A Piece of History

Brandon Cullins wins his first The American Rodeo championship March 9 inside Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, aboard MJ Segers Fast Lane.

After 10 years The American Rodeo officially has its first male barrel racing champion. Brandon Cullins aboard MJ Segers Fast Lane (The Goodbye Lane x SKS Running Faucet x Diamond Faucet), owned by Grant and Rayel Little, took home the $1.1 million The American Rodeo bonus money as the only Contender to win his event.

The Better Barrel Races sanctions the barrel racing competition at The American and The American Contender Tournament Finals where Cullins and “Seger” also topped the competition to earn a spot as a Contender to The American Rodeo. The BBR offers a pathway for barrel racers not in the top five of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association world standings to earn a spot to compete for the lucrative payout. Not only that, but since the BBR allows both men, women and youth competitors to compete within their association this give opportunities for athletes not eligible to compete in professional rodeo a chance to compete at The American — such as youth competitors as well as men and other barrel racers that focus their careers in the futurity and aged-event fields.

Brandon Cullins wins his first The American Rodeo championship March 9 in Arlington, Texas, aboard MJ Segers Fast Lane. — Cullins won his first The American Rodeo championship after six American Rodeo qualifications and multiple Final Four appearances, becoming the first male barrel racer to win The American. Photo by Kailey Sullins

Cullins himself is a multiple futurity champion and has carved out a career as a leading futurity trainer. Originally from Maryland, the 35-year-old trainer started his career within the National Barrel Horse Association before going on to earn more than $1.4 million in futurity earnings alone.

Cullins is the only person to have won the Barrel Futurities of American World Championships’ Juvenile, Futurity and Derby in the same year, which he did in 2017 with RR Mistakelly, Folsom Prisoner and VQ Sucker Punch, respectively. RR Mistakelly, now the leading freshman sire, became the highest money earning stallion at the futurities under his guidance. VQ Sucker Punch, also helped Cullins qualified to The American multiple times.

This year Cullins and Seger came into The American Rodeo with confidence and as a multiple American Rodeo qualifier Cullins knows what it takes to be successful.

In the long round of The American on March 9 the top five from the Contender Tournament Finals battled against the top five of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association for a chance to advance to the Final Four short round. Cullins and Seger turned in a time of 15.303 in the long round finishing second behind Emily Beisel and Ivory On Fire.

As first on the ground in the Final Four, Cullins and Seger took a commanding lead with 15.173 to set the pace and ultimately win The American Rodeo Barrel Racing title.

“I’ve been here six times and this is the first dollar I’ve ever won,” Cullins said. “This takes a lot of pressure off a lot of things. We’ve had a really good year, but this really helps finish it off. [My fiancé Emily Efurd and I] just moved a couple of years ago and we’re in the middle of building our place.”

The American Rodeo changed ownership and venues with 2023 marking the first year since its inception that the event had not been held inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys. This year’s event marks the third year to be under the management of Teton Ridge. For the second year the rodeo was hosted across the street in Arlington inside the home of the Texas Rangers baseball team in Globe Life Field. Here, the two-arena setup, which had become commonplace at The American also changed to a standard, one-arena, traditional rodeo configuration. But one thing has not changed, the excitement-filled atmosphere, extraordinary athlete talent and life-changing payouts.

All totaled, between its Contender Regional Tournament, Contender Finals and The American Rodeo, the event paid out more than $2.9 million.

As the only Contender to earn the $100,000 championship for winning his event Cullins was the sole winner of the $1 million bonus, making his total American earnings $1.1 million.

“It takes a lot of pressure off of things,” Cullins said of how the money will inevitable change his life. “We’ve had a really good year, but this is really going to finish it off. This will definitely help a lot.”

Seger, who was trained and started by owner Rayel Little has proven herself long before she ended up in the hands of Cullins earning paychecks in aged-event competition with Little and Marcie Jarvis Wilson. Cullins swung a leg over Seger for the first time in 2023 and the duo earned $238,000 in 2023. Now, with the lucrative payout from The American the mare has more than $1.3 million in lifetime earnings.

Cullins is quick to give credit to the mare’s special nature and incredible natural talent.

“She’s just a different kind; like nothing I’ve ever rode before. I mean those are great horses that I got to be able to ride, but she has it all. Like her mentality, when we got down here she’s pushing me down the ramp to get down here [to the arena] and then when I get down here it’s loud and noise going off and she’s just relaxes, just chill. When we go down the alleyway she’ll let me place her wherever I want. Then to have the ability that she has — she has the speed and then the want to turn. I think that’s what sets her apart. She has everything you could ever want in one.”

Emily Beisel and Ivory On Fire topped the long round of The American Rodeo with a time of 15.205 to advance to the Final Four round. The Weatherford, Oklahoma, resident and her 2016 mare by Ivory James and out of Lil Miss Firewater by Fire Water Flit ultimately finished second to earn $25,000 from their Final Four round time of 15.447. Photo by Kailey Sullins

Bred by Mark and Linda Jarvis, Seger is by their $8 million barrel sire The Goodbye Lane. The 7-year-old mare is the last foal out of SKS Running Faucet, a daughter of Diamond Faucet.

Cullins, who’s EquiStat earnings of more than $2.9 million reflect the numerous talented horses he’s jockeyed to success knows just how rare it is to find a winning horse. Immediately, Cullins knew Seger was a winner, even as it took time to figure out each other’s style.

“She was kind of tricky at first just because she’s so aggressive and just wants it so bad then once it clicked and just like she just got it I got once I figured out where to put her and how to set her up and then she just kind of takes over.

“I think just a just like getting older and more confident where she was putting her feet like Marcy always in rail both always clocked good on her and then Marcie did real well just kind of caught barrels here and there that and I understand why like mare, you wiggle the rein or wiggle a cheek she’s going to bury up in turn, so she wasn’t very forgiving that way. And then she’s kind of as she came and I think she got more confident where to put her feet. That’s where she really started to excel.”

While this is Cullins’ first The American Rodeo championship it’s not the first time he’s qualified for the event, or even qualified into the Final Four finals round. He’s found success on VQ Sucker Punch, A Cornerstone and MCM Imasharpguy, but it wasn’t until this year that he was able to not only pick up a paycheck but ultimately win the coveted title.

Rylee Jo Maryman and 2016 mare One Cup Tees Sis finished third in the long round with a time of 15.428. They had a little tough luck in the Final Four with a downed barrel and a time of 20.253. Still their efforts were good enough to finish third overall and earn $10,000. Photo by Kailey Sullins

“Their desire, like that mare just wants to do like you can’t you can trick a horse in the run and barrels a couple times if you can make them run on that level. Just the ones that want to do it. That just makes all the difference in the world. Like I feel like that mare just loves them and that’s the first time we ever ran into that quick to want twice in one day and I feel like she was more pumped to come down here than the first time if not more so. I think she just loves it.”

AQHA Fan Favorite Horse

Alan Woodbury’s 14-year-old mare Rosas Cantina CC, which has been in the hands of 17-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Lisa Lockhart earned the American Quarter Horse Association’s Fan Favorite Horse award. Those in attendance at The American Rodeo were able to vote on their AQHA Fan Favorite Horse of the event, and ultimately “Rosa” stood out among the rest. The 2010 buckskin mare who’s by AQHA Hall of Fame racehorse Corona Cartel and out of NFR-qualifying mare Dash Ta Vanila, who’s by all-time leading barrel horse sire Dash Ta Fame. Lockhart, who’s a three-time The American Rodeo champion has earned more than $3.5 million in EquiStat reported lifetime earnings and Rosas has helped earn her more than $550,000 of those earnings.