Tonight, I just stayed out of his and God’s way and it worked out. It just came together. Apollo is pretty amazing.” With the win Kosel adds $30,706 to her 2023 earnings which will go a long way in buying Christmas presents for her four children ages 17, 13, 12 and 8. “When I made it here, I made up my mind I was going to have fun,” stated Kosel about what her first experience at the NFR has been like. “The hard work was over, and we made it here. Everyone asking me for a game plan, and I said, ‘anytime I have had a game plan it has never gone well.’ I just wing it and live on a prayer, and we just send it every run.” While Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi has yet to visit the winner’s circle she continues to remain in the NFR news. A day after surpassing the $1 million mark in NFR earnings alone, during the fifth round she finished second in a time of 13.58 seconds to set a new all-time WPRA season earnings record with $372,683. The old record was set in 2018 by current world champion Hailey Kinsel with $350,700. Pozzi Tonozzi still leads the average race in a time of 68.27 seconds on five runs. She is not only looking to add her third gold buckle to her trophy case but also a third NFR average title. Her previous average titles came in 2006 and 2007 and previous world titles were 2007 and 2009. BEISEL AND LIZA GET THE WIN IN HISTORIC ROUND 6 AT THE WRANGLER NFR
Pozzi Tonozzi and Jets Top Gun “Benny” stopped the clock in 13.47 seconds to win the seventh round and move ever so close to mathematically clinching her third world title.
“We finally got a go-around win,” stated Pozzi Tonozzi after Rd. 7. “Benny and I have been very patiently winning second. They got the ground worked up really good for tonight and it was fast.” The Lampasas, Texas, cowgirl leads the average in a time of 95.64 seconds on seven runs and has now surpassed the $400,000 mark in season earnings with $403,389 the most of any barrel racer ever in the 75-year history of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. “I am just excited to have a little room to breathe,” said Pozzi Tonozzi. “I think I am far enough ahead that I have the deal sealed and now it is time to just go have fun.” Pozzi Tonozzi is making her 17th appearance at the Wrangler NFR. Her first coming in 2003 when she also came in as the No. 1 barrel racer her rookie year. She is only $14,150 from clinching her third title. A third-round finish or better during the eighth round will do it and she has said in the past one doesn’t start thinking about a world title until the eighth round. Tune in on Thursday night to see how the story unfolds. “That would be amazing to come in and be so dominate, to win a go round, win the average, and win the world that is definitely another goal that I would like to reach,” noted Pozzi Tonozzi when talking about leading the average as well and trying to get that third average title along with third world title. It was Military night on Wednesday night and each of the Top 15 ladies was riding for Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent. This is a program known as Honor Tags For Heroes and has been a unique program to the WPRA for the last eight years. BARREL RACERS TURNED UP THE HEAT IN RD. 8, POZZI TONOZZI CLINCHES THIRD WORLD TITLE Things got mighty fast in the barrel racing during the eighth round of the Wrangler NFR. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, the No. 1 ranked barrel racer, set the bar high laying down a 13.34-second run aboard Jets Top Gun “Benny” as the second barrel racer out on Thursday night. That was the fastest run of the 2023 edition until Kassie Mowry and Force The Goodbye continued on page 36
While most have become used to seeing Emily Beisel on the grey gelding known as Chongo at the Wrangler NFR she made headlines on Wednesday morning, December 13, at the Wrangler NFR with a round win on Ivory On Fire known as Liza. Liza is a 7-year-old mare
that carried Beisel to the Governor’s Cup Championship in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the end of the season and has proven she belongs on Beisel’s A-team. Following the first performance Beisel’s main mount Chongo came down with an infection and has been recovering while Liza has stepped up in rockstar fashion. “She hasn’t given me a reason to get off of her and it is allowing Chongo more time to recover,” said Beisel. “She has been placing… to get fourth in three rounds out here especially in a place she has
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 WPRA NEWS 15
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