Tricia Aldridge and Jodee Miller top a talented field of aged-event competitors at the Elite Extravaganza.
The Elite Extravaganza kicked off its annual running at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas, from February 29 — March 3. A total of 2,567 entries ran for more than $200,000 in cash prizes. An additional $50,000 was paid out through Future Fortunes, with Fast 5 and Texas Quarter Horse Association adding bonus money to sweeten the pot. Competitors also ran for great prizes including Martin Saddlery certificates for the Futurity and Derby Champions and belt buckles for divisional champions.
Now in its 14th year, the Elite Extravaganza continues to grow in popularity amongst competitors, who appreciate the event’s generous payout and family atmosphere.
“We run fast, efficient races,” producer T.C. Long shared. “We are consistent and have good ground and great payouts. We pride ourselves in great family fun.”
Tricia Aldridge and Adios Pantalones First in Futurity
It was a storybook weekend in Waco for Sanger, Texas, trainer Tricia Aldridge, who jockeyed Adios Pantalones to rock solid performances in both go-rounds of the Futurity to top the average with a 29.908, worth $5,991.
The pair kicked off the week with a first-place finish in Round One, clocking a 15.028 to win $2,417. The horses turned up the heat in Round Two, with Jolene Montgomery turning in a scorching 14.798 aboard MCM Tres A Legacy to set the pace. “Adios” was hot on the Dunn Ranch-owned mare’s heels, dialing up the speed to clock a 14.880 and placing fifth, worth $1,156.
The week was good, but not unlike many Aldridge has experienced aboard her superstar stallion, whose debut performance at the Barrel Futurities of America earned a SuperStakes Reserve Championship and a third-place finish in the Juvenile Average. By $3,000,000 sire Tres Seis, and out of $400,000 producer French Bar Belle by Frenchmans Guy, Adios has gone on to place in the futurity average at every event he has competed in to-date.
Among his notable accomplishments are a fourth-place finish in the OKC Rookie Futurity Average, third place in the Golden Buckle Futurity Average, a reserve championship in the Lone Star Shootout Futurity, and championship wins at the Royal Crown and SVE Open Futurities in Buckeye, Arizona, and the Jingle Bell Classic Futurity. All totaled, Adios has carried Aldridge to nearly $200,000 in earnings since November 2023.
Aldridge found Adios through a Facebook sale ad and purchased him from Leslie Bailey as a weanling in 2020.
“I was looking for a Tres Seis stud colt, and everything I was looking at was falling through,” Aldridge recalled. “Somebody else would buy it before I could get there. I really wanted something I could ride, but I ended up buying Adios when he was just five months old.”
Initially, Aldridge says she wasn’t sure he would have the speed to be a top competitor.
“I never saw him run around the field. He was like a turtle all the time,” Aldridge laughed. “I remember the first time I fly sprayed him, he jumped back and pawed at me, and I was so excited to see he could move that fast! He was kind of plain as a colt. He didn’t have the big personality he has now — I think that came as everyone started telling him how great he was. He got an ego, and he really thinks he’s something now.”
As Adios grew, he began to amass a following of social media admirers through Aldridge’s Red Hot Barrel Horses social media page, who have enjoyed watching his training process from early rides to exhibitions, and later his first competition runs. Aldridge also shares videos showcasing the stallion’s larger-than-life personality and ongoing shenanigans. He is frequently on the receiving end of mail from adoring fans, who send new products for him to try, along with his favorite snack — strawberry pop-tarts.
As Adios has continued to tackle every competition with ease, his stallion books quickly filled through 2025. As of the writing of this article, he has a waiting list of more than 800 mares.
There’s no denying the waves Adios and Aldridge have made in the barrel industry in the four short months since Adios’ debut run, but she says the dream is far from over. In fact, Aldridge has made it her goal to win $300,000 on Adios during his futurity year — a feat that would make him the all-time highest earning futurity stallion. With eight months remaining before Adios closes out his futurity career, Aldridge says she optimistic about the goal.
“Adios does everything we ask, and he’s happy to do it. He’s just so consistent,” Aldridge said. “He’s definitely a unicorn. I know I’ll have more winning horses, but I’ll never have another one like him.”
Jodee Miller and M R Im On Fire Guys Win Derby
Jodee Miller isn’t afraid to wait on a good one. She knows not every horse comes along at the same pace, and some of them just need more time than most. M R Im On Fire Guys is one of those horses. Purchased on impulse from a sale in Texas, Fuego has taken years to reach his full potential.
“We had just bought Streak [French Streaktovegas] not long before we came across this colt at a sale,” Miller recalled. “He was a little straggly looking, but he was the only one in the sale by “Streak.” I couldn’t help but bid on him.”
By French Streaktovegas and out of N Fuego by Walk Thru Fire, “Fuego” joined Miller’s barn as a long yearling in 2018. She sent him to her colt starter to be started under saddle as a 2-year-old, but says the colt didn’t get much riding until his 3-year-old year.
“He was sketchy for a long time,” Miller said with a laugh. “It took forever to gain his trust — he was the kind that wanted to get scared, and he was hard to get a handle on. I had to send him to my colt breaker a couple different times.”
Once he was going well under saddle at home, Miller says the challenges were far from over.
“The hauling and seasoning process took forever,” she shared. “A couple times during his futurity year he almost bucked me off. He’d get scared and jump, and that would throw me off balance and scare him even more. It took him a while to fire in his runs, too — he wanted to go in and do a lot of looking around.”
Despite his quirks, Miller says she knew early on that the colt had the makings of a winner.
“I felt how good he was pretty quickly,” she said. “He was reserved and quirky, but I knew he was talented. I also knew people were never going to understand how nice he was until he was older because he needed the extra time.”
That time has paid dividends for Miller, who held Fuego over to futurity his 5-year-old year.
“He came on really nice during his futurity year,” Miller shared. “He started placing in the summer through the end of the year, but he was right there with some really nice horses all year long. Was he a standout? No, but he was a really nice colt.”
Now in his second derby year, Miller says Fuego’s maturity continues to propel him to greater heights in his competitive career.
“He’s gaining more and more confidence, and he gets sharper the more he takes it in,” Miller explained. “A lot of horses try to outthink you — this horse isn’t dumb, he’s just really patient and lets me put him where I want him.”
As Fuego’s confidence has grown, Miller has begun introducing the 7-year-old to life on the rodeo road. And thanks to her early patience, he’s taking it all in stride.
“I wasn’t sure how he’d handle the rodeos, to be honest,” Miller admitted. “He’s used to good ground, so I wasn’t sure what he’d think about running on bad ground. He’s handled that phenomenally. The other thing I was worried about was how he would handle the pressure with more runs — especially with the rodeo atmosphere and the crowds — but he’s really stepped up. He’s been all business and gets better the more runs I make. Right now, he’s just on fire.”
Although she’s only been heavily involved in futurities for a handful of years, Miller is quickly leaving her mark on the industry. She says a big part of her success rests in the trial-and-error program she’s developed for herself, as well as her willingness to shift plans when a horse needs a different approach.
“It can be hard when you’re a futurity trainer because you can get to thinking, ‘I’m a futurity trainer — I want them to win now.’ But there’s a whole career past futurities, so I try to stay patient and let each horse come along at its own pace. You can ruin by one rushing, and it will never amount to anything. I’m not afraid to give them breaks and I’m not afraid to get behind. I’m ready when the horse says it’s ready.”
