“He was on fire!” McLeod said of the 8-year-old stallion. “He left a little hard at the beginning and I knew I had to stay in the middle of him. I don’t think I have the best angle at the first barrel yet, I’m kind of going by it a little bit. The ground feels great to me, he’s handling it well, and I’m just looking to get better each time.” 
Photo by Kenneth Springer
Slick By Design is by Designer Red out of Dreams Of Blue and has been McLeod’s go-to mount and she feels this is his year to shine.
“He feels the best he’s felt in a couple of years,” McLeod said. “I’m just trying to sit in the middle and do the best that I can. There’s no feeling I can describe of being back on Slick, he’s just always been my comfort zone. When I get on him it’s like I don’t want to get off and on anything else.
“Slick did it all on his own tonight,” she said. “He was running so very hard. I had to lift a leg twice during that run and he nearly lost me. This was Slick all the way.”
With last night’s fourth place paycheck McLeod has a great start for the long race ahead of her and plans to use this momentum to keep improving in the next eight rounds. She’ll stick to her normal routine: riding correctly and letting Slick do what he does best.
Lisa Lockhart made a jump in the world standings tonight to overtake, now No. 2 ranked, Callie DuPerier. Lockhart again pulled An Oakie With Cash (“Louie”) from her arsenal for the second round run and finished the round in fourth place with a 13.99, worth $11,000. Lockhart’s win also put her in the running for the aggregate where she currently sits in the No. 2 position after round two.
After a bad slip in the first round Fallon Taylor and Flos Heiress (“Baby Flo”) came into round No. 2 in their usual colorful fashion to redeem their first round run by placing second tonight. The duo turned in a time of 13.93, worth $20,731. First time Wrangler NFR qualifier, Sarah Rose McDonald earned a paycheck tonight worth $15,654 for her time of 13.94 seconds. Round one champ, Cassidy Kruse, pocketed $6,769 for a solid time of 14.03 in fifth place. Kruse is still leading the aggregate race and currently sits fifth in the world standings. Another first time qualifier earned a paycheck tonight as rookie Jackie Ganter filled the last money-earning position in the round with a 14.09 putting her fifth in the aggregate.
Don’t miss the February issue of Barrel Horse News to read in-depth coverage of all the great stories from the 2015 Wrangler NFR.
Barrel Racing Results – First Go Round:
1. Michele McLeod, 13.89, $26,231
2. Fallon Taylor, 13.93, $20, 731
3. Sarah Rose McDonald, 13.94, $15, 654
4. Lisa Lockhart, 13.99, $11,000
5. Cassidy Kruse, 14.03, $6,769
6. Jackie Ganter, 14.09, $4,231
7. Sherry Cervi, 14.10
8. Callie duPerier, 14.18
9. Deb Guelly, 14.21
10. Jana Bean, 14.35
11. Vickie Carter, 14.53
12. Taylor Jacob, 18.79
13. Carley Richardson, 19.11
14. Mary Walker, 19.22
15. Nancy Hunter, 28.87
Aggregate:
1. Cassidy Kruse, 27.87 seconds on two
2. Lisa Lockhart, 27.89
3. Michele McLeod, 27.96
4. Fallon Taylor, 28.14
5. Jackie Ganter, 28.18
6. Sherry Cervi, 28.23
7. Callie DuPerier, 28.26
8. Jana Bean, 28.52
9. Sarah Rose McDonald, 32.83
10. Mary Walker, 33.18
11. Carley Richardson, 33.35
12. Deb Guelly, 33.50
13. Vickie Carter, 33.69
14. Taylor Jacob, 37.85
15. Nancy Hunter, 43.14
World Standings:
1. Lisa Lockhart, $193,251
2. Callie DuPerier, $183,692
3. Sarah Rose McDonald, $160,253
4. Mary Walker, $135,759
5. Cassidy Kruse, $124,346
6. Michele McLeod, $117,628
7. Fallon Taylor, $117,559
8. Sherry Cervi, $114,744
9. Nancy Hunter, $106,68
10. Taylor Jacob, $90,508
11. Carley Richardson, $87,820
12. Jackie Ganter, $87,780
13. Vickie Carter, $72,768
14. Jana Bean, $70,162
15. Deb Guelly, $69,769
