Jordan Driver and Trheavensilluminated win $100,000 at the 2024 Texan Barrel Race held in Abilene, Texas, October 14-20.
No incentives? No problem when barrel racers can go run at the Texan’s $850,000 guaranteed open barrel race.
The Texan’s format, held over a week, allowed barrel racers to enter one of three different sections. They competed in two rounds back-to-back days in their allotted sections. Each round paid an individual payout that day, and then all of the times throughout the week were combined for one overall payout.
Barrel racers like 21-year-old college athlete Jordan Driver of Garden City, Texas, who competes in both college and professional rodeos, took advantage of the format during a busy time of year to travel to Abilene in hopes of taking home $100,000, and she succeeded in doing just that.
In The Driver’s Seat: Jordan Driver and Trheavensilluminated Win Big
Get accustomed to seeing Jordan Driver’s name in the winner’s circle. The young talent who has spent her entire life barrel racing is just getting started in her barrel racing endeavors and the goals she wishes to accomplish in her career barrel racing.
Driver is a second-generation rodeo competitor. Her parents, Jennifer and Dane Driver, met at Tarleton State University, where both competed on the college rodeo team. Jennifer is a successful barrel racer in her own right, having won the Collegiate Finals Rodeo barrel racing title.
“My mom has her string of horses, which she lets me steal from time to time whenever I think I need to,” Driver said with a laugh. “She’s a big help keeping the horses at home taken care of and going whenever I am on the road rodeoing.”
Driver has since followed in her parents’ footsteps, attending Tarleton State University, pursuing a degree in kinesiology, and competing in professional and college rodeos.
“Tarleton State University has been so supportive of me and my barrel racing career,” Driver admitted. “It’s a lot to juggle taking classes and going to the pro rodeos and the college rodeos, but being able to take my classes online makes it possible.”
Driver admitted that she was unsure about even entering the Texan because of the TVE National Collegiate Champion Shootout in Liberty, Texas, the very same week.
“I knew it was going to be a lot of driving, but I felt like the arena and set up at Abilene would really fit my horse, so we decided to make it work,” Driver said.
Driver ran her 2017 grey gelding Judge JB Cash (Judge Cash x Bevs AA Whiz Kid x PC Bar Dox Frost), also known as “Judge,” in the first round at Liberty on Wednesday.
Driver then went back home and picked up Trheavensilluminated, better known as “Cyrus,” to head to Abilene on Thursday. They tipped a barrel in round one and cruised out to still clock a good time.
“After I tipped the first in the first round, I knew I had nothing to lose. I was on top of the ground in the second round, and I knew I had nothing to lose. Cyrus felt good and was pretty full of himself warming up, and I just decided to go for it,” Driver said. “After I got past the first barrel, I felt pretty good about it.”
Driver then went back down South on Saturday to Liberty to run in the short round, where she placed second and secured an American qualification.
Driver said she spent the next two days sweating it out as she waited for multiple good horses that were still left to run before the conclusion of the barrel race.
“It was so fun to get to run against so many good horses. We never know who’s going to come out on top and whose day it is going to be, and I’m just glad that it was our day,” Driver said humbly. “It really has not set in yet; it feels pretty surreal.”
Driver purchased the talented gelding from Tracy Lambert after the Pink Buckle in 2022. He then stayed with trainer Molli Montgomery to finish out his futurity year before Driver took the reins over.
“I took my time seasoning him to the rodeos, but honestly, he didn’t hardly need it. The first performance I ran him at in Reno, he didn’t blink an eye. He handles the ground so well and really takes care of himself,” Driver explained.
Driver set out a goal to finish in the top 30 of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association in 2024. She did just that, ending the season at 25th in the world, winning the last three rodeos of the season, earning Driver’s spot at the winter building rodeos, as well as a place at her very first Texas Circuit Finals.
“It’s ultimately in God’s will and God’s plan,” Driver said when talking about her future goals for her barrel racing career. “I really feel like that sorrel horse can do it, and I really want everyone to be able to see him do it. He’s a really cool horse, and I am really excited to see what unfolds next year.”
Driver is also excited about some upcoming futurity hopefuls, including a two-year-old half-sibling to Cyrus by The Goodbye Lane in training with Molli Montgomery.
Driver thanks her family, hauling partner Latricia Duke, and Kathy Alley for everything they do to make their dreams possible, along with the rest of her support system. She also thanked her sponsors: Driven PCR, Classic Equine, Denton Pro Tubs, OE Nutra, West Texas Equine Clinic, PHT Products, Wild Texas Embroidery LLC, and Josh Cordova.
Mare Power: TR Dashing Badger
The 2000 grey mare by Mr Illuminator, out of the mare TR Double Cash by Texas High Dasher, certainly made her mark in the arena as a competitor, amassing EquiStat earnings of more than $302,648, including four National Finals Rodeo qualifications and two NFR Average Championships and Reserve World Championships with jockey Jill Moody aboard.
Years later, “Dolly” is passing down her winning genetics to the next generation, including Trheavensilluminated. The sorrel gelding, trained by professional futurity barrel horse trainer Molli Montgomery of Purdon, Texas, had a successful futurity year, winning more than $303,882 in EquiStat earnings, including the 2022 Old Fort Days Futurity Championship.
After Cyrus and Driver’s big win at the Texan, Dolly’s progeny earnings officially surpassed $1 million.
TR Dashing Badger’s Top Money Earners:
1. Trheavensilluminated, $303,882
2. Dollys Streaknbadger, $208,766
3. NB Ladybird, $169,884
4. Heavens Illuminator, $54,212
5. TR Lying Badger, $36,711
This article was originally published in the December 2024 issue of Barrel Horse News.
