“Grady (Lockhart’s husband) woke up with a pep in his step today,” Lockhart said of the man she calls her soulmate. “How does he always know? He was like, ‘Today is going to be a good day!’ and was just bouncing around all day. I know part of that is just to try to help me, especially after last night. Yeah, we were disappointed, but we knew it was probably bound to happen. So, sometimes it’s almost like a monkey off your back. To me, it just makes me mad and I come back with a vengeance. I grit my teeth a little harder and we have to make up for it.”
Taking full advantage of the top of the ground, Lockhart and An Oakie With Cash set the pace of the seventh go-round of the 2014 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with a 13.73.
“I was very adamant about trying to ride my corner a little better on the second barrel so the same thing didn’t happen again,” Lockhart narrated. “Last night, I didn’t ride my corner. He’s been kind of loose up until that point, so I let him set for his turn a little more, and it haunted me. I knew we had to rectify that tonight, so I sent him in there pretty hard for the first barrel thinking, ‘We’re just going for it tonight.’”
The glossy buckskin was in fine form as he posted the second-fastest time of the rodeo up until this point. The gelding sustained a surgery-requiring stifle injury at the end of March, and after spending the majority of his 7-month hiatus recouping with Lockhart’s longtime friend, Lisa Anderson at Copper Spring Ranch in Bozeman, Mont., Louie appears to be nothing short of revitalized.
“I was very apprehensive,” Lockhart said of his very recent return. “I was very apprehensive, having great expectations of what he can do, yet knowing in my mind I can’t expect him to jump back into what everyone else has been doing all summer long when he’s had seven months off. Of course, it was definitely a dream, knowing that it could happen, but I figured it would take us some rounds to get warmed up, and he’s surpassed that.”
With a time of 13.89 and another second-place check, Fallon Taylor has maintained a razor-thin hold on her aggregate lead over Lockhart. With three rounds to go, only six hundredths of a second separate the two, but that equates to a $9,195 difference in the average payout – which would go a long way in making up the $26,557.86 that distances them in the world standings after tonight.
Lockhart and Taylor’s times were the only sub-14-second times of the evening, with many horses struggling to stay on their feet, four ladies tipping barrels and Samantha Lyne’s horse ducking off at the second barrel. Carlee Pierce’s 14.04 clinched the third-place paycheck while Nancy Hunter’s 14.08 was good for fourth. Fifth go-round winner Michele McLeod’s 14.11 secured the fifth-place check and Jana Bean’s 14.14 took sixth.
Don’t miss the February issue of Barrel Horse News to read in-depth coverage of all the great stories from the 2014 Wrangler NFR.
Barrel Racing Results – Seventh go-round:
1. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 13.73, $19,002.40
2. Fallon Taylor, Whitesboro, Texas, 13.89, $15,018.03
3. Carlee Pierce, Stephenville, Texas, 14.04, $11,340.14
4. Nancy Hunter, Neola, Utah, 14.08, $7,968.75
5. Michele McLeod, Whitesboro, Texas, 14.11, $4,903.95
6. Jana Bean, Ft. Hancock, Texas, 14.14, $3,064.90
7. Kaley Bass, Kissimmee, Fla., 14.15
8. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 14.28
9. Britany Diaz, Solen, N.D., 14.34
10. Christine Laughlin, Pueblo, Colo., 14.51
11. Trula Churchill, Valentine, Neb., 18.87
12. Christy Loflin, Franktown, Colo., 19.20
13. Mary Walker, Ennis, Texas, 19.20
14. Kassidy Dennison, Tohatchi, N.M., 24.22
15. Samantha Lyne, Cotulla, Texas, NT
Aggregate Standings – Seventh go-round:
(Rank/Name/Aggregate/Aggregate Prize/Total NFR Earnings
1. Fallon Taylor 103.08/7 $0.00 $87,349.75
2. Lisa Lockhart 103.14/7 $0.00 $70,646.02
3. Britany Diaz 104.36/7 $0.00 $28,656.84
4. Kaley Bass 104.83/7 $0.00 $19,921.88
5. Michele McLeod 108.71/7 $0.00 $38,311.29
6. Jana Bean 109.55/7 $0.00 $19,002.40
7. Carlee Pierce 109.62/7 $0.00 $25,438.69
8. Sherry Cervi 109.66/7 $0.00 $24,212.74
9. Trula Churchill 113.27/7 $0.00 $31,262.02
10. Nancy Hunter 118.26/7 $0.00 $26,051.68
11. Kassidy Dennison 119.06/7 $0.00 $34,020.43
12. Mary Walker 123.37/7 $0.00 $7,968.75
13. Christine Laughlin 129.42/7 $0.00 $0.00
14. Samantha Lyne 91.49/6 $0.00 $0.00
15. Christy Loflin 99.27/6 $0.00 $16,243.99
Windham Weaponry World Rankings – Seventh go-round:
(Rank/Season earnings/NFR earnings/Total world earnings)
1. Fallon Taylor $131,471.13 $87,349.75 $218,820.88
2. Lisa Lockhart $121,617.00 $70,646.02 $192,263.02
3. Kaley Bass $155,279.55 $19,921.88 $175,201.43
4. Michele McLeod $100,645.02 $38,311.29 $138,956.31
5. Britany Diaz $102,946.71 $28,656.84 $131,603.55
6. Nancy Hunter $104,289.49 $26,051.68 $130,341.17
7. Kassidy Dennison $92,051.12 $34,020.43 $126,071.55
8. Sherry Cervi $93,048.33 $24,212.74 $117,261.07
9. Carlee Pierce $90,430.58 $25,438.69 $115,869.27
10. Christy Loflin $91,736.41 $16,243.99 $107,980.40
11. Mary Walker $99,712.14 $7,968.75 $107,680.89
12. Trula Churchill $75,874.35 $31,262.02 $107,136.3
13. Christine Laughlin $93,134.61 $0.00 $93,134.61
14. Jana Bean $70,415.60 $19,002.40 $89,418.00
15. Samantha Lyne $70,577.07 $0.00 $70,577.07
